Prioritizing the Lord in all things doesn't take away all the struggles people face, but it sure makes things better, says student Jessica Chalk
Having gone through the process of leaving the Church and then restoring her faith, Jessica Chalk said she realized that God is always there, ready to accept his children, but they have to be accept him.
"Just go for it and don't wait for the right moment to repent."
When things fell apart and her parents divorced, she became less active. "I thought everyone was perfect. I could not keep up with that," she shared.
Chalk said she always knew that she wanted to go back to church but kept delaying acting upon it. After talking to a non-member friend and being asked, "What are you waiting for?" it hit her straight to the heart, she said.
Chalk was called to teach Seminary and serve in Thailand, Bangkok and England Manchester mission following her reactivation in the church.
Finding the gospel
A descendant of both ancestors in England and Thailand, Jessica Chalk, majoring in intercultural peacebuilding and social work, is one of the first students from Scotland who choose to gain a higher education in BYU–Hawaii.
Chalk is the eldest of two siblings and the only convert of the church in her family. She explained that the desire to search for happiness led her to the gospel.
"[Life at the time] was hard. My brother had just been born, and my parents were going through some things. I wanted to be happy. I [tried] to figure out where I could find that, and then I saw people on YouTube. They [looked really] happy, and they were like, ‘This is because we're members of the LDS Church,’ that caught my attention," she added.
Chalk said she was baptized on her 16th birthday.
Beautiful Scotland
She was born and raised in the small town of Aberdeen, a city in North East Scotland, Chalk said.
"Usually, when people think of Scotland, they think of Edinburgh or Glasgow because that's the two big cities. [People aren't familiar with Aberdeen at all]."
The Scottish new source, The Scotsman’s Scottish fact of the week, explains in an online article, “Aberdeen is full of "well-known buildings and residential properties [that] were hewn from rock retrieved from large quarries… by the end of the 19th century, it became the granite capital of the world."
Chalk added, "They named my city the 'Granite City’. That's like, in theory, really nice red circles in the sunshine. I like to think of it as a gray city because it is mostly cloudy all year long."
"God told me to come."
Studying at BYUH was never Chalk’s first option. She said she was frequently asked why she’s here since the education system is good back home in Scotland.
During the remaining time on her mission, Chalk said she began her university applications. She said she had always thought of going to BYU–Idaho. However, at that moment, she said God told her to apply for BYUH instead.
Chalk said about applying to BYUH, "No, that wasn't even an option for me. Then I came across a scripture that goes like this: Study it out in your mind, think about it thoughtfully, pray about it and you'll get your answer. I prayed and felt good about it. I obeyed the prompting I received and started my application soon after that."
Despite the doubts and challenges she faced during the whole process, she got accepted to start school in the Winter Semester of 2022.
"I was comforted by God's reassurance that He'll always provide."
Chalk added coming to this school has changed her perspectives on a lot of things. Not only in her career choice and secular knowledge, but also her spiritual growth. “God, His ways are higher than ours. His persistence led me here and showered me with wonderful experiences.”
Kill them with kindness
Similar to other BYUH students, it has been Chalk's first time attending a church school. She explained there are noticeable differences, and she struggled to fit in on campus.
"It's hard to be the only Scottish here," Chalk said. "I didn't know anybody. People didn't understand my culture, and I had to start from complete scratch" explaining her background. Having experienced a cultural shift when she came to Laie, she shared it made her realize the loneliness of being a mixed-race child.
“Loneliness doesn’t always have to do with people. I have amazing friends. but I still feel like I am in an outgroup sometimes. Anybody can experience that. [I think I was affected by it so much] because I wasn’t reading my scriptures, prioritizing God in general.”
But when she would prioritize God in her life. Chalk said the difference was noticeable for her. “Just looking at the past, when I prioritize God, that’s when my loneliness started to dissipate. Nothing drastic changed. I just felt better,” she said.
Additionally, she said she is a firm believer that being kind is the way to deal with other people.
Taylor Collett, one of the supervisors for the retail department at Polynesian Cultural Center where Chalk works, said Chalk brought with her the kind of energy that "spreads to everyone and gets everyone excited about the day."
"I can trust [Jessica] with any job. She's also one of the sweetest and fun people to be around," Collett added. Chalk said she still works at Tutu’s Sweet Shop in PCC's Hukilau Marketplace.
Thavanrat Chongmeesuk, Chalk's friend from Thailand majoring in social work, said, "[Chalk] is the kind of friend who puts her heart into understanding you and your situation." She noted Chalk truly has the gift of healing and uplifting people around her.
Veia-Atua Lowry, a sophomore from the Cook Islands studying psychology, said, "I want people on campus to know that Jessica is amazing. She is smart and talented. She loves people around her, and she is just full of light."
Lowry and Chalk have been best friends since Chalk's first semester in school. "She honestly has helped me to do so much. She's such a good friend. Jessica is the kind of friend who's more than willing to lend a compassionate ear when you need her," Lowry shared.
Embracing change
Chalk said prior to coming to BYUH, she knew nothing about British colonization history. She said it was not taught in her history class.
"If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have known and gone anywhere near intercultural peacebuilding where all of my current knowledge on history is from," she commented.
She initially enrolled in the intercultural peacebuilding introduction class due to no other alternative, but she said it turned out to be one of her favorite classes so far.
As for her future career, Chalk said she feels strongly about restorative justice. She believes that change should start with each individual. She said, "I didn't understand the extent of it until I came here. I feel like I'm a part of a tiny group of people in my country who know about this historyif . So [I don't start the change], then who will? I want to make a real difference.”