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Sara and Austin Zacher say having a partner and best friend helps them balance all the aspects of college life. Photos by Chad Hsieh
Juggling marriage and school Married couples at BYU–Hawaii say having a spouse helps them balance school, work and home life BY MICHAEL KRAFT
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BYU–Hawaii married couples said having a spouse motivates them to work harder in school, strengthens their spirituality, and helps them maintain a healthy balance between school, work and home life. The balancing act BYUH Religion Associate Professor Daniel Sharp said, “For me school became much more about making sure I can support my wife.” Sharp said he married his wife, Carrie, 23 years ago while they were still students. After getting married, he said he “became a lot more focused. I knew why I was at school and what I needed to get done.” Sharp added getting married in college made school easier. Having to balance your social life with your student life is a problem for any student no matter what.” In order to pay for his education, Sharp said his wife postponed her school.
Now 23 years later, Carrie Sharp is a student at BYUH working on her degree. Daniel Sharp shared with a smile, “Now she’s a grown adult going to college working on her degree as a mother of five. So, we’re doing it again. We’re learning to balance school, work and family much later in our life.” Carrie Sharp said she enjoys being in school again, but she loves her family and makes sure they are her priority. She shared she is grateful to always have her best friend, her husband, while in school. “It’s good to know there’s always someone in my corner.” Daniel Sharp said the support he felt from his wife is what helped him the most as a student. “The thing that I remember the most was that I knew I had someone in my corner and that she had my back.” Church callings, according to Jerico Radin, a junior from the Philippines majoring in computer science, helped him and his wife balance their busy life. He and his wife, Jenine Radin, are Sunday School teachers. “As Sunday School teachers, we can spend meaningful time
