Reflecting on what they learned about love and service as students, BYUH alumni say it has helped them become better parents, workers and leaders
With the school’s motto “Enter to learn, go forth to serve” kept in mind, BYU–Hawaii alumni said they embarked on new adventures after their graduations. Suzanne Evans, an alumna from California who graduated in 2010, said her experiences at BYUH have helped her fulfill this motto and become more aware of the service opportunities around her. “I’m able to help serve my family and people I interact with on a daily basis,” she explained.
Suzanne Evans and her husband, Justin Evans, said they met as students at BYUH and were married in 2014. “Going to BYUH was the greatest choice for me. I think all the good things in my life have come from that decision to go there,” Suzanne Evans shared.
Cameron Kerr and Natalie Kerr, another couple who met at BYUH, said they regularly reflect on their time as students and are grateful for all it has taught them. Cameron Kerr, a 2015 graduate from California, shared, “Everything I have in my life is a result of BYUH.”
Enter to learn
Alumni said as students at BYUH, they learned more than just academic lessons. Natalie Kerr, an alumna since 2017 from California, said she learned the importance of “listening with your heart to understand people with [various] differences and cultural backgrounds.”
She shared how this has helped her have more compassion for the people she works and interacts with.
She said working as a therapist in the Center for Equity and Belonging at the University of Utah introduced her to students from different backgrounds, cultures and communities. “A lot of what I learned came from BYUH in connecting with students from different, diverse backgrounds,” she shared, which helped her immensely in this position.
Cameron Kerr explained BYUH taught him how to establish peace amidst all the divisions in the world. “BYUH teaches you to understand different groups of people and to be patient with differences,” he explained. As a stock plan administrator at SpaceX, Cameron Kerr said it’s easy for people to get caught up in the stress of the fast-paced environment, but “because we learned to get along with people who were so completely different [from us] ... it makes it easier to get along with people.”
Suzanne Evans shared she learned “to rely on the Lord, and if you get a prompting or any sort of inspiration, to follow that.” She said she never planned to go to BYUH, but after visiting the campus, she felt a prompting to apply. “I didn’t even tell my parents I applied. I just applied ... And it was the best experience of my life,” she shared.
Justin Evans, a 2015 graduate from Arizona, said, “I learned the importance of studying hard and working hard on your education ... the importance of trying new things that seem really hard at first, and putting your effort into growth.” He said working as a canoe guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center taught him the importance of hard work. “For two weeks I couldn’t move any of my muscles, [but] it was one of the funniest jobs,” he shared.
Working as a tour guide at the PCC taught Natalie Kerr valuable lessons as well, she said. “I loved getting to learn about my culture, being Samoan, [and] I loved getting to learn about other peoples’ cultures, like other Polynesian islands, as well as the [cultures of] people who came through the Center,” she shared.
Justin Evans also said his work as an accounting tutor helped prepare him for his current career as an accounting manager at The Siegfried Group. “Even though I didn’t think I was the most amazing accounting student, it was a great benefit for me to stretch myself,” he explained.
Suzanne Evans said the education she received while attending BYUH has been helpful while she home schools their daughter. “The professors at BYUH, since it was such a small class, they really made you feel like you mattered. So I’m trying to pass that on with my teaching right now.”
Go forth to serve
Justin Evans said the service from the BYUH community greatly influenced how he serves others now. “There was a time where I couldn’t even afford food, but even in that same time, I don’t feel like I ever went really that hungry,” he explained. “There were people in the community who were inviting me for dinner and really treating me with generosity and service that you wouldn’t expect. I’ve tried to carry that forward.”
As a student, Suzanne Evans said she had many opportunities to serve “through my callings at church and through my day-to-day interactions with people ... I got to meet so many different people which gave me more empathy.” Currently, as a stay-at-home mom, Suzanne Evans said service is constant in her life.
Serving in the Relief Society presidency at BYUH gave Suzanne Evans opportunities and experience she said she wouldn’t have had otherwise. “I think that’s carried into my normal life now,” as she serves in the Primary presidency, she explained.
Justin Evans said since graduating from BYUH, he’s had opportunities to serve in church callings, his career, and in his day-to-day interactions. “Whether that was as a secretary in the bishopric, or being able to have visibility and to help serve others when it came up,” it’s been important to have “a service mindset of bringing ethics and honesty,” he said.
Natalie Kerr, who is currently a stay-at-home mom, said she regularly reflects on her time at BYUH while raising her two sons. “I
was always around TVA,” for her classes as a social work major, she said, “and there were always kids running through. Those families were always an example to me.” The children and families always looked “happy and carefree,” she explained, but looking back on it now she realized just how stressful it must have been for those parents. “I wanted to be a parent like that and I wanted my kid to have fun and enjoy their life,” even if it was stressful for her, Natalie Kerr shared.
Cameron Kerr said his connection to BYUH was what set him apart from other candidates when applying for his current job because his boss was also an alumnus. “Just having that education at BYUH, it opens up a lot of opportunities to share the gospel with others,” he explained.
He said “going forth to serve” can manifest itself in many different ways. “I think for me, the service piece is always being an example of the believers, always being an example of Christ and sharing that light with others,” he shared. He explained in his career, living by Christ’s example has given him opportunities to hand out a “Book of Mormon” and share the gospel with his coworkers.
Natalie Kerr said the simple acts of service she witnessed at BYUH had the biggest influence on her life. “I think there were a lot of different experiences at BYUH where people would do the smallest things for you, but it meant so much,” she shared. She explained how she strives to be that person for others in her day-to-day life.
Cameron Kerr agreed with his wife, explaining, “I think the motto, ‘Enter to learn, go forth to serve,’ sometimes we think that we’re going to change the world by being in this crazy job or crazy leader.” He continued, “But I think the most important piece to me so far has been serving my family, like being a good husband and father.”