Scholarship

How Generous Giving Promotes Student Success

Laura Kerry-Henkel

Catherine, Caitlin, and Bryce received SALT Center scholarships to help pay for their fees. I sat down with them to learn more about how utilizing SALT Center services made a difference for them during their first year of college.

STUDENT PROFILES

Catherine Butler

Hometown: Tempe, AZ Major: Pre-Family Studies Cumulative freshman GPA: 3.143 Campus Activities: Delta Delta Delta, Secretary; SALT Ambassador

Caitlin Petiti

Hometown: Millbrae, CA Major: Pre-Education Cumulative freshman GPA: 3.743 Campus Activities: Future Teachers Club

Bryce Schuler

Hometown: Prescott, AZ Major: Pre-Business Cumulative freshman GPA: 4.0 Campus Activities: Enactus: enactus.org/who-we-are/our-story

How did the SALT Center support you during your first year of college?

CATHERINE: After I had finished my math credits, I assumed I would no longer need SALT Center tutoring. However, I quickly learned I could benefit from tutoring in other classes, such as Psychology, English, and even Oceanography. Without tutoring, I believe that I would not be enjoying the success that I achieved my freshman year.

CAITLIN: The SALT Center was my home away from home. I used tutoring and the Writer’s Lab, and the weekly appointments were amazing. Without the SALT Center, I would not have achieved the grades I did this past year. When I was homesick and wanted to give up, my Learning Specialist would encourage me - they helped me survive the year.

What are your thoughts on receiving a SALT Center Scholarship?

CATHERINE: I feel so honored to receive the SALT Center scholarship! SALT Center services are invaluable to me, and this scholarship will enable me to continue to use them in the coming year.

CAITLIN: My scholarship helped me afford SALT Center fees, which helped me to achieve in school. I love the SALT Center and the fact that they offer scholarships because they want to help as many students as possible.

BRYCE: It’s great! I am very grateful for the additional support that helps keep the SALT Center a cost-effective asset to my education.

What advice would you give to students with learning challenges who will be starting their freshman year in the fall?

CATHERINE: The main piece of advice that I would give to incoming freshmen is to make sure to use all resources available to them. I found success by creating standing tutoring appointments for my most challenging classes and visiting or emailing professors often to stay in contact with them regarding assignments and grades.

BRYCE: For certain classes, reading all of the assigned readings isn’t necessary to achieve a great grade in the class. Because students with learning disabilities often have difficulty reading quickly, it’s best to prioritize the reading that is most important and to focus on that. And ride a bike! It saves a lot of time.

What are your goals after college?

CATHERINE: After I receive my degree, I want to work as a Child Life Specialist so that I can help children understand their hospitalization, and make their procedures and tests a little less scary and painful. In the future, I plan to earn a Master’s degree in the field of child development.

CAITLIN: My goal is to follow in the footsteps of my mom and become a Special Education teacher.

BRYCE: If my career interests stay the same, I plan to start a business after college, or join a start-up so that I utilize the Business and Entrepreneurship education that I’m working on right now at the UA.

The SALT Center offers a range of need-based scholarship awards to help compensate for the fees associated with participating in the program. Over 50 students receive scholarship funds every year. To learn more about the scholarships we offer, or to contribute to the Eleanor Harner Scholarship Fund, please visit our website: https://salt.arizona.edu/give/giving-opportunities