Why Weber?

After I dedicated a whole post on BYU, I realized Weber should have its own spot, too, finishing my educational story. 

 My story at Weber really begins at BYU. The summer before my senior year at BYU, I was deciding whether I should go on a mission (after all, living in the mission home I saw how life-changing it could be) or go to graduate school. Although I really thought a mission would be wonderful, I always felt like something was holding me back. So I decided to pursue a Masters Degree in English. I really wanted to go to BYU (as you could guess from my gushing love for BYU). However, the program at BYU had very high standards, and I knew I would have to test really well (not my forte) to get in. I met with professors weekly, was tutored by a grammar professor on the side, and took an 8 hour a week GRE prep class for two months while juggling my rigorous senior class work load, working, and being called into a Relief Society presidency. Needless to say, it was a challenging semester. My goal was to do EVERYTHING I could do in my power and let the Lord take it from there because I knew if He wanted me to stay at BYU, it would happen.

 I first heard about Weber State at a graduate school fair at BYU. The Master's of English Chair, Dr. Merlin Cheney, was there. I spoke to him, expecting a few trivial responses but instead had a compelling conversation about nineteenth century British literature and how it can relate to the gospel (just what I love!) He seemed very eager to "recruit" me because our specialties were so similar, but my heart still held onto my BYU goal stronger than ever. I took the GRE and, for myself, received a very decent score; however, for BYU it was twenty points lower than their average acceptance. I held onto hope and kept meeting with my professors weekly for guidance in my application.

Then the letter came. This time, it was a different letter than my first one received from BYU--rejection. I immediately felt my world crushing, I went straight to the temple, trying to reconcile myself that Provo was not the place I needed to be. I talked to the chairman at BYU to see if there was any hope. The chair said that usually they had a waiting list, and I would have been the first on it, but because of the economy, this was 2009, they had limited more spots than usual.

My search for the right school began. I received recruitment letters from Notre Dame, the U, Utah State and Weber. Notre Dame!? I know. I kind of had this secret desire to be like Rudy except without football, but for a single Mormon girl looking for a Mormon boy with the clock ticking. . . that didn't feel right. Gradually, everything seemed to point towards Weber, and so my journey began. Weber would allow me to get a Masters of English and a secondary teaching certificate through the Masters of Ed program (two separate degrees at the time).

 I loved Weber for very different reasons than BYU. Weber is a commuter schools so it was hard to find the right housing with the right people. Socially, Weber proved to be much more difficult for me because so many lived at home and were friends with the same people since high school; there wasn't the same eagerness to get to know people as I had experienced at the Y. Plus, most of the people I knew were much younger. Honestly, my time at Weber was very hard, but it was all worth it. Aside from meeting Ben, which I never would have if I hadn't moved to Ogden, Weber taught me how to do hard things.

My tutoring job taught me so much about English; I learned how to write many 30 page papers in two days (of course, researching weeks in advance); for the first time, I took education classes; I lived close to my grandma so I could go and visit her more often; I became even closer friends with my cousin Sami; and I met Kelsi, which is a blessing in and of itself because I have never met someone so similar to me--it's almost uncanny!.

The institute, religious organization for young adults, made me so happy. I became good friends with the teachers, got involved in multiple service committees, made many friends,and even was able to make the auditioned institute choir group, Choralaires (which I loved!) Institute was my second home where I would study, socialize and serve.

Weber taught me to get actively involved and not wait and see what life would bring to me.

Here are some pictures reminiscing my Weber experiences.

Oh, and by the way, Ben and I met after I had already done my Masters Degree and was about to start student teaching, so he comes into the picture after Weber, technically; talk about timing!

Gospel in Action Committee Memories

Decorating for a Halloween Dance

My dear friend, Steph, who I served in the RS pres. with

Annie and I at a dance

Some of my first Ogden roommates!

Friends from Choralaires

My second year roommates!

Kelsi and I at Insititue Graduation with diplomas

Some of my fellow classmates with Dr. Cheney on the right

Choralaires--What a blessing!

My first friend in Ogden, Arianne

Kelsi and I again, basically my other half

Saturdays Warrior Party with girls in my singles ward

My fun roommate Nat and I with fun cornstarch stuff!

Roommates my second year

Fun with roommates 

Ultimately, the why of Weber was for my educational and personal growth and, ultimately, to meet Ben. That really is a why I will be eternally grateful for.