by Rita Bennett-Class of 2018

Coming back to school at the age of 29 was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. How could I adapt to dorm life after living on my own for so long? How would I handle being around people 10 years younger than I am? Would there be a communication barrier that I am not used to? So with all of these questions in my head, I started the process to become a part of the class of 2018. I asked a million questions through email and mentally prepared myself for this new journey.

And then I arrived…

During my first week here I was completely disoriented. I did not speak much, I only talked to two people and I was extremely homesick. I chose to do recreational diving as my first class and it changed my whole perspective. I fell in love with the views and I realized that the students here were an amazing bunch, but they did not have the same experiences as me. So I made the decision to network as I would in the real world. I served on a student panel, I attended 95% of the events held on and off campus, and I talked to my professors outside of class so that they could get to know me. I made my presence known.

It has been over a year now and I am a certified diver, a singing, instrument playing rock star, a dependable student worker across campus, and president of ASAPU. I admire my outspokenness and I cherish the impact of my voice. I chose to use it to express the views of my peers and I could not be happier with the outcome.

Anchorage is my home, APU is my family and I know that my voice is heard!