Don’t ever give up on your dreams reflects Kenidy Garner

Not making the USU Eastern ambassador program was a blessing in disguise for Kenidy Garner who was born in Missoula, Montana. 

Her father is from Provo, Utah, and her mother was from Malad, Idaho, and they met at Utah State University.

When Garner was 12, her father was offered a job in Utah. The family moved to Logan, built a house in Smithfield which is just a few minutes north of Logan and lived there since. 

She went to Sky View High School and involved in student government and the volleyball state championship her senior year. Throughout that year, she wasn’t sure what her plans would be. Her hope was to be an ambassador at Logan, but that didn’t work out. Garner graduated in 2019 and received the opportunity to come to Eastern. 

When coming to Eastern, she tried out to be an ambassador, but didn’t get into the program. However, Serving Utah Network Center reached out to her and asked her to be on the team. She chanced it and decided to take the opportunity. After being in SUN Center freshman year, she decided to try again to be an ambassador. She thought “what’s the worst they could do, tell me no?” Because of this mentality, she decided she would never give up on something she wanted and it worked in her favor. Garner was accepted into the program as a sophomore, which is extremely rare. 

She said she has had so many life-changing experiences, met so many amazing people, made lasting friendships and learned so many life-long skills and this is only her first year on the team. Garner believes that coming to Eastern was one of the best decisions she has ever made. She loves that she gets to meet new people in so many different places here on campus, including her on campus job at the post office. 

Garner truly loves it at Eastern. It has changed her perspective on small schools because of the small classes size and the fact that professors personally know you and are always there to help. Garner cherishes the amazing memories she has made at Eastern, but one of her favorites was last year’s True Eagle event. 

She won Post Malone tickets and got to bring whomever she wanted with her. She has loved participating in all the activities that EUSA plans, but she also loves making her own fun in Price, whether it is potato baseball, fancy dinners on C-Hill or playing lava tag on the playground. Garner believes that there is never a shortage of things to do, you just have to be creative. 

Studying human development and family studies, she  also enjoys doing lots of fun things outside of school. Some of those activities include designing flower arrangements, babysitting, watching the Bachelor and exploring new things. 

She is very passionate about ending the R-word and the phrase, “Spread the Word to End the Word.” Garner also loves her family, friends and teammates and believes that those people are who make her, her. Garner also enjoys gift giving. She loves helping her friends who are going through a hard time by giving them a gift and letting them know they are loved. 

Having many goals she hopes to reach after leaving USUE is part of her plan as she gets ready to transfer to the Logan campus after this semester and join the USU ambassador program. After finishing her degree, Garner hopes to pursue her dream career by working in Child Protection Services or Foster care. She hopes to have a family of her own because she loves children and hopes that one day she can have three or four of them. 

Garner has the goal of once again becoming involved in leadership after her college career is over. Whether that be at a high school or even at USU Eastern, she hopes she can do for other students what her advisors did for her. She learned so much from her advisors and the people she has met throughout her life. “Don’t give up on things you truly want,” she said.