Eight days ago, I had the wonderful privilege of completing goal #3 on my bucket/goal list:

Graduate from BYU-Idaho with my bachelor’s degree

Back in the 2008-2009 school year when I was a senior in high school, I didn’t know where I wanted to attend college. I didn’t want to go straight to the community college because that seemed lame at the time, but I didn’t want to get my bachelor’s degree at the U of A. As much as I love my Wildcats, I didn’t like the kind of literature classes they offered for their English degrees. I wanted to go somewhere that, along with giving me a good education, would also encourage my values. BYU in Provo was off the list, too, because I don’t like that university.

A woman personally recommended me to Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. It’s an all-female liberal arts college. I applied and was actually accepted to the school, but early on I knew I wouldn’t be able to get my associate’s degree there because it was way out of our price range.

Quite a few kids from my stake in Tucson attended BYU-Idaho. I didn’t really know much about it, so I began looking in to it, specifically the English program. (From the time I was around 4 or 5 I knew I wanted to major in English.) The more I looked at BYU-I, the more I began feeling that this was the place for me to get my bachelor’s degree. I missed the Fall deadline, but I could still make the Winter application deadline. I remember being so excited at the prospect of attending a 4-year university and living the life of a “normal” college student, something no one in my immediate family has experienced.

When I began working on my application, though, things weren’t working out. Every time I worked on that application I felt like I was banging my head against a wall. I didn’t understand why, when I knew this decision was right, things weren’t coming together.

I decided to pray about my decision. The answer I received was unlike any I’d ever gotten before. In the past, my answers had always been either “yes” or “no.” This time, though, the answer to my prayer was: “Yes, this is the right school for you, but not right now. You need to wait a bit.”

That answer shocked me. I didn’t like it, so I continued to work on my application in vain. Finally, about 3 weeks before I graduated from high school, I got a letter from the local community college – Pima Community College. The letter explained that because of my high academic standing in my high school, I was eligible for a full-tuition scholarship to Pima for 4 semesters – the exact amount of time it would take for me to get my associate’s degree.

I remember, so vividly, reading that letter to my dad. He raised his eyebrows and said, “You don’t want to lose that.” When I was finally able to internalize what the letter said, it was like a book fell open in my mind to the right page. In that moment I knew I needed to get my associate’s degree at Pima and then transfer to BYU-Idaho.

Initially I wasn’t very thrilled with that idea. A lot of kids in my graduating class looked down on Pima, viewing it as a place for burnouts and non-achievers to go after high school. But I took that scholarship and an Air Force grant my mother stumbled upon and two years later in 2011 I graduated from Pima with honors. An associate’s degree was never good enough for me, so getting a bachelor’s was a must.

In January 2012 I began classes at BYU-Idaho, my dream college.

Even though I was initially upset at not attending BYU-Idaho right away, I’m glad I went when I did. I wasn’t quite ready right after high school to leave home. Pima allowed me to get my feet wet. I also learned that I can accomplish great things. Pima taught me how to be independent and how to take responsibility. I had to drive myself all over Tucson for classes (one semester I had classes at 3 separate campuses around town!) and I had to spend my college money wisely. Two semesters in a row I took 16 credits; I worked a part-time job while in school; and I had a short story and poem published in PCC’s literary magazine, SandScript.

I went to BYU-Idaho at the right time. Had I gone any earlier, I would have missed out on rooming with and meeting some absolutely amazing people. I’ve made lifelong friends during my time at BYU-Idaho, friends that have helped me grow in so many ways.

My testimony grew a lot, too. I know I’ve written about this quite a bit, but being Relief Society president really helped me in so many ways. I learned how to love others and that it’s important to raise our voices. I started learning better leadership skills and characteristics. I was a Gospel Principle’s teacher for one semester, and that calling helped me realize how much I love teaching the gospel. For the first time I was away from my parents. I relied on my own testimony and realized how important the gospel is to my life.

As I started gearing up for graduation last week, I realized that the biggest thing I’m thankful for, though, is my teachers. BYU-Idaho has a teaching-focused faculty, whereas a lot of other universities have professors who are doing research most of the time. That’s not really the case at BYU-Idaho. All of my teachers cared about their students. I got closest to the English faculty (obviously), and every time I needed help or needed to meet with one of my professors to discuss something, they always worked with me. I felt so loved and cared for, and they were all concerned that we got the best education possible.

I was stretched in countless ways as a writer. I learned that writing research papers isn’t exactly my forte, but I learned how to research and write them well. Especially my last semester, my writing abilities really grew a lot. I learned the importance of literature in life. There have been plenty of times people have mocked my decision to be an English major, telling me that it’s a useless degree. But I’ve come to learn that literature helps us understand the world, cultures, and history. In my American Colonial and Romantic literature class, I saw ho history influenced the greatest American classics. The English Study Abroad I participated on also broadened my horizons, as I was able to really grasp the concept of how environment affects the writer.

Most importantly, I learned why I am an English major and why I’m so passionate about it. Like I said above, I’ve gotten my fair share of flack over people making comments about my degree. But as I was able to associate with professors who really cared deeply about English, I realized that there’s a place of English degrees in the world. Not only did I learn writing and grammar skills, I also learned how to think critically, research, communicate, recognize patterns, and think outside the box. Writing is a vital part of society. English majors are, too.

While at BYU-Idaho, I worked part-time and got a nonfiction piece published in BYU-Idaho’s literary magazine, Outlet. The job I had for my last three semesters gave me so much experience in the professional world. I am forever thankful for the path I took that led me to the Academic Administration Office and the wonderful people with whom I worked.

A lot of people have made fun of me for attending BYU-Idaho, too. One mission companion said it was essentially a “reject Mormon” school where less faithful members of the church go. Others have looked down on it for being less than BYU-Provo. I always correct someone for leaving off the “Idaho” part in my university’s name.

Personally, I feel that BYU-Idaho is the church’s best-kept secret.

No, we’re not a perfect university. No university is. But BYU-Idaho offered me so many opportunities.

In November of last year, I had  had the wonderful opportunity at work to transcribe three inaugural addresses from past presidents of Rick’s College [for those of you who don’t know, Ricks College was the forerunner to BYU-Idaho]. The addresses I transcribed from Henry B. Eyring, Bruce C. Hafen, and Joe J. Christensen talked a lot about Ricks College being an inspired institution that would reach people around the world. With the creation of BYU-Idaho in 2001, that started coming true – not only because of the people from out of the country who come to the campus to study, but also because of Pathway and the online degrees/certificates the school is offering.

A lot of families in the church have family “legacies” of having attended Ricks College/BYU-Idaho. I’m the first in my family to travel up to Idaho. I have no connection to Ricks whatsoever and felt that it didn’t have anything to do with me. To be honest, that’s how I felt about the Mormon pioneers for a long time, too. I’ve come to learn that even though I have no familial connection to Ricks College, I’m still a part of it and its legacy because I was a BYU-Idaho student.

I didn’t attend BYU-Idaho because I wanted to be in a “Mormon bubble.” (In fact, Rexburg was the first place I’ve ever lived where the minority are nonmembers. I’ve been used to being the minority my entire life.) I didn’t go to BYU-Idaho to run away from the world and hide. I went there to gain an education – one that would uphold my standards, but would also challenge me to think for myself. BYU-Idaho did exactly that in the best way possible.

It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I won’t be going back there for who knows how long. Rexburg was home for three years – a place for me to stretch my wings and grow even more. I learned, again, that I can accomplish hard things. I even earned the Larry Thompson Award, a prestigious award given to only a few students in the English department every semester.

I’m so thankful that I was able to attend BYU-Idaho and grow as much as I did. I’m eternally thankful for my professors and all they taught me.

Last Wednesday I thought graduation would be a lot more sad for me. But it wasn’t. There were a few moments where I choked up a bit. More than anything, though, I felt accomplished. I felt proud of my achievements. I felt peace and comfort of knowing that I accomplished one of my dreams.

I’m still not 100% sure what the future holds. But I know I was given a very good foundation and the confidence I needed.

Thank you, BYU-Idaho.

Till we meet again.