On April 23, 2020 Stephanie Shipley Lovell thought she would have been taking part in her long-awaited graduation day, except social distancing due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic made this event an impossibility. Still, this amazing young woman - although she won't get to "walk the walk" as a member of BYU's Class of 2020 - has earned both a bachelor and master degree from the Marriott School of Accountancy while working nearly full-time in the accounting department at DOMO, the international cloud software company based in American Fork, Utah.
Her favorite memories of college life, including a year at Dixie State University and another at Utah Valley University before she donned BYU Cougar's blue and white, are of everyday random moments walking around campus (especially on sunny spring days); working and laughing together with fellow students on group projects; and listening to nuggets of memorable advice from wise and caring professors.
The immediate future for our beautiful Stephanie includes studying and testing for her CPA certification, continuing her work with DOMO and on or about September 26, delivering a healthy baby girl.
On May 1, Simeon Richard Lovell was scheduled to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Informational Technology from Utah Valley University. But there will be no formal graduation ceremony. Instead, May 1, 2020 will likely be remembered as the day the United States began a slow but steady return to some semblance of normalcy after months of sheltering-in-place against the coronavirus. This novel virus, 1000x's smaller than a grain of sand brought the world to a screeching halt including plans for large gatherings of any kind, such as weddings, funerals, church and graduations.
Simeon's takeaways from his years at Dixie State and Utah Valley Universities include "finishing school only to realize I have more to do;" enjoying great learning experiences with good professors (especially those at DSU who, he says, pushed him reach his goals); having the "backing of my family who continually reminded me, 'you've got this, Sim'."
He also remembers several life-changing special events ... most importantly, marrying Stephanie Shipley in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and becoming a naturalized U. S. citizen with Selwin, his identical twin brother!
What's in Sim's future? He'll be continuing his education to earn a Master in Business from BYU and completing his IT certification. He also looks forward with eager anticipation to becoming a father ... and perhaps starting a business with Selwin!
Congratulations to Stephanie and Simeon for their hard work, accomplishments and the next phase in their lives. We're proud of you both!
2 comments:
From Kaytee: Woo, hoo. Graduating and a baby all in one year.
Awesome congratulations on your graduation and can't wait to meet your new little girl!! Love you two!
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