My name is Danielle Corbett, and I’m a junior at Utah Valley University (UVU) studying art and design. I served as UVU’s student body president on UVUSA during the 2020-2021 academic year — the second female student ever elected to the position. I am currently serving under General Counsel Clark Collings as his presidential intern.

I grew up in Payson, Utah, and lived there for the first 12 years of my life. My family moved to Plano, Texas, in hopes that my dad would be able to find a better job after I finished the seventh grade. It was hard for me because I had never moved before. It was also difficult because Plano was a much larger city than Payson. Things did not work out in Texas like my family had hoped, and since my sister and I were also struggling, we ended up moving back to Utah. I attended a new school — Copper Mountain Middle School — and there I began to discover who I was. I connected strongly with music and fashion, and the friendships I made helped me to understand myself more fully.

Most of my friends from middle school went to different high schools, so in 10th grade, I joined DECA Inc. (previously known as Distributive Education Clubs of America) because I wanted to get involved and make more friends. As time progressed, I really enjoyed it and got to know all the business teachers. At the same time, I became interested in art and design, and I had an Instagram account where I would post drawings that I did. I decided that moving forward, I would pursue a career in art and business and figure things out along the way.

Things changed again when my dad got a job at Brigham Young University (BYU). I had to say goodbye to all of my friends and move again, this time to Provo. I got involved with DECA at Provo High and became the president at the end of my junior year, and I was the student body artist on student government my senior year. I also continued to pursue my business interests by applying for and becoming my school’s Business Sterling Scholar. I ended up making it to the state finals, and though I did not win, I was invited to attend a banquet at UVU for all of the finalists. At this point in my life, I had been accepted to BYU, and since my dad worked there, I was sure that’s where I was headed. Kyle Reyes, the vice president of Student Affairs at UVU, spoke at the banquet, and his story and energy struck me in a way I was not expecting — I felt excited about UVU!

After the banquet, I spoke with Kyle for a bit and then talked with some representatives from the UVU Ambassador program. I ended up deciding to apply to be an ambassador — but the application was due in two days, and I did not have a student ID. My dad and I both had a very good feeling about UVU — that it was “right” — so I decided to follow my heart and figure out how I could apply to be an ambassador. I went to the admissions office and asked if there was any way that I could be admitted into UVU immediately in order to complete the application. A lady walked out of her office after hearing my plea, and she told me that she would make it happen. Later that night, I had received an email letting me know that I was accepted to UVU, and I was able to complete the application and become an ambassador for UVU.

My experience at UVU has been amazing. I grew to love UVU, so serving as an ambassador and letting other prospective students know how much I loved it was rewarding. I am a first-generation college student, and I found it very easy to connect with other students like me.

During my sophomore year, I was a member of the UVU Center for Social Impact Service Council. I loved the other students that I worked with, and I learned a great deal about social issues and how they impact not just the world at large but also our students here locally.

Taylor Bell, the student body president at the time, approached the service council and encouraged us to consider running in the upcoming UVUSA elections. I had a job working in the UVUSA offices as a graphic designer, but I had never considered joining the organization or running for a position. The day that applications were due, I submitted mine and decided to run for student body president. I was scared, but I knew that I was passionate about students and that I loved working with those who were underrepresented. I matured a lot during the election process because I was meeting students from diverse backgrounds, and it gave me a greater understanding of the weight and importance of being student body president. Our students are real people with real lives and real issues, and I wanted them to feel like they could come to me with their problems. I wanted to let the students lead, and I would be there to represent them. I ended up being elected as student body president, and it was an amazing experience.

I am planning on graduating in May 2022. As far as post-graduation plans go, I’m still trying to figure them out. This time last year, I thought pursuing art law and working with intellectual property would be the best path for me because it combined my love for art with my executive experience. However, I have realized over the last year that my passion lies in student affairs within higher education. I aspire to be the next Alexis Palmer or Kyle Reyes! With that being said, I am now looking to pursue a master’s in higher education here at UVU or a master’s in student affairs at another institution after I graduate.

To current and prospective students, I would say that the most important things in my journey have been finding good friends — whether you join a club or an organization to do that is up to you — and to enjoy it! That sounds silly, but I think we get so caught up in wanting things to be completed or finished that we do not enjoy the journey of getting there. Enjoy the time while you have it, and do not feel like you must have everything figured out. Plans change, pandemics arise, and we do not always know what is going to happen, so make the most of the journey!