"If I wasn't meant to be there, God wouldn't have put me there"

Eau Claire was the last place on earth she had planned to start her college career. In the late days of August, Renetra Muskeyvalley had her bags packed and acceptance letter in hand. She was ready to embark on the biggest journey of her life; leaving Davenport, Iowa to enroll at Morgan State University in Baltimore City, Maryland. But Renetra’s mother had other plans.

The oldest of two siblings, brothers Ryan and Ramone, Renetra maintains that she has always been the ‘test dummy’ for her mother’s parenting. Curfews, rules for dating and even how far away to attend college were just a few of the test runs Renetra’s mother perfected before cementing the guidelines for her younger brothers.It was no surprise to Renetra that her mother was uneasy about her upcoming move.

Although Renetra hadn’t applied to Eau Claire, or any colleges throughout the Midwest, her mother insisted on her being close to home and close to family, and Maryland just wasn’t close enough. Coincidentally, Renetra’s cousin planned to attend Eau Claire in the fall, and after a weekends visit it was decided that Renetra, weather she liked it or not, would attend Eau Claire as well.

Despite the immediate aversion she felt toward Eau Claire, Renetra, who cheered in high school, became involved with the UWEC Cheer Team. She soon got a job as a server at the Olive Garden and by Junior year she had moved to her own apartment.

Renetra said it was hard to get used to the idea of attending college in Eau Claire and forget about her dreams of attending Morgan State, “The final nail in the coffin was when my bother [Ryan] left for school, and my mother let him go to Atlanta”.

Although Renetra admits she still doesn’t particularly like Eau Claire she has settled into her own niche. The self-proclaimed ‘reading fanatic’ can often be found at her favorite haven, Borders, where she spends hours just sitting and reading. While she confesses to reading anything and everything, authors at the top of Renetra’s list include: Jane Austen, Alexander Dubois and Jill Gregory.

And if you think she’s kidding about her love of Borders, she’s not. Renetra’s boyfriend, Jermaine, took her to Borders for their first date. The pair spent hours in the stacks, chatting and getting to know one another, and have been going strong ever since.

Jermaine and Renetra are now quickly approaching their one year anniversary. Although the relationship is long distance for now, Renetra says she couldn’t be happier,“He’s so sweet, he gave me flowers for his birthday!”.

Jermaine, a University of Iowa graduate is also from her hometown of Davenport, Iowa. Though Jermaine still lives in Iowa they see each other as frequently as they can and love to spend time together, whether it's while watching thier favorite arena football team the Quad City Steam-Wheelers, or visiting another favorite locale, the Putnam Museam.

When Renetra isn’t spending time at Borders you can most likely find her working at the Olive Garden and studying, whether it’s at home or in the library. Renetra, who works 40 plus hours a week while taking 17 credits has a busy schedule, and that’s the way she likes it. But she does reserve one day all to herself; Sundays.

Renetra's version of the perfect day begins with waking up on a Sunday to a spotless, clean and organized house. Although, things are rarely found out of order in her color-coded closets and alphabetized book and DVD shelves.

Renetra says that while growing up with two brothers. who would take anything that wasn’t nailed down, her organization just developed into habit. It was easier to know where everything was, and if anything was missing.

Continuing her perfect day, Renetra said she would lunch on Chinese food, shrimp lo-mein, and spend some quality time on the couch with some really old friends; in the movies that is. Renetra is a full-fledged old movie buff, you name it, and she’s got it. She even owns 6 versions of her favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice; and her treasured copy is a six-hour long BBC version.

And of course, Renetra would round out her perfect day at Borders, although she admits she is a little more partial to the couches of Barnes & Noble’s, which unfortunately do not have an Eau Claire location.

Renetra is now embarking on her last year at UWEC and is hoping to graduate by next spring. Even though she considered transferring to a university during the past three years, she didn’t want to delay her graduation and eventually became open-minded of her time in Eau Claire, commenting, “I’ve learned so much outside of the classroom as well as inside”.

Renetra plans to use her degree in Print Journalism (with a minor in Spanish), getting her feet wet in magazines and ultimately moving to work in a field she truly loves, book editing and publishing.

Although Renetra isn't exactly sure what the future has in store she's excited about the next step, remarking that whatever path she may choose, "If I wasn't meant to be there, God wouldn’t have put me there".