Adjusting to a new place, a new culture, and meeting new people is often a skill that gets overlooked when examining resilience and the compelling aspects of human character.
The truth is, it’s a remarkable trait that very few people have. It’s a skill that 18-year-old Anabelle Reynolds, a student at Cumorah Academy this fall, has had to develop, having grown up in a military family.
It’s a skill that has helped her take full advantage of the opportunities available here at Cumorah, including leadership courses, mentorship, and making friends from many different cultures.
Let’s take a look at Anabelle’s story to see how her background prepared her to be a student at Cumorah Academy this semester.
Growing Up
With her father in the military, Anabelle and her family relocated every 2–3 years. Because of the frequency of each move, she never really felt established anywhere she went.
It also became difficult for her to process long-term relationships, as the frequency of change made it hard for her to feel that people would stick around in her life.
This led Anabelle to make quick decisions about who she wanted to be friends with, knowing she didn’t have much time to waste. From a young age, she knew her time was valuable, and she didn’t want to spend it on meaningless experiences.
One of her family’s biggest moves was from Colorado to Portugal, a year and a half before Anabelle came to Cumorah. This was a difficult move because her family had no connections there and could not find a house big enough for seven children. They ended up moving from one Airbnb to another for six months, rarely unpacking their suitcases.
These experiences shaped Anabelle in many ways and helped accelerate her growth.
Because of the weight she’s had to carry—the weight of adjusting to new cultures, languages, and people—she has been provided with the perfect training ground to know herself inside and out.
While many others her age are more interested in impressing people through social media trends, Anabelle came to know herself through her unique upbringing. She’s had to focus on things that are truly important, such as God and family, through this process.
Her source of strength and inspiration has always been God and her family, helping her adjust and get through the trials that have come her way. She describes her family as the anchor that has kept her afloat, and with this anchor, she has confidently proven to herself that she can move forward and become stronger because of her experiences.
Because she knows herself, she is comfortable getting to know others, even those from cultures that may seem unfamiliar. Adjusting to life here at Cumorah has been a natural transition for Anabelle, and she has hit the ground running.
Coming to Cumorah
Anabelle first heard about Cumorah from a former student who attended her ward in Portugal.
After her mom Googled Cumorah and explored the Facebook page, she encouraged Anabelle to look into it and see if it was something she’d be interested in.
Once Anabelle applied and was accepted, she realized she needed to be fully committed rather than just casually interested.
The sacrifice she made was to graduate high school a full year early to attend Cumorah in the fall.
Her hunger for growth proved to be the difference-maker. Intellectually, she felt she had moved on from her high school days. Because of the frequent changes throughout her life, Anabelle knew it was time to make a big change. Her innate desire to grow and become the best version of herself led her to choose Cumorah as the big move she felt was needed.
Once she committed, everything fell into place, and doors opened for her to come to campus.
Coming to Cumorah turned out to be the culmination of all those life-changing moves she had experienced, leading her to feel that this was where she needed to be. It allowed her to choose a place where she could strengthen her testimony in Jesus Christ while experiencing intellectual challenges through leadership courses and the sales boot camp this semester.
Anabelle’s Adventure
Now at Cumorah, Anabelle is learning to embrace the call of her new adventure. She’s learning to try new things, especially the sales bootcamp, which is something new for her.
“I’ve never sold anything in my life! So, I’ve had to become more willing to embrace my imperfections and accept the things other people can help me with.”
Committing the time needed to be successful in the sales bootcamp is a major step outside Anabelle’s comfort zone. The valuable lesson here is her willingness to rely on the help of other students at Cumorah.
“Just let the network build you up. Let people pull you up as you join their journey, be part of their adventure, and learn from them.”
And that’s what it’s really all about: joining each other’s journey. The strength of the collective unit at Cumorah is part of what makes this experience so fulfilling and life-changing. Everyone is here to grow, and because of this, people strive to lift each other up.
For Anabelle, with her unique story, she has found herself in a place where she’s met others who also have unique stories. Together, each individual plays a part in one another’s stories, lifting each other up throughout the semester.
From this perspective, Anabelle knows she made the right choice to be here this semester. It’s this same energy that adds impact to her words about choosing to study here.
“You can’t really understand what it is or what you’d be missing out on until you’re here. Don’t be afraid to come. You’ll certainly find someone in the student body who relates to your experiences, and even if you don’t, you’ll be surrounded by people who are super happy to help and guide you.”
With this experience, there’s no denying that she will bring a unique influence with her as she embarks on her next journey to college at BYU this January. It will be the next chapter in the story she’s writing for her life, one in which Cumorah Academy will have a lasting impact.
You can watch Anabelle sharing her story below:
Written by Weylin Hollister
Photos by Natalia Lopez
Supervision by Kamila Uberto Fullmer
