Weber State student represents 'everyday student' on Utah Board of Higher Education
OGDEN, Utah — Garrett Largent wanted to be an ambassador for higher education — and with his recent appointment as the student representative on the Utah Board of Higher Education, he is.
“It’s important to be educated and not just schooled,” Largent said. “I hope to validate the voice of the everyday student.”
A nontraditional student, Largent is a senior at Weber State University, majoring in interdisciplinary studies with focus in business administration, leadership, and international studies, and will graduate in spring 2026. He comes from a family of Wildcats and “essentially grew up on campus.”
“Everyone in my family has gone to Weber State,” he said. “Growing up, I was a ball boy for WSU basketball and have been to hundreds of WSU events through the years.”
Largent’s mother worked on campus for 15 years, raising her family as a single mother after his father died when he was nine years old. Largent fondly remembers the support of the WSU community during this tough time.
“The people on campus were so giving, kind, and generous to my mom and our family,” he said. “I owe a lot to the university and those who have and are still working here.”
Largent’s journey in higher education hasn’t always been consistent. He stopped and started his degree several times — once, to serve a church mission, another because of a serious car accident. When he decided to come back to college now, as a married man and father of two young girls, he knew he had to be focused.
“I’ve learned that no matter your circumstances, you can always come back and complete your education,” he said. “There have been lots of late nights and early mornings as I’ve juggled it all.”
He also received multiple scholarships to help fund his schooling, including the Starks Leadership Scholars award, Major Brent and Jennie Taylor Scholarship, Richard Richards Scholarship, Olene S. Walker Scholarship, and the Credit Bureau of Ogden Business Scholarship.
While at WSU, Largent served as vice president of the Presidential Leadership Fellows in the university’s Office of the President, worked as a research analyst fellow in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, and as an intern with U.S. Rep. Blake Moore and at Goldman Sachs.
Largent applied to be the student representative on the board in hopes to maximize his time at Weber State and positively impact higher education for the future. All members of the board, which oversees the Utah System of Higher Education, are appointed by the governor.
“Receiving education, in any form, is a privilege that we cannot take for granted. I feel a responsibility to help make educational institutions stronger and better for future students,” Largent said. “My goal when I talk to students around the system of higher education is that they leave our conversation believing they can achieve, and overcome, the hard things they face in life.”
Jessica Kokesh, Marketing & Communications
801-626-7316, jessicakokesh@weber.edu- Contact:
Rachel Badali, Interim Public Relations Director
801-626-7362, rachelbadali@weber.edu