ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ON CAMERON MINA
EMILY PENDLETON
Assistant Director of Operations & Strategy
Photo courtesy of Natalie Hurtado
Cameron Mina spent much of his childhood with an undiagnosed learning difference struggling to find his place in school. Reflecting on that period of life he recalls, “You feel kind of like an outcast, and why am I the only one in there that needs help and needs to go to do extra tutoring or is failing math because they can’t comprehend or stay focused?”
As Cameron grew older his life began to change for the better, and he finally began to get the support he needed. He says, “I always knew something was not right but then when my learning challenge was diagnosed, it all made more sense.”
When Cameron came to the University of Arizona, he knew he wanted to pursue a degree in either Marketing or Communication. After a few rough semesters however, he began to seriously reconsider his degree choice. One day, while scrolling through the array of apps on his phone, he realized that the path forward was displayed right in front of him—the field of human connectivity!
This new direction would still allow Cameron to put his strong marketing and networking skills to use and was an important turning point in his life. Cameron credits much of his personal growth in this period to the SALT Center and especially to his Student Support Specialist, Claudia Sandoval, who helped him find the motivation to persevere and complete his studies.
Since graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in General Studies and a concentration in Human Understanding, Cameron’s resume has grown to include employment at several distinguished companies, including Nike, Facebook (now Meta), and currently TikTok. Having found success in business and marketing, Cameron is now giving back to the SALT Center to show students that someone like them can pursue their passions and thrive in the big world.
As a participant in the SALT Center’s alumni mentoring program, Cameron is now using his learning challenge as a way to positively connect with students. He says, “It's really important for me to give back, because if I didn't have those individuals, there's no way I could do this by myself. I wouldn't have been able to be where I'm at.”
In addition to mentoring, Cameron volunteers alongside other SALT Center alumni to host the Life After College workshop series. This semi-annual event is carefully designed to help guide students' career paths along an upward trajectory.
From experience, Cameron knows that sometimes students just need a little boost to reach their full potential. He says, “Being able to empathize with these individuals and hopefully get them comfortable to figure out their best ways to be successful and being able to be a resource,” is a payback for the help he received from the SALT Center.
SALT Center alumni interested in supporting current students should contact Emily Pendleton to learn more about our alumni engagement opportunities.
Emily Pendleton: ependleton@arizona.edu
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LIFE AFTER COLLEGE: PREPARING FOR YOUR FUTURE
Our Life After College event started in 2016 with an alumni panel speaking to scholarship recipients at the end of their annual luncheon. Over the last seven years, our alumni have helped us grow the event into a multi-day workshop series and resource fair that is now open to all students in the program. Students say they are especially grateful to hear from SALT Center alumni about how they have found professional success and accomplished things like, going to graduate school, searching for jobs, and navigating the workplace with a learning difference.
Last year, with the support of our alumni, we were also able to begin offering Life After College twice a year, with sessions now taking place in both February and October. We have also begun collaborating with corporate partners to help educate and direct them in their efforts to attract and support neurodivergent talent and they are eager to take part in these events as well.
