“It’s always a little awkward to come and hear people thanking you, because that’s not what we’re here for,” said Randall Woodbury, President of Woodbury Corporation, to the scholarship recipients. “We’re here to be recharged by the stories of what you are doing. Whether you’re right out of high school or coming back as a ‘mature learner’ doesn’t matter, because the opportunity for this institution to change lives and put someone on a better tangent to reach their goals and dreams is amazing. We are so pleased with what we see, and that’s what we get supercharged by. I would just say that we have high expectations for each of you. I leave you a challenge to look for opportunities throughout your life to do something to pay it forward for someone else.”

“One of the things I like to remind people is that the Woodbury family believed in UVU and spread a vision for what UVU could become before it was the institution that it is today,” said Dean Norm Wright. “When a leading family in the state comes and says, ‘We see something can happen here, and we want to be a part of that,’ it changes things. When you get a family like the Woodbury family who believes in you, all of a sudden it opens people’s eyes and they say ‘Wait, something can happen there, and we need to check it out.’ The support that has come since that time has changed the whole aura around UVU. Today we’re about 40,000 students strong, the educational quality has continued to grow, and yet we’ve remained true to that mission of serving everyone who wants to come through these doors and put forth a good faith effort. I think it’s one of the things I love about being here at UVU. This is one of my favorite days of the year, and I’m grateful for the Woodbury family, and for some great students that put forth a real solid effort to better themselves so that they can better the world around them.”