What did the graduates of the Class of 2023 learn from their high school experience? Itineris Early College High School graduate Bryant Liveley learned how much the people you spend your time with affects you.

“Know your own self value,” he said. “Don’t try to change yourself to fit in where you think you belong when you can have people who value you for who you really are.”

Bryant initially struggled to make good friends in high school, often finding himself hanging out with people he thought were good but weren’t, and with friends who were not very supportive.

“I don’t think I truly knew who I was because I had spent so much time trying to get other people to like me by being something I wasn’t when I could have just been myself and attracted the right crowd from the start,” he said.

Bryant transferred from Kearns High School to Itineris Early College High School midway through his sophomore year and discovered a different school culture.

“The work ethic, the self-discipline—I didn’t really have it,” he said. “It was a huge culture shock and social shock.”

In the new, smaller educational environment, Bryant began to care more about his grades and to prepare for a future career. He also started putting himself around better people.

“I finally started to be with people who appreciated me for who I am,” he said. “They had similar academic drives, we had similar interests. And even if we had different opinions and interests, we supported and respected each other. It was a better environment for me. I was able to support them and truly find friends who were a better value to me.”

This fall, Bryant will begin his studies in business administration and finance at the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.   λ