Hi everyone, my name is Jake Hinson, I am a senior at Boise State studying Construction Management and this is “My Lens”:

• Where did you grow up, and how did that place, as well as the people around you, influence you?

I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone. When I was in high school I could not wait to get out and move to somewhere new, now I miss not being able to go to the grocery store or church without running into people that I have known forever. Growing up here influenced me in many ways, and it wasn’t until I started college that I realized that. For one, there was really only one type of people that lived in my hometown. So after beginning college I realized that I was very hesitant to talk or acknowledge people that were different than me. I think that my lens, in this aspect, has changed drastically since I began school here at Boise State and for the better.

• What kinds of books or other texts did you read in school? On your own?

I have always been a fan of Louis L’amour. For those of you not familiar with this author, he wrote western and war novels mostly. I have always been fascinated by these two topics and the way that he researches facts and writes his stories to parallel actual history is so intriguing to me.

• Where (e.g., specific website, television news channels, friends and family, church, etc.) do you learn about what’s going on in the U.S. and the rest of the world?

Growing up my family would usually talk about news and politics around the the dinner table. Now that I have moved away most of my news comes from the internet. I try to watch the news as much as possible but it is aggravating to me that every channel is so one sided and to find real facts is almost impossible.

• How do you spend your leisure time, and how might it shape your view of the world?

I try to spend as much time as I can up in the mountains. Whether I’m hunting, fishing, shed hunting, or even just up snowboarding I love being away from society. I used to rodeo in high school but I had to sell my horses to pay for college. I am hoping to get horses again soon and start team roping.

• How has your religious or spiritual journey influenced how you view other people and their decisions?

My religious views have no influence on how I view people.

• Did your parents or guardians come from different cultures? If so, how did these cultures appear in your home when you were growing up?

My parents were friends since they were six years old, that being said, they have no culture differences. This really created a strong cultural background for my brothers and I to grow up in.

• How has your perspective on the world changed as you have matured and gained more life experience?

Like I mentioned earlier, my perspective on the world has changed dramatically. Not in a way that I agree that we should be burning our nations flag, or protesting that our education should be free; but in a way where I can accept people for who they are and feel more comfortable in situations where I may have to hang around people that come from completely different background than mine.

• Are there people or experiences that you consider formative in your life—that is, they are or were essential to shaping the person you are today? Explain.

My Grandpa. He is the person that I have always looked up to. Until I was about 5 we lived with my grandparents, I can remember my grandpa, dad, and uncle coming home from work and my grandpa had been finishing concrete for so long that he couldn’t walk from his truck to the house. So my dad and uncle would have to carry him inside and put him on the couch for his back to rest. And at 5 am the next day he would be up for work to make sure that he could provide for his family. It is because of this work ethic that he had installed in my father that has allowed me all the opportunities that I have received in life. I hope some day that I can do the same for my family.