London Wray always knew she would go to college.
She said she chose the University of Idaho for a number of reasons, including the in- state tuition she would receive as an Idaho resident, and the beauty of the campus.
“When I first came up to the campus, which was around this time last year, I was like, ‘Wow,’ and taken aback. It was a beautiful campus,” Wray said.
Even near the end of her first year, Wray said she continues to love the campus as much as she did the first day she saw it. Her favorite places are the New Arboretum and the College of Natural Resources.
With a love of the campus comes a love of the faculty. Wray said her favorite faculty members are Bob Mahler, her environmental science professor, and Lori Celaya, her Spanish instructor. A quiet high school student, Wray said Celaya helped her feel more comfortable about speaking up in class.
College has changed Wray in many ways. She said she is better at time management and procrastinating less, and she has noticed an increase of effort in her work.
Wray said her first year at UI was both fun and interesting. College has been an opportunity for her to make new friends and learn more about herself.
Wray, who lived in the Theophilus Tower, said she was excited about dorm life because she felt it was a balance between being social and having alone time.
“I can be really introverted and I like to have my alone time, but also I really like having a lot of friends and hanging out and being extroverted and going to new places. The dorm was kind of a good balance between the two,” Wray said.
Now that her first year of college is over, Wray said she has different fears looking forward. Her biggest fear is getting a job after college. She said people have told her that it is difficult to get a job following graduation, and she is overwhelmed by the prospect of building her resume.
“After all this, I’m afraid my resume won’t be enough,” Wray said.
The future can be scary, but it is also full of excitement, she said. Wray said she is looking forward to growing up deepening the friendships she forged in her first year at UI.
Mary Phipps can be reached at [email protected]