On November 15, twenty-nine Mountain High students had the opportunity to tour the campus of Weber State University. The tour was led by three WSU ambassadors, who shared campus facts, traditions, and personal stories to help MHS students visualize joining the WSU Wildcat family after high school graduation.
Mia, a WSU ambassador who also serves as executive vice president within the university’s student association, is a first-generation college student from Las Vegas who encouraged MHS students to follow their dreams. “Don’t ever give up on yourselves,” she said. “Don’t let anyone stop you! This might sound cheesy, but for me, coming to Weber State was like coming home, and this can be home for you, too.”
Lawrynn, an MHS senior, appreciated the campus tour because attending WSU is already part of her post-high school plan. After completing the licensed practical nursing program Davis Technical College, Lawrynn plans to transfer to Weber State to become a registered nurse and then earn a Bachelor of Nursing degree. “I chose WSU because it’s awesome and they offer a lot of opportunities,” she said.
Stephen, another 12th grade student, participated in the tour with a heightened sense of possibility. “I never thought about Weber State as an option,” Stephen said, “but now that I’m here seeing it, I’m seriously considering attending.”
Offering more than 225 degree programs in seven colleges, Weber State touts a myriad of hands-on learning opportunities, with small class sizes and real-world student engagement.
“Do you see this building on my right?” asked Angelia, a freshman ambassador from Kansas who is majoring in business information systems and dance. “It’s our engineering building, and it was built and designed by engineering students. That tells you a lot about how much our students do here and how much we trust them. What better way to learn about engineering than to engineer a building?”
During their tour of Weber State, MHS students were able to see multiple buildings on campus, including the Recreation Center, Wildcat Village, and the Student Union Building. They also participated in an on-campus tradition – rubbing the right boot of a bronze statue of Louis Frederick Moench, the first president of Weber State Academy. “Rubbing the boot is said to give you good luck on tests,” said Samantha, a WSU ambassador from Morgan, Utah, who is majoring in family studies. “Sometimes, the professors play along by putting the answers to tests on sticky notes that they attach to the boot.”
As Mountain High students boarded the bus to return to school, several of them commented on what they learned while visiting the Weber State campus. Raihiti, whose post-high school plan is to become a teacher, is considering both UVU and WSU as options for higher education. “What I was happy to hear today is that college is not just all homework and suffering,” Raihiti said. “There are fun aspects of college and opportunities for financial aid as well.”
“I’m excited for college,” Raihiti continued. “I’m excited to meet the people I will be around because I know they will help shape me to be the person I want to become.”