The big question, “Where will you be going to college?” can be an overwhelming and stress-inducing topic for most seniors. Luckily, Jolee Little, a senior at Lincoln Southeast High School, has already made her decision. Little will begin attending Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, Arizona, in the fall of 2020.

Little first heard about GCU when she was on a mission trip in Haiti a few years ago. Some people who were on the trip also attended GCU and spoke very highly of it.

“It was just all in the back of my head, so I checked it out,” Little said.

“I really want to move out of state for college. I like Nebraska as a place to raise a family, but I really just want to move somewhere else for college,” Little said. “After I went to GCU, I just fell in love with it. It sounds cliche, but I want to grow myself and put myself in situations that I’m not normally comfortable with. Just having to meet new people and not having your parents to fall back on all the time makes me feel more independent,” Little said.

“I have wanted to go [out of] state for a while. Whenever I thought about college earlier in high school, I knew I wanted to move somewhere. I wasn’t interested in going to [the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)],” Little said. “But the scariest thing is probably just being away from my family and my close friends for a long period of time, because I can’t just come home whenever I want. [I’ll] most likely miss out on holidays. It’s kind of scary to me, but exciting at the same time. I get a completely fresh start,” Little said.

In order to prep for covering the cost of the university, Little applies for scholarships every Sunday for two to three hours. She also increases her hours at work (Runza), so she is more prepared for the financial aspect of going away to college.

Lastly, Little would like to say, “Larps up!”