5 minute read
GOING FURTHER WITH THE SALT CENTER: ALUMNI STORIES
ISAAC FLATER
Marketing Specialist
In the late 1980s, when Michael Johnson was studying at the University of Arizona, the World Wide Web had not yet launched, and college essays were still being written on typewriters. During these formative years, Michael spent untold hours in the basement of Old Main getting help from Eleanor Harner, the founder of the fledgling SALT Center, and Sue Wilemon, an Outreach Coordinator with the program. The lessons he learned from them have taken him further than he could have ever imagined.
Michael recalls, “These ladies were pioneers in this. What they instilled in me was the ability to work hard. You’re going to have to work harder than everybody else, but your success can be greater than everybody else’s. They instilled the values to keep pushing yourself, to be stronger, to never give up, to make sure that you fight for yourself, and you do it in a way that’s both respectful, but gets the job done.”
With the support of caring SALT Center staff, Michael developed better study skills, grew in maturity, and was able to steer away from activities and distractions that were not contributing to his well-being. He says, “Without the SALT Center I wouldn’t have been as successful as I am today. Without it, I wouldn’t be as confident of myself, and I probably wouldn’t have had the tools to manage my life as well as I have.” “The SALT Center provided a caring, nurturing environment that, back then, provided both real life and educational support which was transformational.”
After graduating from Arizona with a degree in Political Science, Michael transitioned into a lifelong career in the insurance industry, eventually founding a series of highly successful firms. Today, he is the CEO of J5 Consulting and married to Virginia, his wife of 32 years whom he met while at the U of A. Michael and Virginia are dedicated financial supporters of the SALT Center and Michael has also volunteered to mentor students and serves on our Advisory Board.
Another alumnus who has gone further with support from the SALT Center is recent graduate Jacob Farber. As Jacob was making his way through college, he often felt overwhelmed about his ability to find a job after graduation. He didn’t know how to write a resume or even what career path to pursue. Fortunately, Jacob had learned to trust in his support team at the SALT Center and reached out to Jennifer Hansen, his Student Support Specialist for direction.
Jennifer met with Jacob every week to help him stay on task with class assignments and work towards his career goals. She introduced him to a counselor at the SALT Center who helped him process his emotions and put things into better perspective. Jennifer also connected him with Jake Garfield, a new SALT Center Mentor, who was eager to help guide him toward his goals.
Jake had also been a student in the SALT Center a few years prior but had graduated just as everything was locking down due to the pandemic. Because of this, he initially struggled to find steady employment, bouncing around several roles until finally landing a position on the Chicago White Sox sales team before transitioning into a role in new business development with the Minnesota United soccer club. Jake was able to take the life lessons he learned through those turbulent years and impart them to Jacob, who also shared his passion for sports.
Through their regular meetings, Jacob slowly grew in confidence and narrowed his focus towards a career in creating sports highlight videos, an activity he had been practicing since middle school. With Jake’s guidance, he secured an internship with Ford Sports Performance, an elite training facility in Bellevue, Washington. From there, he landed an internship with the U of A’s football team editing their content.
After graduation, Jacob continued to meet with Jake and work toward finding a full-time job. Jacob got a couple of early interviews only to be disappointed by the sting of rejection and criticism. However, Jake wouldn’t let him give up. He often repeated these words, “I believe in you. I believe in your work. You’re capable of some incredible things. You’ve just got to keep pushing forward because things are going to pay off for you.”
He was right. Jacob recently accepted a new position creating video content for Duke University’s football team. He says, “A year ago, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career. Jake taught me so many things that I did not know how to do. I don’t know how I would have gotten here without him.” He adds, “I still can’t believe that I’m working for Duke Football. It’s a dream come true.”
With its humble beginnings in a dusty basement, to the present day, the vision and mission of the SALT Center have remained the same—to inspire students with learning differences to succeed in higher education and beyond. The small program established by Eleanor Harner in 1980 has grown to mark the lives of thousands of students and continues to exist today because of the countless staff, family, alumni, and other supporters who share Eleanor’s belief that all students deserve a chance to be great.
