“My ultimate goal is to go into fashion design, but the only program in Utah for fashion design is at Salt Lake Community College. I really wanted to go to a four-year college, and since the U has an amazing entrepreneurship program, I decided to go that route instead. 

It’s expensive to go out of state to school, and I don’t have the money to get myself to somewhere like New York or L.A. for fashion school. But the U has so many programs that I’m able to create my own major, in a way, and get what I want out of my educational experience. I’ve seen this happen for many of my friends as well. There are so many resources on campus to help you build the education that you want.

Because I want to go into fashion, having a business degree as my foundation is really helpful because I already know a lot about design and sewing. What I really need help improving on are the skills I will need if I want to run a business. I have a lot of friends who are artists who try to get started on Instagram or TikTok and they don’t understand how to use the algorithm to their advantage. They are really talented but don’t have the skills to market themselves well, so their business just never took off and they got drained and stopped trying. I want to have those business and marketing skills so I know what I am doing. 

I want to take advantage of all of the opportunities through the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute—like Get Seeded and the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. The workshops and the maker space and the other resources they have are definitely things I want to be a part of my college experience. 

There are also a lot of really cool clubs and opportunities on campus that have been really fun to be a part of. I’m half Filipino and I went to the Filipino Club opening social, which was really fun. I am also excited to participate in the fashion business club. There’s really something here for everyone. My cousin found a skateboarding club and my friend Bridget found a jiu-jitsu club. I think it’s really cool that anyone on campus can tailor their experience to their interests.”

— Anna de Guzman, a first-year student from Utah County