WELCOME FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DR. GABRIELLE MILLER

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[Jeffrey & Gabrielle Miller with SALT Center Advisory Board member, Pat Engels]

Before the start of every school year, I have the special opportunity to meet with the new class of students just as they are getting ready to embark on a new chapter of their lives. Each of them comes with a unique mix of excitement, nervousness, curiosity, and hope about being a University of Arizona student. For most of them, this is their first time living away from home and having the freedom and responsibilities that come with adulthood.

In the years that follow, I witness the growth and independence that the SALT Center helps students develop. This change is difficult, especially when it is complicated by learning and attention differences. Yet oftentimes because our students are no strangers to hard work, they take advantage of the support they can get at the SALT Center, persist despite the challenges, and develop strength and independence they never knew they had.

At the end of every school year, I am privileged to stand on stage and congratulate dozens of students, as they walk across the podium on graduation day. There are often tears, but these reflect the realization that they’ve gone well beyond what they (or many around them) thought they could do when they entered the University of Arizona.

As we approach our 45th year, I am in awe at the countless students and alumni who have shared their personal stories of growth and empowerment through the SALT Center. In this edition of the Journal, we’ve chosen to share some of those stories. Whether through personal growth or the eagerness to reach back and help other students, the SALT Center is truly a family that takes care of its own. And we’ve also opted to include a bit about the incredible people who work at the SALT Center—those who ‘go beyond’ every single day to support students’ success.

It is impossible to share all the incredible things that happen each year. It is also impossible to imagine how any of the SALT Center’s success would be possible without the families, alumni, donors, board members, and staff who make it all possible. We are profoundly grateful that together we can help students go beyond what they thought they could do and make their dreams a reality.

Bear Down!

Gabrielle Miller, Ed. D.

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