I was born in 1960 at the base of Mount Olympus in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of my earliest memories was of the young John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his father's casket, and my mother crying as she sat next to me. I remember the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon being expelled from the White House, the excitement I felt when Jimmy Carter was elected because it meant change was occurring, and when Ronald Reagan was shot. All these memories stayed with me throughout the years, but my most significant influences came from my parents. My father was a renowned artist, and I remember watching him paint. His art greatly influenced my life, and he is the reason that I ended up going back to school after many years.

I got married at a young age and had four children. I wouldn't change a thing because that truly has been the best part of my life.

When I was 27 and pregnant with my third child, I had a stroke, causing me to lose my right peripheral vision, and I became paralyzed on my right side. Before the stroke, I had an almost perfect photographic memory, but then I lost it. It took a lot of years to regain my strength and coordination — and though the majority of my vision came back, my writing was never the same, and I could never speak with the same clarity as I did before the stroke. In my 20's, the doctors told me to do something with my right hand, so I learned to quilt. I also took up drawing and watercolor. As I struggled to gain greater control over my fine motor skills, images of my father's paintings came to my mind, and I felt a closeness to him. It became a sacred experience for me, which helped me during my recovery.

It wasn't until my youngest child, Tanner, headed into his later elementary years that I decided to attend college and get a degree. However, it took me a long time to accomplish that goal because he became very ill. He was 10 when he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and at 18, he underwent surgery to remove 26 inches of his colon.

At 20 years old, he became so critically ill that they weren't sure they could save him. They placed a PICC line that delivered a vitamin and calorie-enriched fluid to his heart to increase his weight to 105 pounds so that they could perform surgery. They removed his gallbladder, 14 inches of his small intestine, half of his stomach, and one-fifth of his pancreas. They had to rework all his binary ducts. In doing so, they removed all of the parts of his body that had become terminally diseased with Crohn's. After his surgery, he started to grow. Before, he had only hit 5' 9", but he grew to be 6 feet tall and now weighs 145 pounds. His story is why I returned to school in my mid-50s — I put my life on hold to take care of him.

During the difficult years with my son, I got divorced and remarried to a really great man. My husband encouraged me to pursue my college education. At first, I didn't want to major in art because I was worried it would ruin my passion for it. I had heard horror stories of professors tearing their students’ artwork to pieces, so I decided to pursue anthropology at Salt Lake Community College. I loved learning about people and cultures, but near the end of earning my associate degree, I sat down with my counselor and asked, "What do I do with this degree?" She told me that I would probably never use it, so I decided to switch my major for my bachelor's degree.

I re-evaluated my options and took a year off, but I was discouraged about my lack of interest in the programs I saw at various universities. I never considered Utah Valley University. One night while we were at dinner, my husband — who worked quite closely with Yudi Lewis, the program director for the Latino Initiative at UVU — said I really should look into UVU. At that very moment, I looked it up, and I knew that was where I belonged. As I looked at the curriculum and courses, it became apparent that they thought outside of the box. I registered that night, and within a week, I had been accepted.

It was the beginning of June, so I could get into only one art class. It was an art history class taught by Professor Steven Bule on the history of the Renaissance. On my first day, I looked around the large room and noticed that I was by far the oldest student. I ended up talking to Steve a few times, and he told me that I should look into attending a study abroad. I thought, "You have got to be kidding me. I'm going to be 59 years old." I wasn't sure if I could handle the rigor of living in a foreign country, and I had my husband, kids, and grandchildren at home. He motivated me, saying that I could do it if I could walk three to four miles a day. I looked at my watch and thought, "That's nothing compared to the six or seven miles I do on an average day."

I applied and was accepted to the study abroad program in Italy. And it was, without question, one of the highlights of my college career, and, frankly, my life. Living in one of the major birthplaces of art inspired me as an artist. The beautiful landscape and architecture moved me to minor in art history. Art history is what laid the foundation for me to develop into a professional artist. I will always be grateful to Dr. Bule for the opportunity he gave me to experience Italian history and art firsthand.

From there, Professor Nancy Steele-Makasci helped me take my art to the next level. She was my printmaking professor, and she opened my mind to a whole new world of possibilities within art. My desire for knowledge increased, and I knew I wanted to learn printmaking at the highest level. Thanks to her, I am now able to produce prints at a professional level, and I feel confident enough with my work to compete in art competitions.

Every single one of my professors at UVU has been amazing. I had been an amateur artist my entire life, but after 15 to 20 years of watercolors and oil paintings, I had hit a wall. My professors helped me rediscover my love for art and pursue it at a higher level. As an older student, my experience has been valued on and off campus. My children and grandchildren have acknowledged the impact my educational pursuit has on them; it has taught them that higher education is significant.

Instead of forcing me to do things a certain way, my professors throughout my college experience helped me explore my interests and find a passion for my future life.