Becoming BYU: Strengthen the Student Experience

November 2024

Students come to Brigham Young University seeking a unique collegiate experience. And no other university has the same expectation for a commitment to excellence alongside a mission to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life. 

“Everything we do at BYU begins and ends with our students in mind,” President C. Shane Reese says. “When we admit students to BYU, we have a responsibility to see that they’re successful.” 

It’s no surprise that the first of President Reese’s seven initiatives is focused on strengthening the student experience. He wants students to have two inspiring learning experiences where they apply classroom learning and gospel principles in real-world settings. 

“Experiential learning happens at every campus on this planet,” President Reese says. “Ours includes an inspiring component—a spiritual aspect that’s a vital part of each student’s experience.” 

Donations are crucial for those experiences. The following examples show how donor-funded experiences change students’ lives. 

Preparing for Flight

When she was little, Anaiya Harris saw the Air Force Thunderbirds perform at an air show, and later she watched a flyover by F-22 Raptors at the Stadium of Fire in Provo. The experiences thrilled her, and she dreamed of one day flying those planes. She set a course for the Air Force Academy, but her BYU-alum father begged her to also apply to BYU. 

“His insistence was a blessing, as things fell through with the academy,” she says. “At first I was devastated, but I realized I’d have similar opportunities at BYU.” 

During ROTC training in Alabama, Harris discovered she’d be representing the university and the Church. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her field training class and answered a lot of questions for fellow cadets along the way—questions about temples, faith, and why she doesn’t drink coffee. 

Later, Harris was selected for an internship with the American Battle Monuments Commission, the agency that maintains American cemeteries and monuments abroad. In the Netherlands, she worked with the Dutch volunteers who care for the gravesites of American soldiers. 

“As I represent BYU and interact with peers not of my faith, I have the opportunity to share my testimony of the gospel,” she says. “These discussions helped me grow confident in my values and stay true to them regardless of the environment.”

This fall, Harris was accepted to start Air Force pilot training. ‘Tm beyond excited to start my dream job that I feel I’ve been called to do,” she says. ‘‘And I’ll continue to look for natural ways to represent the Lord and bring His children closer to Him.”

Learning Christlike Leadership

The son of a physician, Jameston Millar set out to become a hospital administrator and discovered the healthcare leadership minor at the BYU Marriott School of Business. He added it to his graduation plan, and on his first day in Professor Britt Berrett’s class, Millar heard the words “transform the world through Christlike leadership” from BYU Marriott’s vision statement and knew he was in the right place.

“In seemingly every interaction I have ever had with Dr. Berrett, he has referenced this vision statement,” Millar says. ‘‘And because of that, this vision has become my personal mission statement.”

Berrett took Millar under his wing, hired him as a teaching assistant, connected him with the Healthcare Leadership Association, and helped him find an internship with lntermountain Health. “He’s the most engaged professor I’ve ever had,” Millar says. “He’s always looking for ways to help you grow.”

During his internship, Millar learned about Christlike leadership. On a hospital elevator, Millar saw another intern interact with a patient. “My inclination had been to not intrude on people when they’re in a vulnerable situation, but I realized I could follow the promptings of the Spirit and minister in small but helpful ways,” he says. “My BYU experience has inspired me to make everything centered around Jesus Christ.”

Do Good. Better.

Audrey Godfrey entered BYU as a violin performance major but soon began feeling that she should change course. She took a break to serve a mission in Korea. Upon her return, she found the experience design and management program at BYU Marriott.

“I appreciated how broad it was,” she says. “I applied to the program and got in. I took the Do Good. Better. class at the Ballard Center on a whim. It’s been my favorite class at BYU so far.”

Godfrey felt so connected to the Ballard Center for Social Impact that she applied for an in-house internship. “One of President Reese’s objectives is strengthening the student experience. As a student advisor, I’m helping students feel they have a place,” she says. “One of the aims of a BYU education is to be ‘spiritually strengthening.’ I’ve never had an internship where I’ve borne my testimony more than I do at the Ballard Center.”

Godfrey helps students achieve social good regardless of their majors. “I met a freshman the other day who had just come home from a mission in Brazil,” she says. “He wants to major in genetics, but he also wants to improve education in Brazil.”

For Godfrey, it almost feels like she’s still on her mission. “It’s really amazing to take my desire to do good and to implement that into my social skills.” 

Pursuing a New Dream

Last year, as a walk-on linebacker, Talavou Fitisemanu played football for the Utah Utes with his childhood friend. Together they were pursuing a dream of reaching the NFL. But Fitisemanu couldn’t ignore an inner voice that said: “Your greatest talents will not be found on a field but will be in your ability to connect with others.”

Fitisemanu told his coach he wouldn’t be returning in the fall and that he’d be focusing on his art. Since he no longer had a football scholarship, he transferred to BYU. “Little did I know of God’s reasoning for my attendance at BYU,” Fitisemanu says.

When he arrived in Provo, Fitisemanu quickly found a mentor in Professor Fidalis Buehler, who encouraged Fitisemanu to pursue his interests in Polynesian cultural art. They even found an art conference in Samoa, but Fitisemanu doubted he could find financial support to attend. Buehler encouraged him to submit a proposal anyway, and Fitisemanu soon found himself bound for his native homeland.

“I weaved in a fale [a traditional Samoan house] and visited tattoo shops to see contemporary work,” Fitisemanu says. He also learned to make woodcarving tools and carved in a beachside village.

Not long after he arrived back in Utah, he created a piece for an exhibit in the Springville Museum of Art. “Through inspired relationships with professors and staff, I’ve been blessed to learn more about who I am and where I’m going,” he says.

“My trip to Samoa, along with faith-building experiences on campus, has confirmed that transferring to BYU was for more than cheaper tuition,” Fitisemanu says. “God is in the details of where we can best hasten His work with our talents.”