Misty: I was thinking about my Wyoming story. I don't have one that's like a specific moment, but I did, upon reflection, realize that Wyoming for me is about new beginnings. So I'm going to tell you a story with a bit of an arc.

I lived abroad for a long time and when I came back to America, I had to start over because my adult career, everything was in Africa and Europe. It was hard to find a job when I first got back. Randomly, I went to visit a friend in Green River and I remember driving there from Idaho and crossing that section between Evanston and Green River. And I thought, “where am I?!” It was bleak. It was July. Everything was yellow. It looked like I was on the backside of the moon. I was like, “man, oh man. I heard Wyoming was pretty?” But then I came around the bend to Green River, and I saw those beautiful rock formations. And the town has a lot of trees. It was very green and I could see water. I was like, “okay, that's not so bad.” While I was there, I found out that the municipality--the mayor's office--was looking for a grant writer. So I took a shot and I gave them my application, and a couple months later I was moving to Green River, Wyoming. That was, like I said, a new beginning.

Then, unfortunately, 18 months* after that, my mom died and my dad moved in with me. And we had always been really close, but that was a new thing for both of us. But it was great. It was like my best friend moved in, so it was really cool.

My dad had been suffering with tinnitus, ringing in the ears, for a long time and it was really bad and very debilitating. But it happened that in Green River, which is a town full of men and women who have worked in industrial jobs, the railroad and mines. That can cause tinnitus. And there was an audiologist who had some groundbreaking new technology in a hearing aid. My dad went to see her. She said, “this is brand new. We're not sure exactly…”. But he said, “sign me up! I'll try!” And within a couple days, he got some relief and it gave him a new lease on life. He was not in that kind of pain anymore, and he just got better and better. So that was pretty amazing. He could have a quality of life that he didn't imagine, that I didn't imagine possible. That was a great gift.

Then I decided I would go back to school. I had actually gotten that process started when my mom was still alive, so I didn't want to give that up. And my dad helped me study! I made a bunch of flashcards, with vocabulary and other kinds of things, and he would quiz me all the time. If we took road trips or went to the grocery store, he'd pull out the flashcards. It was definitely a joint effort. Math, however, was…oh boy. It was an entirely different category. I had not taken a math class in like 20 years.

Nancy: This is for the GRE?

Misty: Yes, for the GRE to get into grad school here at UWyo.

I didn't even take math in college because I was an acting student at a theater conservatory. So I got a tutor, and she was really lovely. Eventually she said, “you know, you're not gonna ace this. We just need you to survive it” (laughing). I have dyslexia, but it seems most pronounced with numbers. So I knew that was an issue. I knew it was a long shot, but I thought, “ah, I've taken long shots before. Why not?” And so the day before the GRE came, I arrived that afternoon and I took a walk on campus. It was green and it was lush, and the buildings were big, and it just felt magical. And I thought, “I wonder if I could be here? Maybe…I don't know?”

I took the GRE, and they give you your results pretty quickly. My English scores were off the charts on the high end. My math was also at the bottom end! But getting into college is not just your GRE. It's a whole package. So a couple of weeks later, I got an email from Dr. Greg Cawley. He said, “because of your GRE score, which is out of balance, I will admit you conditionally.”

He gave me a chance. Later after I got a big fancy fellowship, he told me, “I just knew something about you.” So I got in! I was in grad school. It was pretty amazing, and it was a gift. Wyoming gave me a chance. It was a brand new start.

First, I was working full time. I remember the second semester, I took two classes and got up at four o'clock in the morning to do the readings and then I did homework all weekend. But I didn't care and I was happy. And then I was in town for a class, and Dr. Cawley said, “you know…we have a scholarship to be a GA.” So I applied. I got it and quit my job and packed up my house and my dad and we moved to Laramie. We had a wonderful time here. Once again, a brand new beginning, a new chance on life.

In 2018. I went overseas on a fellowship. We moved back to Idaho, and I thought my higher education was over until a friend from Wyoming came to visit us and she told me about this brand new PhD program in public humanities in the English department. So I had a long talk with my dad and my family, and applied. Another long shot, but not as long a shot as my master's degree. I got tenants from my house in Idaho, packed up my dad and my cat, and my plants and my clothes, and moved back to Laramie. My dad was actually really happy about it. He was cool. It was a new, a new thing.

Nancy: Would you mind sharing your dad's name?

Misty: My dad's name is Robert G. Springer. He actually loved it when I was in the master's program. He loved all the people and the young people and the ideas, and he would attend lectures with me. And he most particularly loved that he timed it: from our front door…we had rented a house on Gibbon and 5th, and from it to the ranger station above Centennial in the Snowy Mountains. He said it--door to door--is 38 minutes, and he loved that because in his youth he had been a mountaineering guide and a rock climber. So being that close to the Snowies was really amazing for him.

And then, the story ends. I lost my dad a few months ago. Which is another new beginning. And although I am very sad, I can't imagine being anywhere else. I'm so grateful to be back at the University of Wyoming, where I have old friends and new friends and an inspiring program. And colleagues that support me. So it is a new beginning. Different than what I planned, but I am grateful.

*In our conversation, Misty originally said “a few months,” but her mom’s passing was about a year and a half later. The transcript has been updated to reflect this correction.

Note: The transcript above has been condensed from its original audio recording to improve the flow and readability of the story.