“I was born in California. Then, for a time, we moved to Arizona before eventually moving to Davis County. My parents felt it would provide a safe, stable environment for us. In Kaysville, we lived in a pretty middle-class neighborhood with a lot of big families.
Growing up, I knew why my parents had come here to give their kids a better life than they had coming up—to give us more opportunities. At the time, I was just starting middle school.
Over time, I was exposed to the possibilities that people could achieve with a good education. My peers would talk about wanting to go to college. A lot of my friends had parents who were very successful people, like accountants, engineers and professors.
When I was starting high school, I realized I needed to make something of myself. I need to succeed so my family can succeed.
I took honors and advanced placement classes, as well as being involved in extracurricular activities. I was a competitive swimmer. Fortunately, that hard work paid off and I was accepted to the U of U as a pre-nursing major.
Over time, I realized that direct patient care wasn’t the way I wanted to help people, which led me to consider social work. After talking with some faculty mentors, I switched to psychology.
They said, ‘You can switch your undergrad to psychology and most of your credits will transfer. You’ll have to make up a little ground, but then you can apply to graduate school.’ This path gave me a more well-rounded academic experience.
I’m excited about my graduation from the U. In the fall, I start classes at Weber State University for a Master of Social Work.
In thinking about everything that’s been going on the last four years and where I’m at right now, I think of putting my nose to the grindstone and working really hard. I feel like I’ve done really well for myself academically and professionally. I work at Primary Children’s Hospital, and it’s just one of those things where you have to stop and just take it all in.”
—Kay Jimenez, Class of 2025, BS in psychology, minor in human development and family studies, from Bountiful, Utah