Besides gaining an education, senior Christina Roberts, who will be speaking at the Dec. 13 graduation, said she has also gained a personal testimony of Jesus Christ while studying at BYU-Hawaii. “I was raised in the church, and coming to BYU-Hawaii allowed me to find my own testimony, separate from that of my parents. Here I was able to develop a strong testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, his friendship, and his love for each of us,” said Roberts.Along with Roberts more than 250 students will receive their diplomas at commencement. She will be speaking alongside Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy as she was nominated by one of the deans at the university and selected by the administration to represent the graduates at commencement. Roberts, a biology major minoring in studio art, left her small town of Mount Airy, North Carolina with her twin sister, Mallory, with hopes to become the first ones in their family to finish college. Both will be graduating having a wealth of experiences to take with them into the future, she said. While Hawaii has become her home away from home, she said, graduation means Roberts has to say goodbye to the unique environment she has grown to love in Laie. “I will miss the comforts of living in an LDS environment and I will miss living so close to a temple.”When asked what were some of the highlights during her time at BYUH, Roberts said, “All of my fondest memories include the people I’ve had the privilege to meet. I have met so many students, friends, professors, and mentors who have helped make BYUH my home. And of course I have to say meeting my husband.” Roberts met her husband, Jerald, at the opening social her first year on campus and the two dated for a year and a half before getting married on June 13, 2014. Roberts added, “I love the temple. Attending the temple regularly has been such a blessing in my life and has helped me further develop my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I may not ever get a chance to live this close to a temple, and I am eternally grateful for the time I have been given here.”Roberts, who will graduate magna cum laude, said she plans on moving to Virginia with her husband where she will continue schooling and prepare to apply for a master’s program at John Hopkins University. Her ultimate career goal is to find a job that allows her to help people while integrating her passion for science and art. “I don’t want to work a day in my life. I want to enjoy my future career so much that it doesn’t seem like work. As for her family, she said, “I want to raise a righteous family with my husband, centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”During her time at BYUH, Roberts stayed involved on campus and at different times during school, she was in the Dance Club, the Korean Club, and the art club. Roberts also helped with costumes for the school’s fall production of “One Tattered Angel,” and worked on campus as a supervisor in the science stockroom and as a tutor for biology 100 students. Roberts has advice for students on their journey. “Choose wisely what to do with the time that you have been given on this wonderful campus because it will go quicker than you think. Learn all you can and take the opportunity you’ve been given to not only get a secular education, but also to grow spiritually. Go to the temple.”
Writer: Greg Erickson ~ Multimedia Specialist
