I have been a fighter from the beginning. I was born eight weeks early and had a few birth defects, including a cleft lip and cleft palate. As a result, I have had around 17 surgeries throughout my life. That is where the mantra “A fighter from the beginning” came from. The recovery time from these surgeries caused me to miss school often. Throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school, I experienced quite a bit of opposition. I was bullied because of the speech impediment that I developed. Ever since I was a child, I set out to prove the naysayers wrong.

I am fortunate to say that I had a lot of people that believed in me throughout my childhood. It was hard, but I was able to make it through school.

From the beginning, the odds were stacked against me. Many people told me that college was not for me. Once I started my junior year in high school, I started looking into colleges and universities. I was devastated when I did not get into a university that I had dreamed of attending since I was a kid. I was in the National Honor Society, and I had a pretty good GPA. It was the ACT that shot me down. Again, I was devastated by this. I did not feel like my talents and abilities were fully represented by this one test.

I was telling my parents how defeated I felt for not getting into that university, and they suggested we take some campus tours. So, I took a campus tour at Utah Valley University, and honestly, as soon as I set foot in the building, I felt a sense of peace and belonging — there was a place for me at UVU. I applied to UVU and some leadership programs at UVU, including the Prospective Student Services Ambassadors. I was accepted to UVU and those programs. Since I was a kid, I dreamed of serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Shortly after being accepted, I went on my mission.

After returning home in 2016, I started my UVU journey. I really focused on one of the core values of UVU: student success through exceptional care. I had heard that was a big focus on campus. I am the type of student that needs smaller class sizes and a relationship with my professors. My counselors and professors made me feel like I was part of a community. They showed me the true meaning of exceptional care. Other than my family and close friends, this was one of the first times that I really felt like people believed in me. They challenged me to identify my goals and desires and helped me build a strong network for success — not just as a student, but for my entire future.

One of my biggest goals was to graduate from college debt-free. My family was very supportive of me, but they were only able to provide minimal financial support. I had to take the responsibility to pay for rent, tuition, and other costs. The leadership programs that I had been accepted into helped pay for my housing. I later became a foundation ambassador, and I received a scholarship that helped pay for my tuition. These opportunities molded me into a leader and helped me to graduate debt-free.

When I started school, I initially wanted to be a therapist and a counselor, and some of the undergraduate courses I was able to take confirmed my passion for mental health. Now I want to stay within higher education and find those students — those diamonds in the rough — and help them to feel like people believe in them. I really believe that I can help students that may be in similar situations. I was one of these students, and I do not think I would have ever found my potential if the university community had not taken a chance on me. Thanks to all this support, I was able to graduate from UVU in the Class of 2020. I have plans in the next year to two years to get a Master of Education, and one of my current dreams is to work closely with Alexis Palmer, the dean of students at UVU. She has been a great resource for me. One of my long-term career goals is to be a dean of students, so I can be involved with students’ mental health, student success, and overall well-being. I recently accepted a full-time position at UVU with the Executive Education department. I will be working as an events specialist, planning and executing a lot of their executive conferences and programs.

I chose UVU because there was a place for me. It was truly my place for first choices and second chances, and it is grounded on its core values: exceptional care, exceptional accountability, and exceptional results. I have friends at other universities, and sometimes they feel like they are just a number. At UVU, I have felt heard and accepted. I love how they focus on the success of each individual person. My time at UVU gave me the tools and confidence to succeed.