“In SEI, ‘Life has Options’ is more than a slogan…”

As Tonkon Torp attorney Michael Elliott Callier looks out on Portland from his downtown office, he can literally see the distance he’s come since he was a teenager wrestling with his future.

At age 15, Michael was in a “make or break” stage of his life when his Aunt MaryEtta introduced him to SEI. He had just moved to Portland and was trying to get his bearings.
He knew he wanted to be a lawyer but wasn’t sure if that dream was truly a possibility. SEI became the extended family he needed for success. The SEI coordinators at Jefferson High School showed him the path, gave him continuous encouragement, and helped him navigate the SAT and college application process.

“I learned that by behaving and achieving at a level that allows you to have options, you gain control over your life,” he says. “It’s not just about positioning yourself – it’s about gaining and maintaining confidence that you can achieve your goals.”

That confidence served him well as a player for the University of Oregon football team and an extern for the Honorable Lyle C. Velure and Federal Judge Anne Aiken, mentors he fondly considers “surrogate legal parents.”

At the end of a busy day practicing law, Michael often sees children he taught during summers at SEI. He is proud to be a positive influence in their young lives, and to continue contributing to what he calls SEI’s “culture of success” by volunteering on SEI fundraising committees.

“Life has options is more than a slogan,” he says. “SEI makes it a way of life.”

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