Our final day in Salt Lake City was spent working, with Cliff attending meetings at WGU’s main campus and Jon working remotely from Cloud 9. The day’s main event was the alumni celebration at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

The original Salt Palace, constructed in 1899, was lost to a fire in 1910. A new indoor arena bearing the same name was built in 1969, serving as a venue for professional sports teams, concerts, and various events. This arena was later demolished, making way for a new convention center that opened in 1996. The facility underwent major expansions in 2000 and 2005, and now includes the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Abravanel Hall, the home of the Utah Symphony.

One thing that was immediately noticeable was the facility’s commitment to green practices: No single-use plastic bottles; waterless urinals; sustainable utensils, plates, skewers, and containers; a robust recycling and reuse program.

Cliff and his colleagues staffed a booth at the alumni event, providing information about available, lifelong career services, such as resume reviews, mock interviews, informational webinars, individualized advising, job and internship opportunities, and more. When his shift ended, we slipped away into the night, exhausted, but grateful for so many memorable moments.