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Student balances college, work, cheerleading to visit family each weekend

Brynlie Green, a first-year student majoring in English, practices a dance routine for the cheer team Feb. 12 in the Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center. Before cheer practice, Green wakes up at 6 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday to run the required mile. (Cat Taylor)

After a week of attending honors classes, work and cheerleading, Brynlie Green travels back to her hometown of Syracuse, Utah, every weekend.

Green, a first-year student majoring in English, balances college-life and family-life by prioritizing both, but keeping them separate. 

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m living a double life,” Green said. “I don’t want to bring my stress home to my family and I want to have a space where I’m relaxing with myself and I don’t have to worry about all the pressures of school.”

Going home on the weekend is like a safe space to relax and unwind, according to Green.

Green is also a member of the the Legacy Scholars program.

“I love that Brynlie is so family-oriented,” said Angelica Rodriguez, a first-year elementary and special education major and fellow Legacy Scholars member. “I think that she manages this balance by managing her time very well. She makes the time for both her family and her school work, which are both two very important things for her.” 

Another friend of Green’s in the Legacy Scholars program, Angela Alejandre, said Green visiting home every weekend is incredible.

“Not everyone would be willing to make the long drive, but family should be prioritized and it’s very apparent how much she values her family and friends,” said Alejandre, a first-year double majoring in chemistry and biology. 

The Forum sat down with Green to get insight on how she manages her schedule. Her answers have been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.  

Q: What are you involved in at Westminster? What are the most demanding things in your schedule?

A: At Westminster, I’m involved with [the] cheer team, I’m a Legacy Scholar, I’m in the Honors College, I have an on-campus job, I’m in Femininst Club, and I’m a Westminster representative for the You Serve Utah Youth Council.

 Some of the most demanding things in my schedule are my cheer team, because I wake up very early in the mornings to go run my mile and go to cheer practice. I’m often staying on campus during the weekends for games. 

Also, the Honors College, because it’s very high-stress and there’s a lot of writing and reading. I always want to make sure that I’m doing my best and exerting as much energy as I can in everything.

Q: Do you feel pressure to stay on campus?

A: I do feel pressure to stay on campus, because there are a lot of activities. Most of my friends do stay on campus, but to me, I think it’s more important to maintain my relationship with my family, because you never know when something can happen, and I definitely am prioritizing my family. 

I was talking with my Legacy mentor and she asked me the same question of, you know, why I didn’t stay here. I didn’t really have an answer for her, because it’s just natural for me to go home. 

Q: Why do you visit home every weekend?

A: I visit home every weekend because my main support system is my grandparents and my aunt and uncle, and my cat. It’s my source of stress relief and I find that I’m most at peace when I’m at home.

Q: Do you value family?

A: I think I have such a strong value in my family, because they have given me everything that I’ve got, I rely on them for so much. They love me so much and I love them so much, there’s just no way that I could make it as far as I have without my family.

Q: Do you separate your college and family life?

A: I keep college life and family life separate, because I need to be a person outside of my academics. I don’t want to bring my stress home to my family and I want to have a space where I’m relaxing with myself and I don’t have to worry about all the pressures of school.

I mean, when I’m at school, I’m always thinking about my family, but I don’t want to take all my academics and my work home with me and make them worry about it, too.

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Cat Taylor is a junior communication major with a minor in art. For a year and a half, she worked as a communication coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion where she co-created the social media campaign, “We Are Westminster” that discussed unconscious bias. In her free time, she can be seen drawing, playing video games and drinking a significant amount of coffee.

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