October 5, 2024

Price, thank you

Price would be the last place I would call home. The choking dust, high desert vegetation (or as I see it, lack thereof) and economy built on the sweat of coal and ranching industries are alien, tagging me as an outsider. It’s definitely a far cry from my New England upbringing.
Yet, during my time here I have grown in ways I never thought possible, faced the very things that terrified me, and became wiser and compassionate. It can never be home, but it has taught me lessons I can never forget.

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This archived article was written by: Joshua H. Behn

Price would be the last place I would call home. The choking dust, high desert vegetation (or as I see it, lack thereof) and economy built on the sweat of coal and ranching industries are alien, tagging me as an outsider. It’s definitely a far cry from my New England upbringing.
Yet, during my time here I have grown in ways I never thought possible, faced the very things that terrified me, and became wiser and compassionate. It can never be home, but it has taught me lessons I can never forget.
Similarly, CEU has been an extension of that process of change. As a non-traditional student, I have missed much of the revelry that my younger colleagues have experienced; but I feel that my age has also enabled me opportunities for internalization that they may have missed.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the community, the college faculty and the student body. It is here with the community theatre that I was able to rediscover and explore my passion for theatre. The Eagle gave me my first opportunity to have my writing published, and Dr. Polster’s encouragement and belief in my abilities was there every step of the way.
Besides Polster, I wish to acknowledge several other faculty members for their mentorship and examples. Jennifer Trushka, Larry Severeid and Pam Miller are the windows to the world on this campus. Through their facilitation, local students have been able to catch a glimpse of something much larger than Utah, where things are not painted in black and white, but rather, shades of grey. Their intellectual stimulation and lack of guile preserved my sanity when I felt if was long stretched thin. They enrich this community and I hope they will continue to for many years to come.
My time at CEU and in Price is coming to an end. With only a single course left until graduation, a new chapter is on the horizon. To my fellow students, I hope that I have been able to bring a different viewpoint to a sometimes homogenous setting. I encourage those who follow to learn everything they can, even if it may be a little bit about every sort of subject. Your scope of exposure will be far more important than your perfection in one or two meager areas. Travel far, question everything and keep an open mind. Everything will eventually fall into place.
And most important of all … if you forget and dismiss everything else, remember this:
SAVE THE PACIFIC NORTH WEST TREE OCTOPUS!