Wildcats Rule!

Lifelong friends mean a great deal to me. They've been an important part of my life. I wouldn't have gone as far without them. What I've achieved can't be measured by any academic means. Still, the University of Arizona formed my attitudes and impressions. It gave me an appreciation for the synergy of teamwork and friendship. With university experiences, I meet new challenges with a strong body of knowledge.
Its never been my intention to go through life without a degree. I don't agree with the belief that individuals who have gained degrees are guaranteed to be more successful in life than those that don't. We succeed by how we choose to live our lives. I want that MBA. That's a choice.

Before I entered the halls of advanced academia, I didn't have much to fall back on. It was difficult to go to the U of A because my stepfather did all that he could to keep me away. He threw out university materials and offered to let me live at home as long as I did odd jobs around the house.
I still received college mailings by routing them through my high school. To say that I made it into college smoothly would be a joke. I worked quite hard to make it and worked even harder to stay there.
Before I made it, I learned to react rather than build proactive habits. My childhood wasn't the friendliest experience. In fact, it was riddled with beatings and constant ego destroying comments. There's so much more to my childhood, but this page celebrates freedom rather than victimization. I understand that I had a difficult life.
There's always a bright side. Without my father, I wouldn't have understood anything about a happy family. I had the coolest dad. His best friend even admits to crying when he died. Heart attacks happen.
The moment that this stepfather walked into my life, I knew that he had some serious problems. I told him that he was a very mean man. Tough guy beats me up. I begged my mom to leave but she wasn't very strong. As a four year old, knowing that there were some serious problems didn't help much. The weird part was that I couldn't believe that one person could be so cruel.

My first year of life can be traced back to the Manzanita/ Mohave residence halls. I finally had the freedom that I needed to get on with my life. I also found a group of friends that I could spend time with. I still know people that I met that year. I see them whenever I have a chance to.
I also stumbled across the internet while I was at the University of Arizona. I remember wanting to connect into the online catalog from a friend's apartment. I talked to a librarian who offered materials and mentioned that to get the expanded list of services, I needed to sign up with a university account. I asked how much it would cost and she stated that it was free.
I went to the Center for Computer and Information Technology (CCIT) and followed the instructions that they gave me. Afterwards, I returned several times over the next month to ask about E-Mail, Telnet, and other internet capabilities that this account gave me.
At about the same time, I became Vice President of the U of A Advertising Club. I spent my time trying to learn about the internet and gained a strong understanding of how an organization worked. It was a first for both.

-Dan Sharnhorst

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Dedicated to friends from Manzanita/ Mohave. Thanks for the memories!

Charlotte Adams	Dan Balaban	Matt Boldra
Mike Bush	John Cannella (busy)	Rich Congram
Darren Connell	Ed Curtin	John David (Bullwinkle)
Tracy Davis	John Farrell	Missy Finney
Crishawna Fisher (Shawna)	Caesar Garcia	Elisabeth Gray
Andy Hollamon	Mike Horowitz (Rabbi Mike)	Scott Johnson
Ray Kneipp	Jill Kronick	Shelby Lowe
Rusty Martin	Liz Macias	Mark Maggiacoma
Amy Mangiona	Erin Mullarky	Chris Onate
Jay Ramishami	Chris Ribas (Puzzle)	John Riefling (Curly)
Briana Ripley	Matt Smith	Kristen Stanford
Jennitte Stevens	Jared Strahorn	Jen Toso
Sheila Widmaier	Heather Wright	Hal Van Woert