As told by Isaac Smith
There are so many resources, as well as just this excitement in the air — this unspoken magic. It feels like everybody has this belief that we can succeed, especially professors, faculty, and other students, and so they were able to come in and tell me “No, you can do this.”
Photo by Kennedy Evans
I was a child with a large personality. I was curious about the world and loved all sorts of stories, whether those stories came from books, art, other people, or movies. I loved stories, and they were so important to me. But for the longest time as a child, I felt like I was in the background. It wasn’t until UVU until I got into adulthood that I realized that my story is just as important and just as exciting.
I grew up in Ukraine and moved to the United States when I was 15 years old. Just like anybody that grew up in Ukraine, it was a childhood filled with memories but also with a lot of limitations — whether they be economic, social, or educational. There were certain activities that I could never do, such as theatre, because we didn’t have the funds to go to a school that provided me with that kind of education. So moving to America, being part of theatre, studying it professionally, and studying it at a university is such a major deal for me.
My acceptance letter came just at the perfect time. It just felt right; this university feels like me. However, as I got into adulthood, I realized that the limitations I grew up with did not just disappear, they worsened, and they followed me. As I entered 2020, my mental health started getting worse. COVID happened, life is just crazy, adulthood is insane, and I lost confidence in my own abilities to study.
I remember my first semester at UVU was doing COVID. I came to campus because I wanted to feel connected, and I saw the slogan of UVU that said, “UVU: A Place For You.” I remember thinking, “Yeah, right. No university is a place for me.” I truly didn’t believe in my abilities to succeed and to study. I just was afraid that I was becoming somebody that would be a college dropout.
However, the university heard my thoughts, and I’ve had many people that stepped in and told me, “Hey, get involved with us. You are capable of doing this.” There are so many resources, as well as just this excitement in the air — this unspoken magic. It feels like everybody has this belief that we can succeed, especially professors, faculty, and other students, and so they were able to come in and tell me “No, you can do this.” Now I realize that the best college for me was UVU because it’s the best fit.
I was studying psychology originally, which is a great program, but I knew I wanted to do theatre. I wanted to do costume design. However, I didn’t have some of the skills or the beliefs. I was raised with the thinking that arts are a hobby. They are not a career.
My UVU mentor, Hannah, and I met during my first semester taking SLSS 1000 online. She met with me virtually just to stay connected. Hannah helped me gain that belief and confidence and I decided that yes, I want to follow my dreams. I don’t want to just study; I want to follow my passion and work hard to follow those dreams, so that’s been life-changing.
After she met with me, she told me, “You have to become a UVU mentor!” She continuously believed in me. Being involved with the UVU mentors has been my first door opening at UVU. Now I’m involved with all these different places on campus. I know about events, and I like to go to these events. But it was because of UVU mentors and Hannah who took the time to see something in me that I didn’t see, and to let me know that she believed in me and wanted me to succeed.
My advice for current students is to tap into your extraordinary. You are capable of success. Whatever shape or form it comes through, you have great potential, and you are unique.
Links:
UVU Mentors
SLSS 1000
Theatrical Arts Degrees
