I didn't live in Utah. I wasn't a fan of BYU sports. I had no family ties to BYU. My mom and dad both grew up in Ogden, but neither went to BYU. I wasn't really a fan of any college teams, except maybe the Air Force Academy (where my dad and older brother went) and UVA.

From 6th-10th grade I lived in Virginia. My dream was to go to the University of Virginia. I had been to several events in Charlottesville, and just loved the place. Then we moved to Okinawa. Virginia probably would have been too expensive even paying resident tuition, but when we moved it was definitely no longer an option.

When it came time to apply to schools, applying to BYU was more of an afterthought. I was starting to apply for scholarships that various Air Force groups offered (Kadena Air Force Base Officers Wives Club scholarship, that sort of thing.) They all asked for the name of a school. I had to put down something, so I put down BYU since I hadn't yet decided where I really wanted to apply.

When it came right down to it, BYU ended up being the only school I applied to. UVA got vetoed. While I didn't know anyone that would be at BYU, I didn't know anyone that would be at any other school either. My friends in Okinawa were going to places all over the country (Duke, NIT, UCLA, etc.) so it's not like I could go where my friends were going. Community college wasn't an option, because there weren't any in Okinawa (or in the Philippines, which was where they moved as I was starting school). At least I had some family in Utah (uncles, cousins, grand parents, etc.)

So, I ended up at BYU sort of by default. I wasn't excited about it at all, but in hindsight, I can't imagine a better place for me.