Why I went to Idaho...

Many people over the years have asked me the same question...Why are you going to Idaho to school?
I have given many responses and now I want to sum up my reasoning's.

I tend to worry a lot about money and I wanted to go somewhere that I wouldn't have take out a lot of loans to pay for my education. Growing up I did not have one place in mind that I had always dreamed about going to school. When junior year in high school came around it was time to start going on college visits and applying for school. I knew one thing for certain was that I wanted to major in Special Education so I started looking into schools that were good for that specialty. For some reason my heart was set on Slippery Rock University and then maybe Penn State but mainly only because my older brother was there. Then some people at church started asking me about BYU. I hadn't really thought of it because it was so far away and everyone I love was in Pennsylvania. I also knew I did not want to go to BYU because it was so large and coming from Ligonier that was so small would be hard. I had barely ever heard of BYU Idaho. I had talked to a friend Erika from Monroeville and she had applied to Idaho and so I gave it a shot. After that time I researched it more and came to love it. I dont exactly remember how I told my parents that if I got in I was going to Idaho, but I did and I guess if I don't remember it then then they weren't too mad. My mom went for a semester so it was almost like I was going to her alma matar.  Even worse I am not sure how I told my best friend Erica, I think that was even harder than telling my parents. Once I saw how cheap tuition was I was pretty much sold on that fact too and it was a small town and that I could handle.

 Many people ask me how I could go so far away. That is the same question I asked myself many many times. I had never been further west than Minnesota and I was about to get on a plane and go to a foreign place. But I had Erika and with that I thought I would be okay. She was my best friend when I was young and then I moved away and we were still friends. We set it up so we roomed together and we showed up with the same bed spread. We laughed with our moms for about 5 minutes about the irony of that. 

I was so homesick at first and didn't know why I had come here. Erika and I had pillow talk almost every night and we became close with our neighbors and roommates. We were those crazy freshman girls

 Ashton, Erika, Christina, Tamara, Erin

I loved it so much I couldn't wait to go back again for my sophomore year. There is a different kind of spirit in the campus and I could feel it from the almost the moment I started there. During Freshman orientation we had a presentation that said only 14% of students who come declaring a major will graduate with that same degree, from that moment I was determined to be in that 14%. And here I am now able to say that I did it!

 

 My sophomore year was even more wonderful than the first. Not only was I able to move in with my favorite people from freshman year but I was able to meet Rosana and Maria!

 

 As I continued with my classes I realized another reason that I was here was for the faculty. I found out that I had the most amazing teachers in my program. I started to become very fond of them and how determined they were for me to succeed. I thought at first it was a joke because on many other campuses you hear of professors who teach and then don't care and if you dare to venture for help from them it is from a teaching assistant. That is not the case here in Rexburg.

As the years went and I had classes from the same teachers I grew to love them even more. I spent time crying in their offices, and laughing at stories, and listening to wise tales of past teaching experiences. Jillisa Cranmer and Joyce Anderson became some of my favorite people. They also happen to be two of my professors. Which comes to another reason that I am writing this... I spent the day with Jillisa Cranmer this week. I went with her and some students on a tour of an agency. Then we spent the day shopping. It was amazing

As I got home is when I started thinking how much I have enjoyed my whole experience in coming to a new life for college. I thought back on all of this and a smile came to my face.  I would have forever stayed in Pennsylvania most likely had I never had the courage to first branch out. Yes I have missed family and friends while being so far away, but I go back to visit and each time is a sweet adventure.