Jarvis: All the Right Reasons

For Julio Jarvis, there were right and wrong reasons to pursue a university degree. Julio enrolled at Southern Utah University over 20 years ago because it seemed to be "the thing to do at the time." He chose to major in business — a choice made with his head not with his heart.

"I was too immature at the time and more interested in other things," Julio remarked. "I didn't want to be studying business. I was more interested in starting a rock band and playing my music."

Sixteen years later Julio, a single father, was unsatisfied with career directions and felt a desire to earn a college degree.

"I feel a strong sense of responsibility for, my daughter, Kate. I need to teach her to finish what she starts, and that got me thinking that I needed to finish what I'd started years earlier," Julio said. "A friend my same age had returned to school recently and that motivated me to do the same."

"I enrolled at Salt Lake Community College with the intent to get into the University of Utah and focus on an interest. A psychology degree was the aim. I am interested in what motivates people, why people do the things they do and why people get afflicted with certain things. I didn't really know that about myself the first time around," Julio said.

Julio's passion for psychology was matched by a passionate psychology faculty at the U.

"I really loved the department — loved the different perspectives," Julio said.

Julio's favorite class at the U was Professor David Strayer's "Cognition in the West." The class was discussion-based and included a week-long trip to Southern Utah where the class camped and hiked while discussing concepts and issues from text.

"An experience like that bonds you physically and mentally as a class," Julio remarked. "Professor Strayer really broke down the barriers that prevent student interaction."

Julio feels that studying psychology is benefiting him as a single father. Learning the impact of consistency and family structure led Julio to determine and establish four family rules with Kate. They are:

• Never Give Up
• Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you (The Golden Rule)
• Always hold hands when crossing the street
• Whiners get nothing

"They aren't rules unless you write them down so we've written them down and we talk about them," Julio said. "Kate understands them — particularly the whiners get nothing rule. She tends to point that one out whenever we go to the store and see others kids crying and whining for things."

Julio earned his bachelor's in psychology in May and dived right into the social work program intent on earning a master's and becoming a social worker.

Julio says that going into social work made sense after loving the volunteer work he did a couple years back. He said the feeling that came from volunteering inspired him to work in a field that offers the same benefits and rewards. "If I could have a job where I feel like that — where I'm really helping people — Wow!"