Today I finished a 6 and a half year journey that has been both long and difficult; I graduated magna cum laude with my bachelor's degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Community Health Education!
I started out fall semester of 2006 at Brigham Young University, working incredibly hard to get into the nursing program there. That same semester I met the love of my life (which definitely made the academics a little tougher, haha). While I was at BYU I also had the opportunity to do ballet and be a part of the ballroom dance company, which was an amazing experience! If there is one thing I'm going to miss about my life as an undergrad, it's dancing!
After 3 semesters at BYU I took a semester off--due to some life events & just the feeling that I was supposed to--and I transferred to the newly re-named Utah Valley University! It was a pretty tough choice to switch schools; around here BYU is the place to be if you're smart and Mormon and I had worked hard to get in. However, UVU was where I was supposed to be.
So, fall semester of 2008 (a few weeks after marrying my freshman sweetheart), I began the newest leg of my journey at UVU. I still was planning on going into nursing at this point, I had hoped it would be easier to get in there (BYU's program is RIDICULOUS and you could only apply twice at the time), however, one pre-requisite away from applying to the program at UVU, I had new inspiration to switch my major to community health. This was another VERY hard decision. Starting out as a college freshman, I'd had a plan. While everyone else was clueless about what they wanted to do or changing their majors, I knew I was going to be a nurse and I knew what I had to do to get my degree. It was a little unsettling to have this HUGE change to my plan! Then, there was the whole pride thing... Nursing just sounds very, respectable, haha, and I didn't want to give that up. I am so happy that I changed my major though, I have enjoyed my coursework so much more and I am much more comfortable with my chosen profession than I would have been as a nurse. I discovered that I had enough credits for it, so December 2010, I graduated with an associate degree in Community Health Education!
At the end of Spring semester 2011, I found out I was pregnant with Evie! Evie was a little bit of a surprise to my academic plans, but things have honestly worked out in what I can only describe as an inspired manner. I didn't really want to, but I ended up going to school for fall 2011. Evie was due the week before finals, which was stressful, but I decided I needed to go full-time that semester. It was definitely a hard one! I had pregnancy brain, pain in my back and ribs every time I sat through class, and a severe lack of motivation.
Evie was born on a Thursday, two days late and on the very last day of classes (about the same time I was supposed to be turning in a final paper/doing a final group presentation, actually). Monday, I had to start taking my finals. Somehow, through the grace of God, hard work, the support of my hubby, and understanding teachers, I managed to get A's in all my classes that semester, despite all the complications!
After having Evie, I decided I need to take spring semester off to give her my full attention for a bit, and to get in the groove of this whole new "motherhood" thing.
I did my internship with Welcome Baby for United Way the summer and fall of 2012 (I started when Evie was 5 months old and finished the day before her 1st birthday!). It was a really awesome and enriching experience, I'm so glad I got to do it!
And that brings us up to the present... Good 'ol spring semester 2013. I just had two classes this semester, a health ethics class and my capstone class, but it's been another tough one :/ I honestly didn't realize how good I had it as a childless student! Evie was still waking up several times a night and crying leaving me fairly sleep deprived for the last year+, and I wasn't able to get much of anything done during her waking hours, but we've muddled through it anyway! I just got my grades back, and I managed to get A's in both my classes!!
Now, I am officially a college graduate, and I just want to take this moment to be proud of myself. I don't mean to be prideful, but I generally don't give myself enough credit, and looking back over this journey, I feel like I need a little pat on the back. I have worked hard, stressed myself to death, and kept going even when I felt like quitting, and I feel that I've done a good job.
I am so grateful for my parents and for everything that they have done for me my whole life to get me to this point. I'm very thankful that my wonderful mother was willing to baby-sit my little one so that I could finish my degree (I don't think I could have left her for so long it if I hadn't been leaving her with family!). I'm grateful for all of Karl's support through this whole process; for supporting me and sticking with me through all my "this-project/homework-is-due-tomorrow-and-I'm-not-even-close-to-done" meltdowns, and helping me through all my self-inflicted, superly intense, school-stress. I love you!! I am also grateful for the many blessings and for the direction I have received from my Heavenly Father. I know that I could not have made it here with out His help.
To answer the question that I have already been asked several times, and will surely be asked again: I am still working out what I'm going to do now. I feel like I need to give Evie some much deserved undivided attention for a little while, since I have been working and schooling for the majority of her life. Right now we are trying to work out details on whether or not I am going to work at some point in the near future or possibly even begin a masters degree. We haven't received any precise inspiration so far, and frankly, I'm just glad to take a little break and enjoy my family for a bit!
I am just so happy to have this section of my life completed and to move on to the next challenge!
I started out fall semester of 2006 at Brigham Young University, working incredibly hard to get into the nursing program there. That same semester I met the love of my life (which definitely made the academics a little tougher, haha). While I was at BYU I also had the opportunity to do ballet and be a part of the ballroom dance company, which was an amazing experience! If there is one thing I'm going to miss about my life as an undergrad, it's dancing!
After 3 semesters at BYU I took a semester off--due to some life events & just the feeling that I was supposed to--and I transferred to the newly re-named Utah Valley University! It was a pretty tough choice to switch schools; around here BYU is the place to be if you're smart and Mormon and I had worked hard to get in. However, UVU was where I was supposed to be.
So, fall semester of 2008 (a few weeks after marrying my freshman sweetheart), I began the newest leg of my journey at UVU. I still was planning on going into nursing at this point, I had hoped it would be easier to get in there (BYU's program is RIDICULOUS and you could only apply twice at the time), however, one pre-requisite away from applying to the program at UVU, I had new inspiration to switch my major to community health. This was another VERY hard decision. Starting out as a college freshman, I'd had a plan. While everyone else was clueless about what they wanted to do or changing their majors, I knew I was going to be a nurse and I knew what I had to do to get my degree. It was a little unsettling to have this HUGE change to my plan! Then, there was the whole pride thing... Nursing just sounds very, respectable, haha, and I didn't want to give that up. I am so happy that I changed my major though, I have enjoyed my coursework so much more and I am much more comfortable with my chosen profession than I would have been as a nurse. I discovered that I had enough credits for it, so December 2010, I graduated with an associate degree in Community Health Education!
At the end of Spring semester 2011, I found out I was pregnant with Evie! Evie was a little bit of a surprise to my academic plans, but things have honestly worked out in what I can only describe as an inspired manner. I didn't really want to, but I ended up going to school for fall 2011. Evie was due the week before finals, which was stressful, but I decided I needed to go full-time that semester. It was definitely a hard one! I had pregnancy brain, pain in my back and ribs every time I sat through class, and a severe lack of motivation.
Evie was born on a Thursday, two days late and on the very last day of classes (about the same time I was supposed to be turning in a final paper/doing a final group presentation, actually). Monday, I had to start taking my finals. Somehow, through the grace of God, hard work, the support of my hubby, and understanding teachers, I managed to get A's in all my classes that semester, despite all the complications!
After having Evie, I decided I need to take spring semester off to give her my full attention for a bit, and to get in the groove of this whole new "motherhood" thing.
I did my internship with Welcome Baby for United Way the summer and fall of 2012 (I started when Evie was 5 months old and finished the day before her 1st birthday!). It was a really awesome and enriching experience, I'm so glad I got to do it!
And that brings us up to the present... Good 'ol spring semester 2013. I just had two classes this semester, a health ethics class and my capstone class, but it's been another tough one :/ I honestly didn't realize how good I had it as a childless student! Evie was still waking up several times a night and crying leaving me fairly sleep deprived for the last year+, and I wasn't able to get much of anything done during her waking hours, but we've muddled through it anyway! I just got my grades back, and I managed to get A's in both my classes!!
Now, I am officially a college graduate, and I just want to take this moment to be proud of myself. I don't mean to be prideful, but I generally don't give myself enough credit, and looking back over this journey, I feel like I need a little pat on the back. I have worked hard, stressed myself to death, and kept going even when I felt like quitting, and I feel that I've done a good job.
I am so grateful for my parents and for everything that they have done for me my whole life to get me to this point. I'm very thankful that my wonderful mother was willing to baby-sit my little one so that I could finish my degree (I don't think I could have left her for so long it if I hadn't been leaving her with family!). I'm grateful for all of Karl's support through this whole process; for supporting me and sticking with me through all my "this-project/homework-is-due-tomorrow-and-I'm-not-even-close-to-done" meltdowns, and helping me through all my self-inflicted, superly intense, school-stress. I love you!! I am also grateful for the many blessings and for the direction I have received from my Heavenly Father. I know that I could not have made it here with out His help.
To answer the question that I have already been asked several times, and will surely be asked again: I am still working out what I'm going to do now. I feel like I need to give Evie some much deserved undivided attention for a little while, since I have been working and schooling for the majority of her life. Right now we are trying to work out details on whether or not I am going to work at some point in the near future or possibly even begin a masters degree. We haven't received any precise inspiration so far, and frankly, I'm just glad to take a little break and enjoy my family for a bit!
I am just so happy to have this section of my life completed and to move on to the next challenge!
