Young ASU grad continues to inspire while chasing his dreams
Dallas Salas is one step closer to accomplishing his big dreams after completing a master’s degree at age 20. After earning his high school, bachelor's and master's degrees through ASU and ASU Prep, he has his eyes on law school and medical school — both at ASU. Photo by ASU
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2025 graduates.
Dallas Salas has already hit a lot of major milestones. He earned his high school diploma through ASU Prep Digital, then completed his first degree from Arizona State University when he was still a teen. Now, less than two years later, at just 20, he’s graduating with a Master of Healthcare Innovation, an Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation program offered through ASU Online.
“I honestly would not have been able to do any of my degrees without ASU Online. I have had a lot of health scares, so I was at the doctor's all the time. I was able to have a lot of flexibility while still getting the full support of ASU,” Salas said. “It truly changed my trajectory, and it allowed me to be able to persevere.”
That support started in high school when he enrolled in ASU Prep Digital. Salas credits it for providing a solid foundation for online learning while setting him up to be successful as he made the transition to college.
His decision to pursue a master’s in health care was shaped by his own experiences, not just in receiving care, but often confronting what it looks like when that care falls short.
As a child, Salas battled leukemia while navigating homelessness, violence and instability at home. Those experiences have made him even more resilient and steadfast in his determination to become a lawyer and eventually a neurosurgeon.
This program marked another significant step toward reaching those goals.
“The MHI was a great deep dive into health care and will help me when I'm a neurosurgeon to ensure I'm innovative and thoughtful about any policies I implement. I want to make sure they are actually changing the world,” he said.
The program opened key doors, including an internship with the prestigious Mayo Clinic-ASU Medtech Accelerator. During the internship, Salas was able to work directly with health technology companies, gaining up-close, hands-on experience. He also completed two capstone projects as part of the program instead of just one.
Now, with two degrees behind him and even bigger dreams ahead, Salas reflects on the lessons he has learned, the mentors who guided him and what it means to keep going, no matter the obstacles.
Question: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
Answer: Almost every professor in this program was absolutely amazing, but my top two are David Wallace and Mike Collins. Professor Wallace was amazing, and he gave me such detailed comments and constructive feedback. He took the time to provide additional resources to look into and was just really involved.
Professor Collins was there with me every single step of the way. He really helped me solve some of my conflicts in taking classes and figuring out my schedule. His support meant a lot. He also alerted me to so many of the opportunities within the program, from the Medtech Accelerator internship to another internship within MHI, developing pediatric wheelchair prototypes.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: I’ve said this before, but it’s definitely to persevere. It is so crucial for students to understand that one bad grade does not define you, whether it’s for the whole class or one assignment.
I had a C in my class, and I thought that was the end of the world because I had never gotten a C before. It's not the end of the world; you're gonna be OK. You just keep going and don't let anyone discourage you. When you're going for high-achieving goals, there are going to be naysayers, but persist with what’s best for you — because at the end of the day, you've got to make the life that you want to live.
The other thing I’ll say is to find ways to take real breaks. My mom is good at helping me with this, so we’ll watch Netflix to decompress. I also personally like going to the gym.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I plan to be forked up all the way! I’m studying for the LSATs now, intending to get into ASU Law, and now that they’ve announced ASU’s new School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering, I plan to continue on at ASU and apply to the medical program. Once I complete all of that, I will do a neurosurgical residency. It's insane how stuff is progressing.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: I would want to address food insecurity and food deserts. We have so many people who are being incarcerated for just stealing food. I don't believe that people should ever have to steal food. It is a basic human right to be able to feed yourself, and I had my own experiences with food insecurity growing up, so I know what it’s like.
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