Mia Colagrossi's family lives in Mapleton Utah, but she mostly grew up in San Diego California where her dad was stationed while serving the in United States Marine Corps.

Where is the most interesting/exotic place you have lived?
The most interesting place I live I would say is Pace Florida, it's about a half an hour away from Pensacola. We would find all sorts of little critters in the pool filter, including a baby snapping turtle.

What is the most positive/useful life lesson you learned from being a military family member?
There are two lessons I think I learned from being a military child. I learned to adjust to a new environment more easily because of moving every couple years. It definitely helped me when it came to packing up my stuff and moving into the dorms. More importantly I learned that family should come before yourself most of the time. My dad was in the Marines for 20 years and gone on deployments, workup, and worked long hours so my brother and I can be able to afford college. He could have just been done after a couple years but he spent two decades making sure we can have the opportunity that he didn't have at my age. When I needed to pick a school to go to he encouraged me to go to USU, which is farther away than my other option, because he knew it would make me happy. Because of all of the things he has done for our family, he taught me that family should be a top priority without even realizing it..

How has the VRO improved your experience at USU and/or helped you as a student?
The VRO helped me find people who have a similar background as me, so it's really nice to be able to have at least one person I can relate to. It also allows me to have somewhere where I can do my school work or study without isolating myself, allowing me to meet people and make new friends.

Major at USU:
Art History

Favorite thing about being a Aggie:
So far my favorite thing about being an Aggie is not feeling alone. Not everyone on campus come from the same place or have the same background, so in a way everyone is the new kid. It helps make it easier to make new friends and find a place where you can fit in. It's a new experience for everyone and we can all experience it together.