UVU allowed me to make changes and do something different. That's the type of environment UVU creates — you can come where you are and excel there.
I was at a point in my life where I was stuck and feeling discouraged about the lack of progress I was making in my own development. So, my husband and I decided to do something different and move out of the country for a few months. When we came back, UVU was the perfect place to accept me where I was at.
The moment I felt I belonged at UVU was when my husband and I became unexpectedly pregnant. I told my mentor Stephen Whyte, the communications department head, and he was thrilled.
Stephen facilitated two internships for me during my senior year. I worked as a public relations student on the Roots of Knowledge project, and I was president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). When I became pregnant, I was nervous. I wasn't sure I was ready for that next phase of my life. When I went to him and he responded with excitement and confidence that everything could develop together, it was everything.
That was the first time I knew motherhood, professional development, and personal development could coexist. UVU was a good place that allowed me to make changes and do something different. That's the type of environment UVU creates — you can come where you are and excel there.
I was eight months pregnant, working on Roots of Knowledge, and serving as the PRSSA president. We flew to Indianapolis to attend a conference and accept an award on UVU’s behalf. I was so pregnant that the airline almost didn't let me fly.
It was eight hours a day, four days a week at this conference, and my ankles were hysterically inflamed by the end of the day. People were shocked to see a pregnant person there, and I love that. I loved accepting the conference's highest award while being a bit different. I was this unspoken example that you can develop yourself and be involved in these things while starting a family.
It was amazing getting to work on the Roots of Knowledge project. I couldn't believe that something so high-profile and expensive for the university allowed me to be involved as a student in such an intimate way. I was there greeting the press and getting involved in those pitches. That hands-on experience has translated into the work I'm doing for Crumbl, one of the largest dessert empires in the country. That type of experience matters.
UVU, my internships, and the networks I developed facilitated confidence in me — confidence that allowed me to enter the workforce in a huge way.
I have gotten comments before that I'm not qualified or too young. Everybody's going to get naysayers, especially if you're doing something different. It hurts when people don't validate your aspirations, especially when they come at it from a gender or age lens, not looking at your past experience or your qualifications.
UVU showed me that it wasn't questionable that I was a young female serving in a presidential role. I love that the current president at UVU is a woman. She exemplifies the uniqueness that UVU facilitates for people.
UVU gave me the confidence to rise to the occasion, and I believe I have. I have confidence in my contributions and knowledge for the work I've been hired to do.
Two thoughts for young female professionals.
One, there is absolutely room at the table for more of us. As women, we tend to feel threatened by other rising female professionals who are smarter or more capable than us in certain ways. I have found nothing but more fulfilling work and deeper relationships when I have helped facilitate a seat at the table for these women. We should amplify and celebrate each other and build each other up.
Two, do the thing. No one is going to give you permission. No one is going to say that you are good enough to the level you want to hear. Identify what you want to contribute to the world, whether professionally or personally, and do that because you're qualified for it. You can figure it out the same way anybody else can, even though other voices may be saying you can't.
Links:
