UVU is a place for those who are authentically curious.
I was born and raised in Provo. My parents had immigrated from Asia to study here and decided to stay after they graduated. While I grew up here, I never thought I would stay in Utah County. I always wanted to travel and go somewhere else. But I ended up going to UVU, so I never really left.
I wasn't a great high school student — a B student at best. I didn't have a lot of academic structure in high school. After graduating, I went to the University of Utah for a semester. It was fun, but I just felt like I was in a black hole academically. There's not much support; it’s a large university, and professors there were kind of distanced from the students. Mostly just lecturing students but not engaging with them.
After one semester at the University of Utah, I felt like it wasn't the right fit for me. So, I joined the military reserves. I probably would have done the military [for] 20 years. But I knew I still wanted to pursue my academic career. So, I started thinking about which university [would fit] me best. I looked at UVU, toured the campus, and loved it. After enrolling, I knew it was the perfect spot for me.
UVU provides a lot of opportunities for nontraditional students. I was never the academic type, so to be able to find my place here was unique. I think UVU’s ability to do that speaks volumes for what kind of university it is.
The professors that I had were really engaging and personal. I remember a few reached out to me just to say, “Hey, look, your essays are great. Here's how you can improve.” So, they pulled me into their office, and they saw potential. They really wanted to push me to improve my writing. That was great for me. I went from a B student in high school to getting all A's at UVU. So much of that turnaround was due to the engaged teaching style of UVU. The professors were invested in me.
I started [out] taking psychology courses because that's what I was interested in. After some career counseling, which I think UVU does a great job at, I figured out that [in the] long term, psychology was not what I wanted to do professionally. But I [had] already earned quite a few credits, so with some advice from Professor David Connelly, I added a political science degree on top of my psychology courses. I was taking 21 credits a semester, and I got the advice to double major in behavioral science and political science, which would help me with grad school applications.
I graduated from UVU and went to BYU for two years for the MPA program. Afterward, I worked in New Mexico for a national lab called Sandia National Lab. I was a data analyst/project manager. I think the corporate life is a good life, so it was a great job. But I wasn't as engaged. It wasn’t the hands-on learning experience I wanted. So, after a few years, I transitioned into something else where I could be more hands-on and engaged with what I was doing.
So, I started a business and got into some real estate — all of which is very hands-on. I now own and operate the Paleta Bar — a Mexican and frozen dessert shop — in Provo.
I grew up on sugary sweets: cookies, donuts, ice cream, and everything else. It's all [too] sugary for me, and I don't really enjoy it. I’d have it maybe once a month. I ran into the concept of paletas down in New Mexico. I was hesitant because I didn't know what it was. I had some good friends recommend [paletas]. It was creamy and flavorful but not too sweet, which is what I liked. You could dip [the paletas] in chocolate, put toppings on it, and customize it. So, I started going four or five times a week. I thought, “Let's bring it to Utah.” Utah has a few similar concepts, but nothing quite like it. In Utah, the frozen dessert and sweets field is very saturated, but it's been a really good experience. [We’ve been] tossed into a pool with a lot of big fish swimming in it.
I [was able] to continue that engaged theme that I found at UVU. [My UVU experience] was transformative and [showed that] UVU is a place for those who are authentically curious.
Links
UVU History and Political Science
