Who I am

Hey there, my name is Anika Morley, and to those who don’t know me I assume I look like a pretty “plain Jane” here at Brigham Young University. I come from a semi-large family, I’m a born and bred Utahan, and I have been a member of the LDS Church my entire life. I am a pretty good student, work at the local In-n-Out to pay for school, and I tend to stress out waaay too much when writing an essay. I could go on with boring facts like this for a while, but the point is that if I want you to know who I really am, I’d actually prefer to tell you about what I want to become.

Normally I don’t think of myself as a big adventurer (I mean I can barely go off the high dive without seeing my life flash before my eyes), but I have always had this itch to travel the world. I want to go everywhere, and not just to see the pyramids or the Lincoln memorial, but to meet people, learn about their lives, and serve them. Ideally, I would love to travel around the world with non-profit organizations helping individuals in developing countries thrive through groundwork or resources I helped provide. If I could, I would be a permanent volunteer, people could give me a plane ticket anywhere and I would go.

My addiction to volunteering started when I was a sophomore in high school and my brother got me started volunteering at a place called Camp Kostopolus. Camp Kostopolus was a summer camp program for individuals with mental disabilities that my brother was a counselor at for the summer that hosted individuals of all ages, anywhere from 7 to 70 years old depending on the week. The first day I went up with my brother I spent the entire day hanging out with some of the coolest people I think I have ever met. All the campers I interacted with were so accepting and truly loved the life they were given, even though people often think they are at a disadvantage with their disability they sure didn't seem to feel the same. After only one day I was hooked, and I continued to come to Camp K whenever I could.

Since then I have sought out volunteer opportunities whenever and wherever I can because I had finally found something I am passionate about. When I volunteer I feel confident, I feel strong, and I feel happier than when I am doing anything else. My experience with Charitable organizations has taught me not only how to be patient with others but also with myself when I make mistakes, and has showed me how hard work can truly pay off.

So that’s me. I don’t know for sure what I’ll do when I graduate, but I don’t think there is any better life out there than one spent learning about and loving others, and I hope no matter where my life takes me that I can at least end up doing that.