In February, during a time where there is an emphasis on romantic relationships, students and alumni share they love BYU–Hawaii because of the relationships, romantic or not, they make by attending a diverse school.
Mackenzie Richey, a sophomore from Washington majoring in exercise and sport science, attended the three main church schools, BYU in Provo, Idaho, and Hawaii. Through this experience, she said BYUH offered specific blessings the other schools did not.
“I like the aloha spirit here. I think one reason I like Hawaii is because of how cultural it is here. At the other universities there was diversity, but here there is more. You walk down the hallways, and people are always greeting each other. You meet new people every day.”
Before attending BYUH, Richey went to BYU Idaho for a year. She went on her mission and prayed about where she should go. “I was praying about what I should do after my mission, and I felt strongly I should not go back to BYU [Idaho] after my mission.”
After Richey received the prompting to not go back to BYU Idaho, she admitted she was devastated about it. She then created a plan with her friend to attend BYUH to surf and enjoy the beaches for a semester, then transfer to Provo.
Plans changed, and Richey transferred to Provo before Hawaii, but she knew something was wrong.
“When I was in Provo, I knew immediately Provo was not the place I needed to be, and I needed to come to Hawaii.”
Richey transferred to Hawaii, and instead of the original idea, where she would mainly come for the island experience, she said she wanted to stay here for the rest of her undergraduate college experience.
The change of heart, according to Richey, was not because of the tropical atmosphere. Instead, it was the connections she created with students and faculty.
Along with the strong intercultural relationships BYUH brought, Richey said going to college in Laie lead her to change her path in life. Originally, Richey was a nursing major, but her academic goals shifted when she came to BYUH, because nursing was not an offered major.
“I think I was supposed to change majors and be on a new path. When I was majoring in nursing, I was so focused on that area. I didn’t ever pursue my passion for weight lifting and exercise.”
Richey explained her new goal is to graduate in EXS then apply to nursing school because she aspires to be a health and fitness coach for pregnant women. She added how BYUH can bring light in your life if you try new experiences and build relationships.
“If you get involved, you will love Hawaii. You can chill anywhere, but you get more out of the college experience the more you get involved.”
Taylor Nikolaus, a freshman from Arizona majoring in political science, said although she has only been at BYUH for two semesters, the relationships she made will go beyond her university experience.
"I've met people from all over the world. I would not have had the chance to meet so many diverse and kind individuals if I had not came to this school."
BYUH alumnus and the founder of the Facebook group “I Love BYU–Hawaii & PCC,” Richie Norton agreed with Richey and said BYUH leads to strong relationships.
Norton said, “I love the spirit and culture of giving at BYUH. The friends I have made, experiences I’ve had, and the things I’ve learned as a student, alumni, and teacher are impossible to replicate anywhere else.
“I owe everything I do at BYUH. My teachers mentored me, helped me start businesses worldwide, allowed me to serve on campus, gave me connections off campus, and even many of my business partners are BYUH alumni. I’m deeply grateful for BYUH.”
Norton said he started a Facebook page dedicated to supporting BYUH and the PCC. The page has close to 14,000 members. “I started the Facebook group because I wanted to reconnect with alumni, faculty, and students. There was nowhere people could go and support each other in the pursuit of the McKay vision. So I organized the group as a simple way to create global conversations around real-time issues to make a real-time influence for good.”
The group lead to a treasure chest of stories, pictures, and has even helped people launch service projects, get jobs, and mentor students, said Norton.
Writer: Noah Shoaf