“Why the heck did you come to Wyoming?!” is a question that I am all too familiar with. It is also one of those questions that I could probably answer in my sleep, my stump speech on the merits of the University of Wyoming honed after four semesters at UW. My answer is about 30 seconds long, but in all reality you just need to hear the first five seconds to know why I am here. I came to the University of Wyoming because I wanted to experience more than the state, climate, people, and lifestyle that I had known my whole life. Yes, it was slightly terrifying to move to a place where I knew maybe two people, but it has been extremely gratifying. The things that I have been able to do and experience in my time here at the University of Wyoming have stretched far beyond the Laramie city limits. I have been able to go visit veterinary schools in Washington, beef processing plants in Colorado, and bull studs in Nebraska. Each trip I went on held some sort of initial hesitation—whether that was thought of missing classes, possibly encountering harsh weather, having lab finals that afternoon. These were all small things my nervous mind made up to stop me from jumping in headfirst. However, I did not let these hesitations stop me. If you really, truly, want to do something you will find a way to do it no matter what. The biggest leap that I have taken with UW so far was this past August, when I traveled to Australia with the Agricultural Economics department for a three-week study abroad on Australia’s export-led agriculture. Not being an Ag Econ or even Ag Business major, I found many small reasons not to go, but ultimately there was no denying the trip of a lifetime. I learned more about agriculture on a global scale, met amazing people and producers, and gained a wider world view because I did not let petty fears or indecision stop me. Because of this, I have been utterly confused while trying to find my way in a city where the cars go the wrong way down the street and my sense of direction is completely upside down, and I have been utterly amazed at the beauty of a night sky with thousands of stars I had never seen before. Had I let self-doubt or nervousness at the thought of trying new things take over, I would have never had these amazing experiences. So break out of your comfort zone every once in a while, because there’s a wonderful world out there just waiting for you to come find it!
Adventure is out there!….Okay maybe not out there, that’s just lots and lots of ocean. But it certainly was west of this point!