“As the child of a teacher, I always appreciated the importance of getting an education. There was always a pretty big emphasis on pursuing a degree after high school. I came to the U in 2018 and I did my whole undergrad here.

I am getting two degrees, one in International Studies with an emphasis in human rights, along with a degree in Strategic Communication. This accomplishment is the first part of my academic journey at the university.

While I’ve been here, I also worked as a student employee with the Union administrative offices. I had been a manager there for about three years and as I was kind of wrapping up my undergrad, I was like well, ‘What’s next?’ I like what I’m doing as a job now and I like working with students. It felt very fulfilling, so why not get a master’s degree in it?

I joined the educational leadership and policy program in 2023 and became a graduate assistant.

First, I was with the Office of Student Development and Inclusion, then I was initially going to be working with the Women’s Resource Center for my second year. But with the passage of HB-261, I ended up joining the Office for Community and Cultural Engagement.

It’s been quite the journey and really cool to be part of an office that is new and building things up from the ground. It’s been a very interesting experience.

My time at the university has been more than academics, it has also been about personal development.

In my undergrad, I was involved in quite a few different clubs and organizations. In my masters’ program, we focus heavily on our graduate assistantships for developing our skills and tying our office work to the curriculum. The things I learn in my classes, I can bring to my work in the office.

With graduation just weeks away, I’m a little anxious.

I recently submitted my Capstone, so that’s really exciting and also a little nerve-wracking while you’re waiting to see if you pass. I’m also in a big transition position in my life moving out of the graduate housing and looking for new job, so there are like a lot of uncertainties and changes that are happening kind of all at once.

As much as those are stressors, I’m also like incredibly excited to see where I go next.”

— Sophia Anderson, Class of 2025, MA in International Studies with an emphasis in human rights, along with a MA in Strategic Communication,

College of Humanities,  from Salt Lake City