I was born in Brigham City, Utah, and moved to a small town south of Provo called Santaquin, where I was raised. It has grown a lot since then, but at the time we did not have a single stoplight. I struggled in school and was enrolled in a Title I school through sixth grade. In middle school, we were bussed to Payson, and although I was in a regular school, I continued to struggle through high school.

One day, I told my mom that I did not want to be in school anymore. The No Child Left Behind Act was passed around that time, and students had to complete a test to graduate. I took the English section of the test and failed miserably. It was so bad that they called me in and told me that I had to participate in an after-school English class. I studied for some time and retook the test. It took a while to get the results, and during that waiting period, I dropped out of school. After dropping out, I received a certificate that showed I got one of the highest scores on that English test. It was amazing that I had been able to turn things around from my initial failure on the exam.

Interestingly, when I dropped out of school, I had all A's except for one B. My principal asked me, “Wait, so why are you dropping out?” I told him that I had two jobs, and I didn’t see why I needed to go to school. Money was important to me, and I was earning decent money for a high school student. I worked as a bagger at a local grocery store and in a salon where I managed the tanning beds. I explained to the principal that I saw the importance of school, but I did not understand why I needed to go to school if I was already earning money.

I was 16 when I dropped out of high school. I met my husband at 17, and we ended up getting married one month shy of my 18^th birthday.

My journey to UVU was a long and winding road. My first son was born just before my 19^th birthday, and my second and third sons came back-to-back within 22 months of each other. Several years had passed since I had dropped out of high school. Since dropping out, I had given myself many negative labels such as "the high school dropout," and I viewed myself as a complete failure. This mentality inhibited my growth and made me look down on myself.

One day, I decided to see if there was some way that I could still receive a high school diploma, figuring it could be the start to removing the labels that I had placed on myself. I called the adult education center and was told that I only needed to complete three packets and pay $25 to receive my diploma. I was thrilled that this goal had become attainable. However, after completing the packets, receiving my diploma was very anticlimactic. There was no ceremony or speeches. I dreamed of walking at graduation, but I merely completed a few packets and received a certificate. I still felt like there was something bigger out there for me.

When I was pregnant with my fourth son, I was working at Walmart in the sporting goods department. The hours were long, and it was hard on my back. I remember thinking to myself, “I don't want this for the rest of my life.” That thought motivated me to make a change.

I was nine months pregnant when I submitted my application to UVU in January 2013. Frankly, I did not think I would get accepted because I was a high school dropout. When the application approval came through, I remember holding my newborn and sobbing. Some of the emotion was probably due to pregnancy hormones, but it was a change in my life’s trajectory — and it gave me hope.

 

My first two professors deserve to be acknowledged for the patience that they offered me as they guided me through their classes. I had the formal education of a 16-year-old. They met me at that level and helped me to improve. The most significant change that I saw right off the bat was my increased confidence as I found my purpose. I thought to myself, "I am a dropout, but I still have meaning in this world.”

Pretty soon, I discovered my passion for teaching and declared myself an elementary education major. After all, I had been teaching and raising children since I was 17. Not long after I had selected my major, my son was diagnosed with autism. We ended up going through applied behavior analysis (ABA) to receive help. I learned things that I wanted to share with other families with autism or other developmental disorders. This experience led me to change my degree to special education with a minor in autism.

More recently, one of my other sons was diagnosed with a lifelong immune disease called hypogammaglobulinemia. This disease results in a completely nonfunctional immune system. This condition is scary because my son could get a severe infection from something as simple as the common cold that would put him in the hospital. We went to an immunologist, and they started him on a lifelong plasma-based medication. They trained me on how to inject him in his back with the medication every other week.

Until my last semester at UVU, I worked graveyard shifts to keep working and going to school. I would get off my shift at 7 a.m., drive all the way home, get my kids ready for school, and be at UVU by 8 a.m. I always prided myself on being on time. Occasionally I arrived one minute late, but I placed a significant focus on time management. Sometimes the morning person wouldn't show up, and I would cover their shift as well. I only slept every other day. I kept up this schedule all through college while taking 15-19 credits each semester. As I went into my last semester, I wanted to retain as much information as possible, so I quit my graveyard job.

After quitting, I was fortunate to receive a first-generation scholarship from UVU. This scholarship came at a perfect time and helped me pay for my education.

One of the cool things about my background is that it has enabled me to mentor the younger girls in my classes. I often heard them saying, “I had to get a job, and it’s been so hard,” and some girls talked about dropping out of school. I shared my story with the girls and told them how difficult it was to come back after dropping out of school. I always tell them to stick it out, no matter what. I have also been able to teach my kids lessons about decisions. I tell them that when I was a kid I made a bad decision, and it took me a long time to make up for it — but now, as an adult, I am making good decisions that will improve our future.

It has been a challenging journey making it to UVU and sticking it out when times get tough. But if you only get one thing out of my story, I want you to remember that anybody can do it. I have gone through the depths to show people that no matter how hard their life has been or what they have gone through, it is doable. I always say that I feel like I am so much older than I am because I have experienced so much. All the hard times have been worth getting to this point where I will be graduating in May 2021 and finally have the chance to put on my cap and gown and walk at graduation. I am finally able to drop all the labels that have dragged behind me. I am so proud of myself for making it to where I am today. I am a proud Wolverine.