Alumna advises students to enjoy the moments
From Utah to Italy, Pennsylvania, Georgia and now to Twinsburg, Ohio, USU alumna Rebecca Hansen said living in many places has broadened her outlook on life.
There are many advantages to moving, Hansen said, like getting to know new areas, making lasting friendships and experiencing a variety of cultures and places.
“It is not necessarily the place that you are living that makes you happy,” she said, “but the people and associations that you have that make your experience wonderful.”
Although moving to other places has its advantages, Hansen said it is also very difficult because it is hard to start over and find new doctors, dentists and schools. Hansen said another stress is changing addresses because companies are always sending bills and mail on a regular basis.
When trying to adjust, Hansen said she takes one day at a time and prays because it is very powerful in helping with change.
Out of all the places she has lived, Hansen said Logan was her favorite because she went to Utah State and enjoyed living in Logan with her husband, Matt, for more than two years.
“We love Cache Valley,” she said, “and just the feel it is a great place to raise a family.”
Hansen said her greatest accomplishment in life has been finding her sweetheart.
“I know it sounds mushy,” she said, “but finding him and having a family is the best thing I have ever accomplished.”
Although Hansen prefers to live in Utah, she said she is glad that she has been able to live in many places because she would have missed out on meeting so many good people of all different backgrounds and faiths.
Hansen grew up in West Jordan, Utah and chose USU, she said, to be with her older sister, who was a senior at the time.
“My sister introduced me to all of her friends so it was a really easy transition,” Hansen said. “I never got too homesick.”
Living away from home helped her to be responsible, she said, because she was in charge of finances, bills, food and a car. It helped her to learn how to get along with different personalities and be considerate of others differences, she said which is especially valuable living outside of Utah.
A True Aggie, Hansen said she loved sitting in the student section at basketball games, eating Aggie ice cream and her greatest classroom experience was during athletic training.
“I loved the content that was taught in the class,” she said, “and I really enjoyed the on-hands experience in lab, like learning to tape different injuries.”
Physiology, taught by Andy Anderson, she said was her hardest class and she ended up having to take twice.
“It didn’t seem to matter how much I studied, his tests were so hard,” she said. “The second time around it seemed like I studied around the clock, and still only received a B+.”
Along with completing challenging classes, Hansen said her biggest accomplishment at USU was graduating.
“It was the greatest feeling receiving my diploma,” she said, “and knowing all my hard work paid off.”
Hansen said her exercise science major gave her a great background in health, exercise and nutrition which helped her during her first job as a pharmacy technician.
Although she is currently a stay-at-home mom with three children and hopes for more, she said she would be interested in getting her master’s degree in corporate wellness to help others with exercise programs and helping them achieve their goals.
As for now, Hansen said her main focus is her family and concentrating on raising her children, McKayla, 5, Isaiah, 3, and Seth, 9 months. She said the biggest challenge of being a mother is wondering if you are doing everything to help your children reach their greatest potential.
“I want to see my children grow up and be strong in our faith,” she said, “and see them be successful in their own endeavors.”
Hansen said she hopes her children attend USU one day because of all her positive experiences and the great atmosphere.
“It is a great place, with good people and you can receive a great education,” she said.
Hansen said she advises current USU seniors to enjoy the moment in which they are living, because they will never have the chance to live this moment again. As long as students try their best, Hansen said their futures will be bright.
As for her posterity and upcoming generations, Hansen said she hopes to be remembered as living life to the fullest and treasuring the important things.
She said, “I want people to remember that my faith and my family were the most precious things to me.”
–n.joy.hansen@aggiemail.usu.edu