Alec Barland, 22, grew up in Payson and graduated from Payson High School in
2008. Currently, he’s a senior at ASU in Tempe, and will graduate in 2013 with a
degree in Business Administration. Alec plans to use his people skills to pursue a
career in management. With his confident, outgoing personality and warm smile, it’s
easy to imagine Alec being very successful in his future endeavors.

We caught up with Alec while he was working at his summer job as an Outside
Services Representative at The Rim Golf Club. He has spent the past five summers
working at Payson’s golf clubs, and enjoys his interaction with the golfers
throughout the day.

A university campus coming to Payson would be “Great for the town,” he said. “A
campus would bring in income that we need, and put Payson on the map!”

“Most of the kids at ASU don’t know about Payson. They are missing out on a great
community. There are a lot of hardworking people here. We just need to become
more of a destination and show people what we have here.”

A local college would “push kids to try harder in high school,” Alec observed. Going
to college “helps you to get out on your own and deal with your own problems, helps
you to grow up. Having a campus here might help spark something inside them to
further their goals. It would help inspire kids to do more. “

Would he have chosen a local campus over the move to Tempe? “Definitely. The
climate and the weather here are better. The atmosphere here is so great — it’s a
small town. And it’s outdoorsy here. In five minutes you can be at movie theatre, or
you can be swimming a river, or hiking in the forest.”

Good luck, Alec, with your senior year at ASU!