Born and raised in Laie, Leila Hyde will be graduating this semester with a bachelor’s degree in history and minors in humanities, theatre, and the foundational language minor in Greek. She will be the student speaker at Fall 2019 graduation. Hyde and fellow community members recall their shared experience.
Her experience at BYUH
According to Hyde, the best part about BYU–Hawaii is the people here. “That includes students and professors because I’ve been able to make really good friends. I feel like a lot of the professors [who] really care about all the students. You are able to have really good relationships with individual professors to help you succeed. I’ve really enjoyed the people that have been here.” Going along with this, Hyde summed up her experience in five words: “Education in a loving environment.”
She said professors like Sister Anna Merrill and Sister Caryn Houghton helped her discover how much she loves visual history. Hyde explained, “Professors like Dr. [Jim] Tueller and Dr. [Daniel] Sharp have helped me to succeed by pushing me to try my hardest and do things that I didn’t particularly think I would be able to do and that can be sometimes overwhelming.”
Dr. Daniel Sharp, religion professor, said he had high regard for Hyde. “She is a credit to this university. I don’t think anyone at this school understands the level of scholarship she is working on. She is currently transcribing and translating a previously unknown text in Coptic. She is doing this with very little assistance and at a graduate, if not, professional level.”
“Leila learns quietly and humbly,” said Dr. Jim Tueller, a professor of history. Tueller explained he did not know she excelled in Dr Sharp’s Greek class until she became his research assistant and wrote a paper with him. “She has excelled in history classes, showing wide reading and a love for the original sources from the past.”
He said he found out she helps backstage in theater productions, showing she works hard everywhere she can. “She well deserves the distinction of speaking at graduation.”
Jerusalem was influential on Hyde’s life when she went there for a semester abroad at BYU–Jerusalem Center. “I think going to Jerusalem helped me learn about places I would not have been able to while I was here. There isn’t a professor here that teaches Near Eastern studies or anything like that, so it gave me more access to learning more about the world.
“It allowed me to appreciate more individuals. Every time I go to a place. whether I live there, or I serve my mission there or even living in Jerusalem for a few months, you come to appreciate people more. I think that’s really important as an individual that we should learn to appreciate the people of the world.”
Jacob Bateman, a political science junior from Washington state, traveled to BYU–Jerusalem Center at the same time as Hyde. They also did the Coptic and Greek minor together. Bateman said, “To learn two languages in four semesters is no small challenge. I often struggled to keep up with her. She is hands down one of the hardest working people I have met.
“Not only is she nice but she is also considerate.” Bateman explained when his future father-in-law died, he was in Jerusalem on the study abroad. Bateman said, “She was one of the few people I told, and she was always checking up on me.”
Hyde’s favorite class was ART 196, art from the beginning of time until the renaissance. “We went over so many cultures and I just enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed the way it was taught. It wasn’t just a lecture, but we had work outside of class where we could look at movies and see how art and architecture of different periods have influenced the film.”
For new students, Hyde said she would tell them to not choose their major based on popularity. “Choose something that you love because it will make you truly happy. Sometimes that takes bravery because it’s different.” Hyde said she does not quite know what her future holds, but she plans to continue learning and growing because she loves to learn about history, the world, and people.