University of Idaho freshman Audrey Young always has a fun anecdote to give when someone asks about her life.
“My parents were kind of like these hippie people,” Young said. “My dad started a business “¦ and their choice was between buying a shop for it or buying a place to live, so they bought a shop and they lived in the school bus.”
Young and her parents lived in that school bus in Leadore, Idaho, for about one year before buying a piece of property in town. Young said the old school bus is still in Leadore, partially sunk into the ground. Before it was used as a school bus, Young said it used to be a place to play bingo.
Mamta Kandel | Argonaut
Audrey Young grew up in the small town of Hope, Idaho. She is now an anthropology major at UI.
“It”s kind of deteriorating and sinking into the ground,” she said. “There”s this giant hole it”s in. But the sun has made the paint peel off and it says “Bingo” underneath in blue letters.”
Eventually the family moved to the small town of Hope, Idaho, the setting of the majority of Young”s childhood memories.
Though she said the town was made up of about 50 people, she enjoyed growing up there because there were a lot of mountains and opportunities for outdoor activities.
Young and her family spent their entire summers around Lake Pend Oreille, a large lake in the Idaho panhandle that Hope borders.
“We have a sailboat,” Young said. “And so, like Fourth of July we always go out on the sailboat and watch the fireworks. It”s just kind of what our summer is built around.”
The shift from Hope to Moscow brought about many changes in Young”s life. She said Moscow is flatter with fewer mountains, but she appreciates that everything in the town is within walking distance. The different schedules for her college classes have also been an adjustment.
“I expected to have more time in class and have more of a set schedule,” she said. “You know, like in high school it”s like 8 to 3, but every day is like different “¦ One day I”ll wake up at 7 and the next I”ll wake up at 9.”
Currently, Young is majoring in anthropology. She said she chose anthropology for her love of history and her interest in learning how the human race has progressed through time.
Yet, she said is considering switching to a more practical major that will allow her more job opportunities after graduating from UI. She said she is looking into journalism as a potential major.
“I like writing and I”ve been told I”m good at it,” she said. “So I figured I could like join that talent with what I love, which is like history and anthropology.”
Ideally, Young would like to merge both of her passions and write for a magazine like National Geographic. But for now, Young has a different goal for the rest of her college career.
“I want to learn more about what I”m interested in,” Young said. “And learn skills to help me be a part of that.”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer