When I started my university journey, I had more questions than answers.
“Who do I want to be?” “Where do I see myself in five years?” “How can I adapt to another culture and find opportunities for myself?”
Being an international student from Ukraine who just finished high school, I flew to America and left my family and my home. I hoped to get a degree that would bring me a strong belief in who I would be in the future. The one thing I knew was that I needed to study hard and be patient.
While taking my first step on Utah Tech University’s campus, I was excited, but at the same time worried about the future years that I would spend earning my degree in communication studies.
The biggest fear I had was about communicating with people and finding new connections, as being an international student alone in another country was a big challenge for me. I was worried that people would not understand me, as English is my second language. At first, I was not the first one who would talk with people, as I was scared to make a mistake while I was speaking.
However, some time later, I noticed that people appreciated the responsiveness and were ready for dialogue with me, not paying that much attention to my accent. The support from people made me understand that everyone can make mistakes and every opinion needs to be heard.
Later, the next relieving breath for me was my first orientation before the start of the academic year. There, I noticed many other international students from different countries who experienced the same things that I did.
From that moment, I understood that I was not alone in my situation and that it was possible for me to find support at Utah Tech. Being a new student, I often spent time in the International Student & Scholar Office, where I could always get support from the faculty and meet with other international students, as it is a place where every international student can come when they want to communicate.
Now, looking back three years ago, I can confidently say that the support and the connection with people at that time played a crucial role in helping me become the person I am now.
I want to share some advice with students who are now experiencing hard times involving university life and community: do not be afraid of talking to people and looking for your people inside the university community. There are many people who share the same interests that you do, but it is up to you to manage how fast you connect with them.
By visiting numerous events available for students at Utah Tech, I met people with whom I found things in common and with whom I became friends. The first event that stood out to me and where I found my first university friends was a soccer game in the first month of classes.
Uniting and bringing people together is one of the goals of Utah Tech, and events help students make the campus a temporary home for them.
Other things that helped were exploring the classes my major offers and getting help from my professors. Both helped me to understand my strengths and develop the skills I did not have before. Applying to a communication studies major before becoming a student, I knew what I would study, but I did not expect the variety of subjects I could take. All the classes I took toward exploring my major awakened my interest in my future profession — journalism.
The experience I had in my research class, media writing class, English classes and interpersonal communication class all improved my skills I have now and which I will bring into my future. Learning and discovering these subjects helped me to find my passion for journalism.
One of the greatest supports for me was the Writing Center, located in the Holland Centennial Commons & Library, where students helped me to develop my writing skills.
Sometimes the quantity of essays and written assignments I had was overwhelming for me, and the opportunity to discuss my paper with somebody and get help with it was what made me stronger in my writing skills and my passion for writing.
So, if you have difficulties with your assignments or need help with planning your future after university, use the resources offered to you on campus, as their main goal is to help you grow academically and find your future.
Now, as a senior graduating next semester and reflecting on my past experiences, I have learned that the desire to achieve and stepping out of my comfort zone are things that have turned me into the person I am now. If you are at the stage where you decide whether or not to risk stepping into a world where everything is new for you, look at my experience and see that nothing is impossible.
