With graduation coming up, I will soon leave Logan and the Huntsman School of Business, the place that became my second home. With all the graduation stress, I often reflect back to summer of 2010, when I first came to Logan and became part of the Aggie spirit. Being an international student, there were a lot of things I had to overcome. I was in a foreign country with a different culture and language, I had to make new friends and was about to start a new chapter in my life away from my family and friends. I was worried, scared, but most of all, very excited. Back then, I had no idea what kind of amazing adventure it was going to be.
Perhaps, the biggest challenge I faced in Logan was making new friends. In the beginning, my circle of friends was limited to other Armenian students at USU. However, as soon as classes started, I began to make new friends, mostly by participating to Business School activities. Today I am proud to have friends from all over the world. Each of them has opened my mind and has taught me to look at things differently, in a way that I would have never done had I not met them.
If I had to identify one important life lesson I learned at the Huntsman School of Business it would be to never limit aspirations, because the only limited thing is time. One has to make the most out of it, explore, learn, and enjoy every moment, since it only happens once. Three years ago I would never have thought that I would attend a Microsoft presentation in Paris, meet business leaders from around the world, or get to see the breathtaking view of Machu Picchu in Peru or climb the Great Wall of China. All of those were life-changing experiences I had while at school.
Sometimes I think back and wonder what my life would have been like if I had continued my studies in Armenia. Of course I cannot find an answer to that question, but I certainly have no regrets with my choice of coming to Utah State. If I had stayed back home, I would not have gained the same competitive academic knowledge, I would not have travelled as much, and most importantly, I would not have met the number of amazing people from around the world.
I will soon be starting another chapter of my life, and again, just like three years ago, I am scared, worried, and of course excited. There is a lot of uncertainty, which makes me wonder what the future will be like, where I will end up three years from now. Sometimes I wonder if I could meet the future Anna, the one that has overcome this new uncertainty, and listen to what she has to tell me. Hopefully, her advice to me would be the same: “Explore, learn and enjoy every given moment without any regrets." And perhaps this is also my advice to other international students who are to become part of the Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University.
— Anna Vardanyan
Senior at the Huntsman School of Business
