Personal History #15 College
Did you go to college or have vocational training - where or when?
The only college I ever attended was Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. It might have been the only college I applied to. I went the fall after graduating from high school, in 1993. On the drive out there for the first time, our car overheated in the Arizona desert. Dad and I stayed the night at some distant cousin's home in the Las Vegas area I think, and the next day I found myself on a bus, headed to Provo by myself. That was a long drive. I was very, very grateful to arrive at the bus depot in Provo and see my sister Lindy and her husband there. What would I have done if they hadn't been there? They took me back to their home to rest, and they were the ones who helped me find my dorm in Heritage Halls, took me shopping, and helped me to get settled in. I remember visiting with them several times during my years at BYU, and babysitting my niece, Jessica (who is now attending BYU
herself!)
While my parents helped pay for college, a lot of it needed to come out of my own pocket. I got a job working at the Deseret Towers cafeteria, first as a dishwasher, then as the condiment person, and finally as a hostess. The first summer break, I went home and got a job working at Molly Maids doing housecleaning. After that first summer, I went to school year round so I couldn't work full time any more. I got a half tuition scholarship the last year which helped a lot, but I still ended up needing to borrow some money from my grandparents in order to finish school.
The first year, I took general education classes and other classes that sounded interesting, trying to figure out what I wanted to major in. About half way through my second year, I realized that I needed to graduate fairly quickly - before the money ran out, so I looked at what credits I had, and what major I could get the quickest. I ended up majoring in Family Science, with an emphasis on home and family. I studied home economics - things like cooking, household equipment and money management. I also took parenting, child development and psychology classes. My very last semester, I took an Italian class, simply because it was 5 credits and I needed the credits to graduate. I graduated in May 1996 with my Bachelors Degree.
At the time I graduated, I was ready to be done with school for a while. I felt like I had learned a lot that could help me in my chosen vocation - being a mother. I realized that someday I might want to (or need to) develop some kind of career, but I was comfortable with where I was at the time. Within a month of graduation, I was in the MTC as a missionary, and six months after returning home from my mission, I was married and ready to start using all those skills I had learned in college.
Several years later (Not to date myself, but my high school graduating class is having their 20 year reunion this summer), my children are all in school and I would like to go back to college. I don't know what I would study; as I occasionally tell people, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I would love to take art classes, or photography. Maybe pottery or sculpting would be fun. I wonder if I would enjoy graphic design, or digital art classes. Costume design or creative writing could be fun. There is a community college nearby. All I need is some extra money for tuition and transportation... maybe next year I'll go back to school.
The only college I ever attended was Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. It might have been the only college I applied to. I went the fall after graduating from high school, in 1993. On the drive out there for the first time, our car overheated in the Arizona desert. Dad and I stayed the night at some distant cousin's home in the Las Vegas area I think, and the next day I found myself on a bus, headed to Provo by myself. That was a long drive. I was very, very grateful to arrive at the bus depot in Provo and see my sister Lindy and her husband there. What would I have done if they hadn't been there? They took me back to their home to rest, and they were the ones who helped me find my dorm in Heritage Halls, took me shopping, and helped me to get settled in. I remember visiting with them several times during my years at BYU, and babysitting my niece, Jessica (who is now attending BYU herself!)
While my parents helped pay for college, a lot of it needed to come out of my own pocket. I got a job working at the Deseret Towers cafeteria, first as a dishwasher, then as the condiment person, and finally as a hostess. The first summer break, I went home and got a job working at Molly Maids doing housecleaning. After that first summer, I went to school year round so I couldn't work full time any more. I got a half tuition scholarship the last year which helped a lot, but I still ended up needing to borrow some money from my grandparents in order to finish school.
The first year, I took general education classes and other classes that sounded interesting, trying to figure out what I wanted to major in. About half way through my second year, I realized that I needed to graduate fairly quickly - before the money ran out, so I looked at what credits I had, and what major I could get the quickest. I ended up majoring in Family Science, with an emphasis on home and family. I studied home economics - things like cooking, household equipment and money management. I also took parenting, child development and psychology classes. My very last semester, I took an Italian class, simply because it was 5 credits and I needed the credits to graduate. I graduated in May 1996 with my Bachelors Degree.
At the time I graduated, I was ready to be done with school for a while. I felt like I had learned a lot that could help me in my chosen vocation - being a mother. I realized that someday I might want to (or need to) develop some kind of career, but I was comfortable with where I was at the time. Within a month of graduation, I was in the MTC as a missionary, and six months after returning home from my mission, I was married and ready to start using all those skills I had learned in college.
Several years later (Not to date myself, but my high school graduating class is having their 20 year reunion this summer), my children are all in school and I would like to go back to college. I don't know what I would study; as I occasionally tell people, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I would love to take art classes, or photography. Maybe pottery or sculpting would be fun. I wonder if I would enjoy graphic design, or digital art classes. Costume design or creative writing could be fun. There is a community college nearby. All I need is some extra money for tuition and transportation... maybe next year I'll go back to school.
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