And she's not looking back!

Back when I was a wee little Pre-Comms major I took News Writing 211. For one of our assignments we had to write a feature on someone in the class. I found the one my friend LaKia wrote about me under my bed a few nights ago. And am now retyping it here for your reading pleasure.

She doesn't look like the average girl that goes to BYU. She doesn't dress like the average girl that goes to BYU. And she definitely doesn't sound like the average girl that goes to BYU.

With a distinctive southern accent, Rachel Finley, 19, is a sophomore majoring in pre-communications, but her heart and soul lies in music.

"I never get tired of listening to music."

Growing up in Maryville, Tenn., a suburb of Knoxville, Finley knew early on in her life that she wanted to make her mark in the music industry.*

"It's something I can do for the rest of my life because I love it so much," said Finley.

Her freshman year at BYU started off as any other. She had the typical first-time away from home jitters. She recalls her first day in the dorms with fondness.

She spent that day sitting in her dorm room, crying.**

She didn't begin to feel comfortable in her new surrounding until she met her roommate, Emma Wirkus, 19, from Cottonwood Heights, Utah.

"Fate brought Emma and I together," Finley proudly exclaims.

I might not have been fate so much  as the housing questionnaire they filled out prior to moving into Deseret Towers in August of 2005.

They both mentioned their love for alternative music, and because of this similar interest they wound up roommates and now best friends.

"Freshman year was weird," Finley said.

Coming from a high school where she was only one of three Latter-day Saint students, Finley found herself becoming overwhelmed at BYU.

Her saving grace became music.

Finley's love of concerts turned her second semester here into a bit of a challenge.

"I would go to concerts almost every week," Finley said.

A look through her room and you can get a sense of the fun she and her friends have had a concerts.

Posters from bands like Hellogoodbye and Saves the Day line her wall, and tacked to the bulletin board in her living room are tickets to future concerts.

In March, she's planning to go see Brand new and then two days later she's going to watch Cute Is What We Aim For, both in Salt Lake City.

Some of her favorite bands are The Shins***, Jack's Mannequin, Brand New, and Circus [Circa if you will] Survive.

The music she listens to also influences the way she dresses.

Don't expect to see her wearing the latest designs from Abercrombie and Fitch. Instead, you're more likely to see her in a t-shirt bearing her favorite band's likeness. In fact, two weeks ago she arrived to her news writing class wearing a pullover sweatshirt from a Brand New concert, only to discover another male student in the class wearing the same thing.****

This semester Finley is trying her hand at music, but instead of from a spectator vantage point, this time it's on the performance end.

She's taking university chorale, she's a member of the BYU 192nd Ward Choir and she's joining***** other ward members in a production of the Disney musical "Newsies" for the BYU 12th Stake "Spring Sing."

With her spending more and more time on the stage, Finley insists, "I'm no good at music." [Which is mostly true.]

That remains to be seen, but she does have aspirations to learn how to play the bass and someday starting her own all-female band.

Her goal, though, is to get into the business side of music.

She hopes to land internships at major record labels to learn the ins and outs of the industry.

She even wants to try her hand at directing music videos.

Being a girl from Tennessee, Finley knew that she would have to branch out in order to make it big someday.

"This was the time to get away," Finley said about her decision to go to BYU.

And she's not looking back.

*I actually wanted to be a doctor that moonlit as a a slushy man.

**I only cried for about 5 minutes after talking on the phone to Shanda that night.

***I didn't actually listen to The Shins back then even though I love them now.

****She didn't finish this part of the story. As a general rule, I hate having the same clothes as other people. I never wore said sweatshirt at BYU again.

*****No I didn't.

I was really happy when I read this. It reminded me how much fun I had my sophomore year.

 Of course it also mentions some not so fun times freshman year. It is true that I got so homesick sometimes freshman year that all I wanted to do was immediately apply to UT or ETSU and hop the next plane home (and I very nearly did several times). It's also true that music was my saving grace. Many nights I drove around with no destination listening to Green Day, My Lost Cause, Chiodos, Etc. at unnecessarily loud levels just to vent some frustration and not be sitting in my dorm room alone. 

Remembering these things only serves to make me realize how far I have come. I cannot even express how glad I am I stuck it out even at some of those seemingly desperate times. My experiences here have shaped me into the person I was always meant to become, and I love the fact that I can call BYU my Alma Matter. I have great memories, awesome friends, a major I enjoy, the best job, and and all together pretty wonderful life. And yeah the hard times were a part of getting here, but isn't that how it's supposed to be?