Anthony Ruta was only 17 when he made a decision that would change his life forever.
Ruta was born and raised in Mansfield, a town of about 23,000 about 30 miles south of Boston. He loved the town but always wondered what else was out there. All of his friends went to the same colleges in Massachusetts and when college was over they’d return to Mansfield and raise their family.
Ruta wanted something different. He wanted to take a risk. So, after he graduated high school he enrolled at Arizona State, a college 2,290 miles away in a state he had never visited before.