“I like Salt Lake City because it’s given me more room to explore, learn new things, and get involved in both city and mountain life. In my hometown, it’s really the same group of people. You don’t get to try out new things with new people. I enjoy the diversity here and the opportunities to make new friends.

Understanding that everybody comes from different backgrounds was kind of a culture shock for me. But that’s also my favorite part about the U. With scholarships and TRIO, I’ve had a really great time. I feel accepted, and the experiences are worth everything.

I also try to find ways to plan for how we can sustainably grow as a university. I want to make sure that students, especially those who are low-income or first-gen, can come to the university. One change I’d like to see is more outreach to rural groups. It would be great to have students go out and engage with minorities or small-population areas and inspire them to come to the U.

Academically, I’m excited to take higher-level courses because it’s an environment where people like to participate and are excited to be there. Everyone is fully engaged in upper-division classes.

I learned about the presidential internship through a story takeover on Instagram and how it connects to higher education. I was really interested in being involved in the administration, so I applied. I was super nervous, so when I was accepted, I thought: ‘No way!’ It felt so surreal.

At the first meeting, I thought to myself: ‘This is a lot to take in.’ I felt like everyone knew what they were doing, and I didn’t know what to wear or how to act. The little things felt so intimidating because I was working with the executive branch and the president’s office, so I didn’t want to be out of place. I’m putting myself in a position I never thought I’d be in a couple of months ago. Now, I remind myself that I’ve worked hard to get here, and I should take full advantage of this opportunity.

My goals are to become a communication and public relations professional and be involved in the 2034 Olympics. There’s going to be a lot of communication across different areas and projects that people will need help with. I think it would be a really unique, fun opportunity.

My dream job is to be an event planner. Managing events through the university, learning what students are excited about, helping students get excited, and running the events—that’s what I love. I love in-person events and making sure everyone feels included.

What inspires me is my mother. After raising her four kids she decided to go back to school for her master’s. That inspires me to keep going with school. I hope to get my master’s sooner rather than later because of her work ethic. She’s always like: ‘Emma, you should really go. You should go for your master’s!’ I want to do that in the future.”

—Emma Koa, a third-year student studying strategic communication from Cedar City, Utah