Be honest: How many times do you hit the snooze button in the morning?

While some of us might turnover and indulge in a few more minutes of sleep after the alarm clock goes off, some UNLV students are already heading to campus. Their reasons vary — less traffic, shorter lines for coffee, closer parking sports, putting the finishing touches on homework. 

At the start of the semester, we got ourselves up early to ask some early risers what motivates them to get to campus early and how the habit sets them up for success. 

Photos by Josh Hawkins 

6:36 AM: Arjae Arco Villanueba, sophomore in biochemistry

We all have our reasons for getting an early start. For Arjae Arco Villanueba it's all about timing. Getting to campus early means he can hop on the WiFi to catch one of the streamers he watches. But he admits that finding his classes on the first day of school and putting in the hours in to prepare for schoolwork also played a part.

"The future's important, and I'm a part of that future. And to manifest the future that I want, I can't really rely on other people to do it, and I have to be that person to be there."

6:47 AM: Zebib Zeru, junior in biology

Zebib Zeru started her morning off on the phone with her sisters to calm the first-day nerves. Their advice rings true for many of life's challenges: Don't rush through it.

"The best advice is to take it slow. Do not rush to it. Especially [to] my sister — she's a part-time college student and also she works. She said as much, like, 'Your goal is to finish; it doesn't matter how long it takes you. Your plan should be graduating. Not just rushing and stressing out.' "

7:10 AM: Brooke Myres, first-year student in biology

What is it about getting an early start that pushes someone to be productive? Is it the pressure of a looming deadline? The calm and focus of a quiet space? Brooke Myres, first-year biology student, says she thrives during this part of the day.

"I feel like just showing up here early will help me take things more seriously in a sense that I will have more time to study and just more time to get things done, essentially. I'm looking forward to getting more involved with school because throughout high school, I mostly just stuck to myself and what I know. But I think throughout college, I'm looking to get out of my comfort zone and participate in things that I wouldn't normally participate in."

7:22 AM: Michael Anisco, first-year student in nursing

For Michael Anisco, arriving early is the first step to building productive habits for the whole semester. And as a future nurse, creating a healthy school/life balance is going to be crucial to his success, he says. Anisco decided to follow in the footsteps of his parents, both of whom are nurses, so he could help people and have consistency in his life. And he’s up before the sun rises to put in the work. 

“I wanted to be productive starting this year, so I made a little goal for myself that I'm gonna be here at 6 a.m. every morning, Monday to Thursday, to hit the gym. Even though my classes start a little bit later in the afternoons, I find that if I have extra time, I could be productive and do my homework or maybe read some extra chapters.” 

7:31 AM: Kalynn Casanova, sophomore in biochemistry

Diligence and discipline is Kalynn Casanova’s mantra for this semester. As a sophomore in biochemistry (with three jobs), she is hoping to maintain straight A's on top of her busy work schedule.

“I wanted to test myself, give myself a challenge because I know I can. It just takes, again, diligence, discipline. It's nothing that I'm incapable of. It just simply comes down to whether or not I choose to do it.” 

8:25 AM: Fernanda Carriedo, junior in computer science

What class is computer science junior Fernanda Carriedo looking forward to the most this semester is a specific class. Statistics? Data Structures? Algorithms? Nope, it's Guitar. (And no, that's not a new programming language). 

“It's something that I've been wanting to learn for a while, and I just realized that I want to take an elective this semester for sure. I've had a guitar hung up on my wall for a year. I was a little overwhelmed because of the [other] courses that I was going to be taking, but I think taking that guitar class is gonna help a lot and alleviate some stress for sure.”