Humans of UVU: Chase Petersen

Chase Petersen, a 27-year-old junior studying musical theater, shared his five year journey that got him to UVU.

Petersen began his college journey back in 2014 at BYU-Idaho. He attended college there for a semester before he transferred to Utah State University.

After a year and a half there, he decided to take a break from school.

“Ultimately, I knew I wanted to expand my education, but in what way, I didn’t know. UVU was on the horizon in my thoughts for [me] being able to do that. After that year-long break, I said to myself, ‘I want to continue this. I want to finish and get a degree,’” said Petersen.

After five years of schooling, Petersen still has two more to go.

“I will have been at school for seven years only for a bachelor’s degree, which is a little crazy,” said Petersen. “But the unique thing is that I wouldn’t actually trade those years to go back and know exactly what I was doing. They have transformed me into someone that I dreamt of being for a long time.”

Petersen was drawn to UVU for its numerous artistic opportunities. Not only has he been involved with the performing arts, but he continues to give back to the school as an orientation leader for new students.

“My experience at UVU has been fantastic; I love it,” said Petersen. “Each year it keeps getting better and better. There are really exciting things going on, with new opportunities for new and continuing students… All over UVU there are new things happening.”

With the continuous growth UVU experiences each year, Petersen loves the endless possibilities for students to get involved on campus.

“Being involved at UVU has given me opportunities that would have been harder to find in other places,” said Petersen. “It also is not overwhelming, which is a huge plus for me. I feel like UVU provides a really nice balance for their students to work hard, but also have fun.”

Petersen is from Centerville, Utah. He is the sixth of seven children in his family. Petersen loves to sing, act, direct, help others, cook, spend time with friends, watch movies, make people laugh, and play Super Smash Bros Ultimate. He expects to graduate in 2022.