Thousands of new UVU freshmen — young and slightly less young — packed into floor seats (every student was welcomed back by being told "We saved a seat for you") in the UCCU Center, overflowing into the stands, and their parents and families cheered them on as members of UVUSA, teams of student leaders, and President Astrid S. Tuminez welcomed them into the Wolverine family.

The opportunity of education, and especially the UVU experience, was a common theme of the evening’s celebration.

“Do not listen to the voice in your head that says you can’t do it,” President Tuminez said. “Write your own story. I believe in you.”

President Tuminez invited several students and alums to join her on stage, including Ben Perkins, a former UVU soccer player-turned-entrepreneur who launched the shirt company &Collar; Marquita Valdez, who overcame 17 years in prison and a substance addiction to study criminal justice at UVU and launch a nonprofit called Breaking Barriers Utah; and Tori Hooper, one of four UVU students to receive a prestigious Station1 fellowship started by professors from MIT.

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