Introduction - Jeremy Arends

Hi Everyone! I'm very happy to be taking this editing class! I'm originally from Aruba, which is a very small island in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela. Despite the proximity to South America however, we're actually part of the Dutch Kingdom. Growing up in Aruba was great. We lived about 10 minutes from the beach, so we went almost every afternoon after school. I moved here in 2010, and with the exception of my family back home, I probably miss the beaches the most.

I moved here after I met my wife. She's from Utah, and we decided to live here after getting married. We celebrated our five-year anniversary just two weeks ago. We also have a very cute two-year-old boy. He is so energetic and can be quite a handful, but he is really awesome. I don't have a lot of time between work and school for any hobbies, but I like racing R/C cars and playing the occasional video game. I like RPGs and soccer games like FIFA 15. My wife and I also love hiking and watching films together.

Moving to a different country was quite challenging, but I found myself adjusting fast. I've always been like that. In fact, I became a US Citizen this past December. One of the reasons why we chose to live here instead of Aruba was because of the opportunities this great country could afford. I never had the chance to finish my education back home, and I wanted to rectify that. Pretty much everyone I know has a degree from Weber State University. Deciding to go to college was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

When I initially enrolled, I was considering a business degree. I thought I could do accounting or business management. I also took two classes in information systems & technology. After taking a break from college, I decided to come back and became interested in public relations & advertising. It wasn't until I started to write essays that I realized how much I enjoyed the writing process. My favorite part is editing. To take something that I had written and make it better. To rearrange sentences and cut out clutter. That is when I decided for organizational communication with a track in technical writing. I can also speak four languages, so a communication degree made sense. I also hope to incorporate that in my future career. I've been working really hard and plan to graduate spring 2017.

Meeting my wife and the birth of our son are two of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I look forward to adding my graduation to that list in the near future!