Name: Peyton Minard
Age: 18
Year: Freshman
Major: Marketing and business adminstration
Hometown: Burlington, Iowa and Gardner, Kansas
Why did you choose the University of Kansas?
KU was definitely not the school in mind I had for college. My original choice was NYU, and I even toured the school in New York and ended up loving it. Eventually I had a change in mind when the time came down to it, and having a four-year-old brother definitely contributed to that. I started looking into schools in-state and around the KC metro area to make sure that I could build a relationship with him and not be too far away from home. My senior year of high school I toured my first Kansas school and it was KU. I never understood why people always would say “when you tour a school and instantly it feels like you belong, that is when you know.” I understood as soon as I hit the campus tour and heard the people give tell-alls about the school. I knew that I wanted to go to this school that very day that I had my senior day at KU.
What has been your favorite memory of Freshman year so far?
My favorite memory would have to be walking up The Hill every morning. Every time I walk up that steep slope I think about how I made it to college and am accomplishing my life goals, as well as going to a school that I really do love. I think about being a Jayhawk and how after these next couple years, I am going to reflect on the walks I have up that hill, and how I will miss the pain of your thighs burning as you walk up the slope. I am excited to share these moments later in life with the people that I care about or other future Jayhawks.
You have a job, right? What’s it like balancing work and school?
I work for Lawrence’s Noodles and Company, and it can be difficult, but one just has to balance their time wisely, especially with actually staying social and doing well in school. At first I thought it might be hard dealing with class work and regular work, but so far I am doing just fine. I try to remind myself that students do this type of thing all of the time and that is what motivates me the most.
What are you studying and what do you want to do in the future?
I am currently hoping to get a degree in Marketing and Business Administration, but that can always change. I am excited to see what direction life takes me in and what I will end up doing. I would eventually love to own some type of business on my own or even work in marketing. My options are always open and I am trying to decide exactly what I want to do with my life. Right now two KU sophomores, Michael Johnson and Joseph Bartak, and I are in the works of creating an apparel business. During the summer the idea was developed and it is still in the works. The company is called City Limits and it entails making apparel for people to represent their cities. We are currently developing the first round of products for Lawrence, the place we all call home now. Big things are to come from City Limits and hopefully people will support the Lawrence creation when it is in full swing.
What are you most excited about for these next four years?
These next four years I hope to accomplish all of my goals in life and be ready to take on the world with whatever pathway I choose. I just hope to stay happy and do what I love. One major dream of mine is to actually make a difference in the world somehow, and I hope to eventually accomplish this within these four years with the tools that KU gives me.