Main Navigation

HUMANS OF THE U: JOEY MANTIA

“Words can’t really describe how it feels [to speedskate]. It’s one of those things you have to experience for yourself to know exactly the feeling that we’re having as we’re going through the turns – all the forces that are acting on the body at the same time. The closest thing I’ve found in my life is riding a motorcycle.”

Read More

HUMANS OF THE U: SAMANTHA MATSUKAWA

“My training as a dancer influences how I move throughout the world, how I understand my body and how I interact with others. It affects how I think, how I process things and how I choose to engage with the world. I can’t hear music without thinking about movement and I don’t feel like myself if I go long periods of time without engaging with some sort of movement practice.”

Read More

HUMANS OF THE U: NICHOLE RANUIO

“I’ll never forget when the first service dog my husband and I trained met his veteran. We were at the airport to meet our veteran. We saw him coming around the corner in his wheelchair, and he went straight to his dog, Ares (who he named after the God of War), and said, ‘I’ve been waiting a really long time for you,’ and for a few minutes, the pair were so connected they weren’t even aware of the rest of us around them.”

Read More

HUMANS OF THE U: JESSAKA NAKAI

“After graduating, I want to help build a better bridge and provide a voice for my home community. We are one of the original groups of Utah Navajos and, a lot of times when it comes to issues we face in our community, our voices get drowned out by groups off the reservation.”

Read More

HUMANS OF THE U: NEMO MILLER

“I’m really proud of one assignment that’s going to be part of the student show in Gittins Gallery in the Arts building. The theme was, “Portrait without a head” about how you represent someone without physically representing them. So, I did my mom and made a 36-inch-long meth pipe. She was an addict and passed away when I was 12 so I felt comfortable that I could tell this story of her, through my eyes.”

Read More

HUMANS OF THE U: WALTER WOOD

“I remember the long sigh from the crowd filling the air as I missed qualifying for the 2014 Olympic team by just a few points. Considering that I prematurely returned from an ACL injury, defying the odds and opinions of doctors, I wasn’t devastated by the news. I was however terrified about the future.”

Read More