I’ve been drawing my entire life. It didn’t matter if I was at school, church, or at home, I was always drawing. I was never one of those people that wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I grew up. Ever since I was young, I’ve always known that I wanted to be an illustrator. Luckily, I had family members that worked in art and design, so I grew up knowing firsthand that a person could make it as an artist. I always saw art as a full-time job and knew I could be successful. Throughout high school, I did all the art classes and was assigned as the student body artist. I eventually competed as a Sterling Scholar for art. During high school, I never wanted to go to college. I didn’t want to start school again and didn’t think I needed a degree to draw. I attended an art event and met Adam Munoa, who taught art and design at UVU. He told me that good things were happening at the UVU illustration program and that many professors had switched to UVU to begin teaching. This was the first time that I thought about attending college. My high school counselor asked where I was going to apply, and I told them that I would be attending UVU. I didn’t apply to any other schools.

I came to UVU, unsure of what to expect. In my very first drawing class I remember the professor saying, “Today we are going to learn how to draw straight lines.” I laughed, knowing full well I could easily draw a straight line. I spent the whole class period learning an entirely new way to hold the pencil to draw straight lines. All I could say after that first class was, “Wow! I really like this.” From that first class, I have really enjoyed my time at UVU.

Things haven't always been easy for me, though. When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which complicated my life. I remember two years before my diagnosis I had the flu, and I was home from school watching a movie in which one of the main characters had cancer. In the movie, the main character treats people like trash and hurts those around her, feeling completely justified because she has cancer. I remember at that moment thinking that I would never be like the woman in that story. Two years later, I realized I was in the same circumstances as the woman from the movie whose attitude I hated so much. I at once decided that I wouldn’t let this terrible thing ruin my life. I decided that I could either stay home sick, feeling bad about myself and my situation, or feel the same way at school doing something I loved. I decided that I would much rather feel crappy at school. I went my entire freshman year with my hair buzzed as I went through round after round of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The full process took about 18 months, but I left my treatments free of cancer.

Then, when I turned 16, I found another bump on my neck. That was lame. The second round of chemo and radiation was much harder. I’m a pretty positive person, but I was not always a good sport about my diagnosis. I had many days where I was so mad and argued with all my doctors. It was so hard to go through the intense process all over again. My doctors told me that I would have to miss school, but I decided that I wouldn’t let cancer dictate my life. I didn’t miss a day of school that year. I would go to school at Provo High School, then drive to Salt Lake City to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, then drive back home to work and do my assignments for school. I did this for 20 days in a row. After that and a lot of chemo, I was again cancer-free.

At this time, I decided to go on a church service mission to Alabama, where I was for about three months before I found a bump on my neck. I was so mad. I told everyone that I could stay out and explained that I went to treatments for half of my time in high school. I had to come home, though, which was difficult for me. Throughout this process, I kept a strong commitment to my spiritual beliefs, which helped me maintain my positive and happy attitude. I still have cancer today and receive treatments every month. I am doing good and feeling well.

 

For me, I think it is important to mention that everyone has problems. It doesn’t matter who you are. I think that health problems are harder for people to conceptualize and are often glamorized, but I don’t know what it feels like to lose a child or not grow up with parents. I firmly believe that no problem is bigger or smaller than another. No matter our situation, however, we always have the freedom to choose how things affect us. Bad things happen in life, that’s a guarantee. It’s important to take charge and live your life on your own terms.

I’ve always run school how I run my life, which is that I do it on my terms. Sometimes that really stresses my teachers out. Going to college is such an important experience, and you must make sure when you’re there that you’re getting what you need out of it. You cannot be passive at school; you have to be involved, engaged, and make sure you are doing what you want to do. I’ve loved college, and I built a custom schedule that works for me that involves illustration, design, and marketing. This has enabled me to run my own business while I’m still in school.

Since my freshman year, every time I have had to do an assignment for school, I’ve always tried to make it as relevant as I can to real life. One time I was in class and had to design a poster for a band, so I posted on Instagram and asked if any band wanted 50% off a custom poster. This was such a wonderful experience! I got a grade, the poster got put up everywhere, and I was hired for more poster work. My whole college career has been like that. From these experiences I have been able to build my own business, where I’m totally working freelance now. School can really help you, regardless of your age or ability. As an artist, I realized there is nothing holding me back. If you want to make good artwork and sell it, just do it. You can’t be passive in your education. When I was new in school, I was passive when I would meet with my counselor. I quickly decided that if I wanted to take a class, I would take it regardless of the number of signatures or approvals I needed. I think that every student should take charge of their education and make it worth their time and effort. If you’re going to take classes, put your heart into it. Make sure what you’re working on applies to what you want to do. This is your education, and you pay for it, so make it yours.

Since beginning here at UVU I’ve designed work for many clients all over Utah, including marketing materials for the Provo Rooftop Concert Series, the Love Letters Museum, and even UVU! Additionally, I teach private workshops and hand-lettering community education classes here at UVU. In 2017, I was hired to go to Parkland, Florida, to create a mural in a classroom at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the wake of the terrible shooting that happened there. I was commissioned to paint a large mural for a teacher who lost students that day. My experience at UVU has been supplemented by amazing engaged-learning opportunities that have allowed me to gain invaluable experience, allowing me to work, to teach, and to share my story with others. I was selected as the lead designer for the “A Place for You” campaign — UVU’s campus theme and aesthetic for 2019-2021. It has been an amazing opportunity to help create a sense of belonging at UVU. No matter who you are or what you want to do, there’s a place for you at UVU!