Student spotlight

This archived article was written by: Terlynn Westphal

Nicole Woodruff, born in Ogden, raised in Wyoming and living in Vernal is a freshman student and member of the SUN Center at Utah State University Eastern.
She comes from a family of six and even has a sister with a collection of unicorns. She shared a room with her sister growing up and gets to share a house with her at school.
Leadership and academics impacted her senior year of high school, she served as student body president and was valedictorian at a charter school in Vernal. She enjoys singing and serving which explains her involvement in the school choir and student body at USU Eastern.
She enjoys sports even though she has quite the history of injuries. While playing basketball in high school, Woodruff broke both wrists at the same time, and ended up having ankle surgery after rolling her ankle. Today, she sticks to playing sports recreationally rather than competitively.
She also takes pride in her skill of blowing “really big bubbles with gum”.
Woodruff has passion in living her religion. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. Something exciting happening in her life is her recent engagement to her high school sweetheart, Joe Harris.The two will be marrying in the LDS Vernal Temple in December.
Other plans include joining the nursing program in Vernal with a full-ride scholarship along with her, soon to be, husband.
If she could change something about society, she would “eliminate drugs and alcohol because there are so many problems caused by them, especially in college.”
Woodruff believes that “Everything happens for a reason. Whatever happens to me, happens to me for a reason, regardless if it is good or bad. It is what I need.” She makes the best of what life gives her.