Preston Ochsenhirt
Every work of art is a miracle. Ready to make another?
Hello! If you haven't guessed yet, I'm Preston Ochsenhirt. I've been going to Utah Valley University for 14 years. My, my, what a journey it's been to be here. Ideally, it wouldn't take a decade and a half to complete your undergrad, even if you do get multiple degrees, but here we are. There are some benefits to an extended education, though. The amount of opportunities I've had here at UVU leave me truly blessed.
The world looks quite a bit different today than when I began my first college course in 2011. This has caused me to routinely change my mind on various rigidities that held me from growth. I'm quite a bit more open minded than I was. Don't get me wrong, I believe what I believe, but I hold a certain value in being able to learn something from everyone around me instead of thinking that I know everything; a trait that was totally unique to 19-year-old Preston, for sure.
Then we come to the arts. Oh, how diverse the moments were here. I began my performance journey in the Ballroom department. Many team and competition chances led me to the knowledge that while I do love dance, it alone would not capture all of my interests in this realm. Soon, I joined Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, followed by the Men's Choir, now named Deep Green, and the Institute Choir on campus in the Utah Valley Institute of Religion. These interests led me to declaring music as my major, and after sharing my course load with dance, film, and music for 6 years, I finally was able to complete my first undergrad degree. This was not enough, however. I needed more, and UVU had a plethora of knowledge to give to me. I auditioned for the Musical Theater program, originally thinking I would not get in. To my delighted surprise, I did! And this is where I have been since 2022.
Once again, an extended stay at a University is not advised. Also not advised is getting married two weeks before the end of your junior year, but that's another story for another time. (Side note, don't register at Walmart. Use Amazon instead.) But I have become a man with a wide array of perspectives that have influenced me almost like no other that I have came across. Dance, music, theater, film, history, and philosophy have all individually laid bricks into my mind palace, and I will forever be blessed by all of the efforts of my colleagues and the faculty of UVU for it. Here's to the next 14 years, and I hope you'll be one I get to learn from on this wonderful adventure of life.
Preston Ochsenhirt
Artist’s biography
The world looks quite a bit different today than when I began my first college course in 2011. This has caused me to routinely change my mind on various rigidities that held me from growth. I'm quite a bit more open minded than I was. Don't get me wrong, I believe what I believe, but I hold a certain value in being able to learn something from everyone around me instead of thinking that I know everything; a trait that was totally unique to 19-year-old Preston, for sure.
Then we come to the arts. Oh, how diverse the moments were here. I began my performance journey in the Ballroom department. Many team and competition chances led me to the knowledge that while I do love dance, it alone would not capture all of my interests in this realm. Soon, I joined Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, followed by the Men's Choir, now named Deep Green, and the Institute Choir on campus in the Utah Valley Institute of Religion. These interests led me to declaring music as my major, and after sharing my course load with dance, film, and music for 6 years, I finally was able to complete my first undergrad degree. This was not enough, however. I needed more, and UVU had a plethora of knowledge to give to me. I auditioned for the Musical Theater program, originally thinking I would not get in. To my delighted surprise, I did! And this is where I have been since 2022.
