As told by David Nelson
Everyone at UVU is so down to earth, and they want you to succeed. That really helped me when I was doubting myself.
Photo by Kennedy Evans
I grew up in Millcreek, Utah, and as a kid, I always loved playing in the woods and hiking. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family where higher education was very much an option and expectation. My grandparents were very much involved with the University of Utah in particular. My paternal grandfather served as president of the university when I was just a toddler, and I grew up going to football games, sneaking into lectures, and bleeding red through and through. My freshman year, I was accepted at the University of Utah and lived on campus at the Lassonde Entrepreneurship Institute.
There was an emphasis on being perfect all the time, and I took it to an extreme. It was a great opportunity, but I was struggling with a lot of mental health challenges at the time. I felt a little bit lost in my life. I started realizing that I had an eating disorder, which was contributing to the mental challenges I was experiencing.
I started looking for a place where I could feel more support from faculty and a sense of community. I was working to change my neural pathways to more positive thinking. I knew that I didn't want to continue in business and wanted to go into something creative. The curiosity that I had about Utah Valley University grew. The more I learned, the more I realized that it was the place for me. The culture of grit and resilience stood out, and I loved that [UVU] celebrates non-traditional and [working] students. That was different from my previous experience as someone who paid for her education because I was really ashamed that I was working to pay for school.
In my family, the professions across the board are medicine, law, and business. I always figured I'd be a doctor or physical therapist or start my own business. But if it wasn’t fulfilling for me. I decided to look into graphic design because, as a kid, I did art all the time. My grandmother was an oil painter, and as a kid, I'd sit in her kitchen and just watch her paint. It also helped that UVU’s graphic design program is incredible.
I really wanted to get involved with UVU’s Outdoor Adventure Center. I consider myself a very enthusiastic but very novice adventurer. I remember walking into their office and saying, “Hey, I'd love to learn about how to get involved here, but I’m not very knowledgeable.” But I just felt so welcomed and encouraged at UVU, and that all started at the Outdoor Adventure Center. Then, that grew as I had experiences in UVUSA, the School of the Arts, and the graphic design program.
I feel like what has blessed me the most in my time at UVU is that everyone is so down to earth, and they want you to succeed. That really helped me when I was doubting myself because I didn't have people around me saying I couldn't. I benefitted from making really good friends and also just a mindset shift. I thought of myself as capable. Rather than seeing obstacles as stopping points, I learned to be more creative with my thinking and work around the obstacles that we face because roadblocks and potholes in the road of life are inevitable.
During my undergrad at UVU, I wrote a book titled “What She Sees: A Story Investigating Body Image.” It follows a young girl and a magic mirror and how the relationship changes throughout her life. The story was inspired by my process of healing from an eating disorder when each of my family members wrote letters of impact. In one of those letters, my younger sister wrote, “When I looked in the mirror at myself the way you did, it was painful, and I stopped.” And that was a big wake-up call for me.
I realized the key to my journey to better mental health is the way that I interact with myself. People can sense that, especially those closest to us. The way we treat ourselves sets the tone for how we accept treatment within our relationships with others. I found that, as I gave myself more respect and as I gave myself the confidence that I deserved, my relationship became healthier with others and myself.
As much as I'd love to give myself credit for this book and this idea, it was truly just a story that needed to be told. Because especially in the state of Utah, we struggle so much with negative body image and eating disorders. My experience recovering from an eating disorder motivated me both to continue my recovery and try to save young versions of myself from starting those patterns. So, my hope is that this book would be put in the hands of a young child, and they could sit with their parents and say, “This is what I'm feeling.” Then, rather than hiding that shame and having it develop into a chronic health condition, they can address it earlier on.
The UVU Excellence & Innovation Initiative (e2i) program has been incredible, and [my] book wouldn't be here if it were not for them. I shared my book with Jeremiah Harrison from e2i, and he was floored and so enthusiastic, which helped me as we faced roadblocks in terms of funding or helping others understand the project. I really appreciated his enthusiasm, and that carried me through the obstacles.
One thing that's interesting about the e2i program is it enables current students to serve almost as a board of directors within the student’s project. I was the leader of my project, and I worked with social media marketing and English literature students who helped develop a marketing plan and edit the book. That was helpful for me because I had blind spots in those areas. I was able to learn how to better communicate a creative idea on the financial side of things. Jeremiah had me create a market research presentation, where he talked about the gap in the market for this type of book, as far as the narrative goes — a narrative story about body image. I learned more about ROI and projecting sales. Those were things that I wasn't getting on the graphic design side of my education, but they do apply to the design industry. So, that really complemented everything I learned in graphic design. Eventually, I was able to gain the trust of the individuals who oversaw the funding and funded the project.
UVU is a place for first choices and second chances. At UVU, I was able to accomplish my impossible, which was just getting my undergraduate degree, and I was able to not only get my BFA in graphic design but also build relationships and knowledge that will truly last me a lifetime.
UVU Outdoor Adventure Center
UVU Department of Art & Design
UVU Excellence & Innovation Initiative (e2i)
Jeremiah Harrison – UVU e2i Director
“What She Sees: A Story Investigating Body Image”
A.K.DESIGN on Instagram
Interview on Good Things Utah
Interview on "Just Create, Dammit!" Podcast
"What She Sees" Book and Felt Set
