Award-Winning Digital Strategist
In January 2025, a fellow journalism alumnus and I were invited to be interviewed on BYU-Idaho’s Fulfilling the Mission podcast, which highlights students’ experiences and how they align with the university’s mission.
I was thrilled to be interviewed for this podcast—it was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on my college experience and share insights that could benefit future students!
As a Digital Marketing Specialist at Porter Pro Media—based out of Idaho Falls, ID—I assist with the SEO and website building strategy for a variety of clients across the nation.
Isabelle Justice is our Digital Marketing Specialist, helping out with everything from SEO content strategy to website building. She graduated from Utah State and BYU-Idaho in 2023, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the school’s newspaper, and won several awards for her work. After graduation, Isabelle jumped right into two internships—one with a global Christian magazine and another with a children’s magazine. When she’s not working on her latest passion project, you can find her writing, snapping photos, enjoying the outdoors, or listening to music on repeat!
During my year-long internship with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I filmed and edited several social media videos. You can check them out below!
Strive to Be | Nov. 15, 2024 | Filming
YA Weekly | Sept. 21, 2024 | Filming
The Friend | Dec. 6, 2024 | Editing
The Friend | Oct. 12, 2024 | Filming
The Friend | Oct. 17, 2024 | Filming
The Friend | Oct. 23, 2024 | Filming
Liahona | Sept. 14, 2024 | Filming
The Friend | June 7, 2024 | Filming
The Friend | Nov. 28, 2024 | Editing
From April to December of 2024, I was the Friend Digital Messaging Intern for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Traditionally, a Church Magazine internship is four months long. Because of my experience and the needs of the office, my internship was extended for the 2024 year. I was responsible for assisting with the direction of and creating print and digital content for the global Friend magazine.
I wrote 22 articles for the Friend and was a peer editor for all monthly content. I was also in charge of the Let’s Get Cooking and Let’s Get Moving departments, where I wrote all articles for the 2025 year, except for January 2025.
Due to the Church’s advanced publication schedule, many of my articles are not yet online. More information about my writing in this position can be made available upon request.
Check out emails I’ve written for the Friend below.
I wrote Instagram and Facebook captions for the Friend social media accounts and created the social media content calendar. I assisted with over 60 social media posts and worked closely with Church magazine social media managers, graphic designers, and animators to ensure all content was up to standard. I filmed multiple videos for Church magazine accounts, one of which received over 420k views!
I conducted several A/B tests with social media captions and followed patterns of which content performed the best. I also led the “Turning 12” campaign, which prepared Latter-day Saint youth to enter the temple and join the youth programs.
See videos that I filmed for the Liahona, YA Weekly, and Friend Instagrams here!
During my internship with the Friend, I regularly contributed to YA Weekly, writing articles every other month and frequently peer editing content. Prior to that, I was the YA Weekly editorial intern. You can view more of my work for YA Weekly here.
From January to April 2024, I was the Editorial Intern for the YA Weekly digital magazine from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This internship focused on ghostwriting and content editing articles from our submission process. In this position, I had the opportunity to interview members of the Church from around the world—ages 18 to 35—every week. I asked about their religious experiences and organized this data so the YA Weekly team could better format content based on our demographic’s needs.
As the intern, I created new systems to monitor article analytics and created templates for future interns to use. I assisted in data questionnaires, article formatting, and choosing visuals for the Church’s website and YA Weekly social media. I proposed new projects to boost YA Weekly‘s SEO, and created easy-to-read content for our target audience. In this internship, I assisted in producing over 35 articles, including 7 with my own story.
I also helped re-vamp the YA Weekly’s introduction article by identifying and indexing popular articles and SEO topics. You can view this list by clicking here.
Due to the Church’s advanced publication schedule, many of my articles are not yet online. More information about my writing in this position can be made available upon request.
I wanted to know how to improve both my mental and my spiritual health.
November 2025
Digital YA Weekly
The things that we say can either bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ or drive the Spirit away.
May 2024
General Conference
Because I felt so out of place, I thought maybe I didn’t have a place in Heavenly Father’s plan.
September 2024
Digital YA Weekly
I used to let my burdens overshadow my testimony of God’s love—until general conference reminded me that I am more than my past.
November 2024
General Conference
I thought pushing away my feelings was the solution to being a peacemaker, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
June 2025
Digital YA Weekly
When my mind was focused on the expectations of the holiday, I completely missed the point of it all—celebrating Jesus Christ.
December 2024
Digital YA Weekly
Reminding myself of my “why” motivates me to draw closer to the Savior and follow through with my spiritual goals. (This article has over 41K views!)
January 2025
Print Liahona
I received multiple awards for communication, journalism, and project management as an undergraduate student at BYU-Idaho! Check them out below.
The Gordon B. Hinckley Communicator Award honors students who exemplify President Hinckley’s legacy, recognizing students with leadership skills, character, talent, diligence, and a commitment to excellence.
To receive this, you must be nominated by multiple Communication faculty, and recipients are seen as exemplary representatives of the Church, university, and department. As President Hinckley stated, “Communication is the basic element of leadership.”
BYU-Idaho’s news organization, Scroll, received first place for general excellence from the Idaho Press Club! This was thanks to my leadership and the work of my reporters, colleagues, and faculty.
This award is given to a news organization that demonstrates the highest overall quality in journalism across all aspects of their reporting, including writing, design, and coverage, within the Idaho region, signifying exceptional work across the board in their publications.
To see all the work we did as a team, click the post below!
Scroll received first place for its documentary coverage of Idaho National Laboratory from the Idaho Press Club. As the pre-producer for this film, I can certainly say it was a team effort! This award is given to a video story, planned or unplanned, and it can be issue or event-oriented.
One of my reporters, Gabriela Fletcher, won first place for her article: Idaho and the Energy Future: MARVEL microreactor paves way for clean energy.
Check out the post below to see all our articles and the documentary!
My article received third place in the Idaho Press Club’s “Light Feature Award.” This award is given to stories that show a human interest or humorous feature. Check out the story below!
In April of 2020, zero people visited the most photographed mountains in the world — the Tetons — due to COVID-19. In the last 10 years, visitations to the Teton mountain range have been at a record high. As our world becomes digital, people crave the promise of peace a drive past the mountains can give. But, this comes at a cost.
The pandemic, as a whole, impacted the health of Earth positively and negatively. In 2020, air and water quality improved, greenhouse gasses dropped and noise pollution decreased, specifically in tourist destinations, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine. However, medical, plastic and hazardous waste increased to cope with the demands of hospitals.
So, what about the Tetons? Was this little corner of Wyoming impacted by the pandemic too?
Yes, immensely.
In a study done in 2021, only 5% of those who visit the Tetons were from the Jackson, Wyoming area and 91% of vehicles stop at least once in the park. That means from May through September, traffic is inherent.
Melisa Bigelow, a Jackson resident, watched how this global change and influx of vehicles affected her community.
“Since I’ve lived here, we totally have more visitors coming to Jackson,” Bigelow said. “When COVID hit, that was the year that National Parks just went bonkers because no one flew anywhere and everyone was driving to outdoor places. It was just an insane amount of visitors here, so there is an interesting vibe from locals that live here that are like, ‘I won’t even go in the park anymore because there’s too many people.’”
Since 2015, over three million visitors come to enjoy the beauty of Grand Teton National Park each year, and nearly four million people came in 2021. The most popular month to visit the towering mountains is July and August, as many excursions are closed in the winter months.
The traffic has hurt some of the most beautiful places in the park.
“There are all these special hikes that used to be ‘locals only’ that Instagram kind of ruined,” Bigelow said. “There’s one in particular called Delta Lake that only locals knew. There’s not even a really direct trail to it and it’s not on that many maps. I heard that if you were to ask a park ranger how to get to Delta Lake, they would guide you to another one. And then, everyone posted so many pictures about Delta Lake that it went viral, and now it’s just overrun.”
On the other side of the Teton mountain range lives Selena Miskin, a resident of Alta, Wyoming. Alta is a small town of 367 residents that is on the state line between Idaho and Wyoming. It is surrounded by other towns like Driggs and Victor, Idaho, and all three places experience similar trends.
“During the pandemic, people wanted to get away from the density of big cities,” Miskin said. “I think during COVID they just didn’t want to be around people. Teton Valley is clean, it’s fresh and it’s small, so it’s the place to get away. It’s also a big stop for those who want to visit the (Grand Teton National) park.”
Jackson, Wyoming, on the other hand, has a population of 10,728 people and suffers similar problems to Alta and Driggs. But on either side of those jagged mountains, there is one thing that residents can agree on — they love their home.
“I really love the serenity that I feel around the mountains,” Miskin said. “I love living right in its shadow — the Tetons are right outside of my bedroom. It’s honestly the most peaceful place I’ve ever lived in.”
On the other side of the Teton mountain range, Bigelow feels the same.
“I love them so much, I feel like they’re mine,” Bigelow said. “I think for everybody that lives here, you think that mountain range is yours. Every time we leave and when we come back to town, my family and I are just like, ‘Oh, we’re home. This is it. We love it.’”
Both Bigelow and Miskin buy a pass to Grand Teton National Park every year, and they visit in June and September to avoid the crowds.
“Before COVID, we had a ton of international visitors that would come from Salt Lake City in big buses,” Miskin said. “After the pandemic, countries took a long time to open, so since then there’s been a lot fewer international visitors. Now, people come from all over the country. They don’t fly in planes to get here anymore, they drive. Fewer big buses, but we have lots more cars.”
The growing number of cars is one of the biggest issues the park faces. A trend noticed by Grand Teton National Park is that people are “enjoying the park in new ways,” by using more hiking trails, according to the park’s Visitor Use and Experience page. For example, trails in September 2023 were used 4% more than in September 2022.
And the number of people coming to the park is expected to increase. Last year was a relatively “low” year for visitors, with just under three million people. But in September of this year, the park saw a 21% increase in visitors, clocking in at just over three million people.
“Parking is insane, it is overflowing,” Bigelow said. “Being a local, I kind of am aware of when to go and when not to go. You either have to get there earlier, or you get there later in the evening by the time all the tourists have left the park.”
And many locals are even more “anti-growth” in Teton Valley, according to Miskin.
“They don’t want the ski resorts to expand or have them put in new runs or put in condos,” Miskin said. “They don’t want farmers to sell their land. I mean, they just want a cap on housing. They don’t want the valley to change, they don’t want it to grow. Driggs doesn’t want to turn into another Jackson or another Park City (Utah). People move here to get away from cities like that.”
In cities like Jackson or Park City, more people are visiting or moving to the area, and more people means even more change, according to Bigelow.
“Jackson is almost filled up with people, and Driggs is their overflow,” Bigelow said. “If you can’t get to Jackson, they’re going to Driggs is kind of what is happening. It’s hard because I’m kind of one of the people that moved in, right? We were just this family that moved and we work hard in the community — we’re a big part of it. I think the problem is that people are buying second homes, raising the prices, but they don’t live or contribute here.”
Change can be hard to watch, especially for those who work hard to preserve the majesty of the Tetons. For some who stay in the area year-round, they choose to look at the positive that change can bring.
“I think there’s those that are so sad to see their Tetons changing, it’s a bitter pill to swallow,” Bigelow said. “Then there’s those that love the change so much and they just want to make it work.”
This article was written for BYU-I’s news organization, Scroll.
Did you know that this is the 50th year that our school news organization, Scroll, goes by the name of Scroll?
In 50 years, and over 100 years of local history, Scroll has gone by many titles: Viking Flashes, The Student Rays and The Purple Flash, to name a few. In all these years, all the changes in management, the different styles of editors-in-chief and the stories that affect Rexburg, Scroll remains the same in one fundamental aspect — it’s a platform for writers to learn and grow.
When I came to BYU-Idaho, I felt smaller and quieter than I ever had in my life. I knew that my Father in Heaven loved who I was, but I didn’t believe it. I only knew myself as a girl capable of failure.
Now, despite the challenges I have hidden in the personal corners of my life, I feel larger than life. I feel confident in myself as a leader, a friend, a wife. Having the opportunity as editor-in-chief of Scroll gave me the tangible experience necessary that has verified something: I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to. Now as I embark on my professional career, I know I can handle whatever comes my way.
Trust me, I am terrified and excited to embark in the world outside of college. But, I pray that as Scroll continues to grow, those who take the practicum or work on staff can have a similar experiences. I want them to know they are loved, valued and needed, and that whatever their past, whatever their struggles, there is a place for them at Scroll. Writer or not, creative or not, Scroll is a place to learn and feel included.
In my work as editor-in-chief, the staff and I brought back a printed edition of Scroll, which covered the inauguration of President Meredith. We successfully covered the October 2023 session of general conference. We created a documentary that covered the work of Idaho National Laboratory. We reignited the Journalism Society on campus. We rebuilt our website and reworked our style guide. We dusted, organized and decorated the Scroll office in the back of Spori 114.
The only reason we were able to do all this is through the help of our wonderful faculty, students and staff. So, as the semester rolls to a close and my time as a college student ends, I can only think of one thing to say to those who work with Scroll.
Thank you.
From September to December 2023, I ran an Instagram writing account to showcase my social media and graphic design skills.
For the capstone course of my degree, I created a 22-page magazine covering articles that my classmates and I wrote for the fall 2023 semester.
This project was completed for BYU-I’s news organization, Scroll. This documentary won an Idaho Press Club award.
During the 2023 Fall Semester, Scroll visited Idaho National Laboratory to understand how their projects impact Idaho and the nation.
As Editor in Chief, I organized, edited, took photos and published all content for this project. This video is the result of the students’ visits and collaboration with Soapbox, BYU-Idaho’s creative agency. This video is a student’s interpretation and might not reflect exactly all the work done at INL.
I created a video summarizing the special project we created for Idaho National Laboratory for a Video Journalism course.
This article was written for BYU-I’s news organization, Scroll.
On the corner of the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, a man in a kilt plays hymns on his bagpipes.
“I’m happy to do it — it’s a workout,” said Tim Fowers, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Centerville, Utah. “About 20 hymns I can do, I know nine notes on the bagpipes so I have to kind of pick.”
Fowers began playing for neighbors in 2020 when COVID-19 hit Utah.
“I started going out and playing (the bagpipes) in the community,” Fowers said. “I would post on (a city’s) Facebook and say, ‘Hey, I’m in the neighborhood playing,’ because we were all stuck. So every week, every Sunday, I would get out and play.”
Once in-person conference began again in 2022, Fowers played hymns at the corner of the Conference Center, right next to where protestors shout their message.
“I’m not trying to make money, I’m not trying to sell DVDs,” Fowers said. “I’m just playing for people. This is a great audience.”
According to Fowers, the best part of playing the bagpipes is the connection he feels in Salt Lake City.
“We just had a whole bunch of people packed in here and they started singing,” said Fowers. “That meant a lot.”
Writing is a craft, and being a good writer is not something that you are born with. Whether you’ve an avid creative writer or you only write to finish an assignment, there are still ways to improve your work, and I’m here to help.
As a freelance writer, self-published author and Editor in Chief of my school newspaper, I have hundreds of hours of tedious editing and creative writing experience. This article is designed for those who consider themselves beginner writers and want to strengthen their skills. There are 6 tools I use on the daily to make my writing pop, they can be used in academia or just for fun, but I promise they are worth your time.
Let’s get started!
This may be a first for those who have ever hated writing an English paper in high school, but do not write like you’re trying to reach a word-count. Yes, please toss that mindset out the window, because to write well is to provide a clear opinion or piece of information, not reach the 1,000 word-count that your teacher provided.
If you come across a part in your writing that is quite complicated or you are not confident in, try cutting any extra words by breaking up your sentences. This is a good way to “cut the fluff,” or lose the unneeded words in your piece. You can also look for run-on sentences and find ways to break it up.
Think about a famous artist. What makes them good? The best artists are usually multi-faceted, meaning, they can be good at many things. For example, a great artists can create realistic and abstract pieces.
The same is with a good writer.
When you write, use different sentence types. Find ways use long and short sentences. When you have a long sentence, use it as an opportunity to add some rhythm to your article; to explain the technical, the beautiful and the emotional things you want to share. But know when to stop. You can add abruptness, like the flick of a paint brush, to prove your point. Both kinds of sentences are needed, and each make your piece feel like music to write and to read.
One of the things I love so much about writing is that there is not always a “right” answer. This isn’t math. There is not rule that can be the only solution. Grammar is the closest thing to a hard and fast writing rule, and even that is relative depending on the style and type of piece you are creating.
So, when you feel the stress to get your writing “just perfect,” and you don’t know the “right” way to do it, take a step back, because writing has two tools to help: syntax and prosody.
Syntax refers to the rules in writing, like the grammar and sentence structure. Prosody means the tone, timing and stress in your writing.
So, syntax is the rules, prosody is the emotion. And that’s it.
For example, every comma I place in this blog post happens because I follow the correct grammar rules. But the words I use, the tone I write in and the placement of my sentence structure is all because of prosody. It’s letting my personality shine, and I love that in writing I can combine rules with expression. I choose how I say what I want to say.
And you can do it too, which is why I am so confident that anyone can write well.
The definition of active voice is when the subject performs the action. The definition of passive voice is when the subject of your sentence is acted on by the verb.
The subject of a sentence is any noun that the sentence is about. The verb of a sentence means the action.
Let’s look at an example.
Active voice: The dog chases the ball.
In this example, the subject is “dog,” and the verb is “chases.” Here, the subject, “dog,” is performing the action, which is “chases.”
But when you write in passive voice, this is flipped.
Passive voice: The ball is being chased by the dog.
Now, the verb, “ball,” is acted on by the subject, “dog.”
Makes sense?
If it doesn’t, that’s okay. Here is another tip I have.
Like I said earlier, in writing, we want to be clear. When you write in passive voice, your sentence is typically wordier. You are not as clear, thus losing your reader. Additionally, there are times where you actually need to use passive voice. So, avoid it when you can.
Here are two passages, one that is passive and one that is active, from writerswrite.co.za. See if you can find the difference.
Passive:
The contract was cancelled by the studio managers. Hidden behind their stoic lawyers the messages were passed down. Words like ‘iron clad’ and ‘final notice’ were thrust into their faces. Voices were raised. Emotions were not kept in check. Fury rose unbridled. Tears were making black rivulets down red cheeks. A Union-rep was called. False hopes and empty promises were doled out to hysterical actors. Hands were flying; papers flew even further. Exasperation and desperation were etched on their expressive faces. No acting was required. Unemployment cheques did not promise a merry Christmas.
Active:
The studio managers cancelled the contract. They hid behind their stoic lawyers who passed the message down. The lawyers used words like ‘iron clad’ and ‘final notice’. The actors raised their voices and struggled to keep their emotions in check. Their fury rose unbridled. They cried black tears over red cheeks. They called their union reps who gave them false hopes and made empty promises. They threw their hands and the papers in the air. They were exasperated and desperate. They didn’t need to act this out. They knew unemployment cheques did not promise a merry Christmas.
When you write in active voice, typically, you make more sense to your reader. Your work is also stronger. Sometimes, when I tell my reporters to stop writing in passive voice, I don’t necessarily mean that I check that their sentence structure lines up perfectly with the definition of active voice. I just mean to cut the extra words and be clear. Shorten your sentences. Know when to make it brief and when to expand.
It’s really about following your intuition.
Let get one thing straight. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, your reader will know. That is why researching your topic before you write is critical to the process.
So, what’s your main idea? Why are you writing this piece?
If you are writing for an assignment, great. What are the instructions for this assignment? Is there a word count? Is there a certain topic your teacher or client wants you to write in a specific way?
If you are writing something for fun, cool! What story are you trying to tell? Is there a lesson you want the reader to learn? How well do you know your characters or your topic?
The best way to answer all these questions is to create an outline. It doesn’t need to look a certain way, and there are no right number of bullet points you should have figured out before you create. Once you answer your main idea, and create somewhat of a structure before you begin, it can help you write. Especially if you don’t know where to start.
The last great writing tip I have to share with you is really simple. It has nothing to do with prosody, active voice and outlines.
Read your paper out loud.
You can read it to yourself or a friend, but once you take the brave step of vocalizing your work, it’s easy to see the mistakes. The parts that sound awkward. The sections where you can clearly tell that you don’t know what you’re talking about.
We are our own worst critics, and sometimes it’s helpful when we write. But before you read your paper out loud, make sure to give yourself time to write things down without judgement. Let yourself actually put words to a page before you tear it apart. Allow yourself to create, to write. Only then can you become a good writer.
For a journalism course, I wrote a feature article about a new thrift store from a BYU-Idaho alumna. This article is also on Scroll.
With stores like Thrifted Lennon’s, Daisy Links and Superlame, thrift shopping is an easy way for students to connect in Rexburg. But for BYU-Idaho alumna Lily Galer, thrifting is more than just a hobby — it’s a way to use her degree.
“(After graduation) I was looking for a job in marketing,” Galer said. “But really, my dream jobs are all in major cities. It’s harder to find jobs here in Rexburg that are specific to what I want to do — I want to be a creative director.”
Originally from Washington D.C., Galer came to small-town Rexburg after serving a mission in San Diego, California. She graduated from BYU-Idaho as a communication major with an emphasis in social and digital media in December 2022.
After graduation, Galer met her husband while working as the marketing manager for the local artisan drink shop, Crush.
“After we got married, I was really struggling to find a full-time job,” Galer explained. “I’m really into buying clothes and finding thrifted stuff. Usually when I go thrifting, I think of a friend when I like a piece of clothing. I pick my favorite pieces, but I’m sad to leave the rest. I was trying to figure out how to make money, so, I started my thrift Instagram page.”
Galer’s Instagram thrift store is called ‘Lily’s Thrift Finds,’ with one exception.
“There are two different names,” Galer said. “I was trying to find a name on Instagram that I didn’t have to repeat a letter or put an underscore or dot in between, because that’s what businesses try to do — they stay original. I was trying to find that name, and that’s how I got the username ‘Lily’s Vintage Thrifts.’”
Galer uses the spare room in her apartment as her storefront for ‘Lily’s Thrift Finds.’ She has seemingly everything, from graphic tees to jean jackets to leather boots.
“It’s really cool to see how women can bond through something as simple as shopping,” Galer said. “I’m really into buying clothes, dressing up and just finding thrifted stuff. I really don’t ever shop at retail stores or online unless it’s something really specific that I can’t find. I like to shop at local stores.”
On Oct. 13, a chilly Friday night, Rexburg experienced its first Womptober Music Festival. The event featured 10 bands from the Eastern Idaho area and a variety of vendors attended the event.
Lily Galer was one of them.
“As I was unloading everything, a lot of the girls that were at the festival were curious,” Galer explained. “I hadn’t even finished unloading and girls were like, ‘Hey, how much is this?’ It was actually really crazy how people interested … It was retail therapy for them, but not like breaking the bank.”
Galer has not begun a physical marketing campaign; everything she does is completely on her Instagram. Having an in-person event was a new experience for the store, one that she claimed she was not prepared for until the event began.
“I was invited by a friend to sell at Womptober,” Galer said. “I didn’t realize that it’s so much work to bring all the clothes and everything that I own to sell.”
Because Galer’s brand focuses on staying affordable, her store has easily gained new followers on Instagram. This is what Galer feels sets her apart from other thrift stores in the area.
“I feel like what’s been lacking in Rexburg is a place where girls can go and shop,” Galer said. “There are places that increase their prices so they aren’t affordable for college students.”
In ‘Lily’s Thrift Finds,’ she focuses on having a wide range of clothing sizes. And that, Galer says, is what she loves about thrifting the most.
“In thrifting, you can’t really shop based on sizes,” she said. “You buy it and whatever size it is, it’s that size, you know? So, it’s cool to see that if I saw something that’s an extra small and someone can buy it … It’s hard to find specific sizes, but with this, people can find unique sizes and you can connect with them.”
Lily’s Vintage Thrifts can be viewed on Instagram.
Cue introduction.
Narrator: Hello listeners of BYU-Idaho Scroll Spotlight! Tonight, we have a very special topic, one that is quite popular among the girls here on campus. We are going to be talking about thrifting, specifically, a new shop called ‘Lily’s Thrift Finds.” Lily Galer is a BYU-I alumna, and she graduated in communication with an emphasis in social and digital media.
Lily Galer: It’s really cool to see how women can bond through something as simple as shopping.
Cue podcast theme music.
Narrator: Hello everyone! My name is Isabelle Justice, and this is the BYU-Idaho Scroll Spotlight. Thrifting is arguably a big part of the culture here in Rexburg, especially for the girls. We have some thrift stores here in town like Thrifted Lennon’s and Daisy Links, but did you know there are thrift shops here without a store front? And one of them uses Instagram to sell her clothes. I want to introduce you to Lily Galer and her store, ‘Lily’s Thrift Finds.’
Lily Galer: We do have a couple thrift stores or retail stores here, but I feel like what’s been lacking in Rexburg is a place where girls can go and shop. There are places that increase their prices so they aren’t affordable for college students.
Narrator: With big-city dreams, Lily came to small-town Rexburg to get her degree in communication with an emphasis in social and digital media. But a degree was not the only thing she was able to gain by living in Rexburg.
Lily: My husband and I met in Rexburg. He’s from here, and I was just working at the local drink shop called Crush. We were just chatting and I was helping him take his order. And he just said, ‘Hey, do you know my friend?’ and then that’s when we met and started hanging out.
Narrator: Before graduation, Lily worked at Crush as their marketing manager for her internship. But after she received her diploma, she struggled to find a routine that fit her big dreams.
Lily: I graduated in December. Then January through June, I just planned our wedding. I also had to find a place to live because in Rexburg it’s harder to find apartments that are nice and affordable. I was kind of living by myself — it’s hard to find affordable housing that has all the features you want, you know? We’re really lucky to be able to find an apartment, and then I just planned our wedding.
Narrator: After the wedding, Lily struggled to find a job position that fit her new life.
Lily: I was looking for a job in marketing. But really, my dream jobs are all in major cities. It’s harder to find jobs here in Rexburg that are specific to what I want to do — I want to be a creative director. But here, I was just not finding the jobs I wanted, and then I applied to those jobs anyway and didn’t getting them. I just thought it was strange that it’s not working out, but I did end up finding a job. Before that, I was like, ‘If I don’t find a job here, what could I do to make money?’
Narrator: Part of the secret to Lily’s success was her new apartment, which was a gateway to new opportunities. Specifically, a thrift store.
Lily: I’m really into buying clothes, dressing up and just finding thrifted stuff. I really don’t ever shop at retail stores or online unless it’s something really specific that I can’t find. I like to shop at local stores. I usually find a lot of great things but I don’t buy it all. In my head, I usually think of a friend when I like a piece clothing. I pick my favorite ones, but then I’m sad to leave the rest. Like, ‘Oh, my friend would like this,’ or ‘My other friend would like this.’
Narrator: With women in mind, Lily began to piece together her perfect thrift shop.
Lily: When I started my mindset was, ‘Okay, who’s my target audience? It’s college students, that’s most people I know who live here, and what’s their budget?’ And so, I price my clothing based on that. I think it’s a bit more difficult because I don’t make as much money, but it’s more fulfilling for me. I don’t really know the future of what I’m doing, but hopefully I could have a storefront and then have college students come in and make it a place that they can go to.
Narrator: Lily’s shop is marketed completely on Instagram. She explained that it is expensive to do a physical storefront, and having an online store allows her more opportunities to be a vendor at different events. But price was not the only obstacle she ran into. While naming her store, Lily uses two different names.
Lily: I was trying to find a name on Instagram that I didn’t have to repeat a letter or put an underscore or dot in between, because that’s what businesses try to do — they stay original. I was trying to find that name, and that’s how I got the username ‘Lilys Vintage Thrifts.’”
Narrator: Fortunately for Lily, the Womptober Music Festival came to Rexburg on Oct. 13th. There, she brought all her merchandise to sell, but the event did not come without a little bit of anxiety.
Lily: I was invited by a friend to sell at Womptober. Before, I thought, ‘I don’t think I would be able to sell like a vendor because I’m not prepared for that.’ So, when she asked me, I didn’t realize that it’s so much work to bring all the clothes and everything that I own to sell. But I brought it anyways because I just wanted to have it all so that people can see. It was really cool to see how many girls were interested in coming to my shop because I didn’t even have a tent. I haven’t really done anything with storefront or physical marketing, like a sign or flyers, stickers or business cards. It’s all been through social media that I’ve been doing marketing.
Narrator: Once the nerves settled, Lily couldn’t believe the amount of connection she saw at the event.
Lily: At first, I didn’t know how this is going to go. As I was unloading everything, a lot of the girls that were at the festival were curious. I hadn’t even finished unloading, and girls were like, ‘Hey, how much is this?’ It was actually really crazy how people interested. I saw that so many girls who were enjoying it. It was retail therapy for them, but not like breaking the bank. It was really cool because I felt like I could connect with all the people that I talked to.
Narrator: One way Lily has remained unique in her store is that she bases her brand on affordability and having a large range of sizes.
Lily: In thrifting, you can’t really shop based on sizes. You buy it and whatever size it is, it’s that size, you know? So, it’s cool to see that if I saw something that’s an extra small and someone can buy it. If someone is super tiny, there’s someone that can be interested in it. It’s hard to find specific sizes, but with this, people can find unique sizes and you can connect with them. At Womptober people were like, ‘I’ve been trying to look for this but I am like a weird size and like I haven’t been able to find it and I’m glad that you found it!’ And then a lot of girls asked if I sold clothes online and I showed them my page. It’s really cool to connect that way. And a lot of them talk to each other when they shop and it’s really cool to see how women can bond through something as simple as shopping. And then I really care about the people who shop, not because of money, but it’s so cool that someone can like the stuff that I like. It’s deeper. Like, ‘Oh, we like the same things as I do,’ and we can bond through that. It’s so cool because I’ve got gotten to meet a lot of girls through that and just like be friends with them, you know?
Narrator: For those who are interested in looking at Lily’s inventory, you can find her account on Instagram under, ‘lilysvintagethrifts.’ For BYU-Idaho Scroll Spotlight, this is Isabelle Justice, signing off. I will see you next time!
In the Aug. of 2023, the Scroll summer staff created the first magazine for the student news publication since 2019. I wrote three of the articles, edited each one individually to follow AP style and took photographs. The magazine was designed by my coworker, Hannah Daley, and I assisted the design process.
In Oct. of 2023, the Scroll fall staff successfully distributed and marketed this new magazine. We had newspaper racks in 9 different buildings across campus and distributed them by hand at the inauguration of President Alvin F. Meredith III.
In Sept. of 2023, I personally interviewed President and Sister Meredith as an exclusive addition to our magazine. That interview can be seen here.
I wrote 3 articles for the Meet President Meredith publication, which are linked below:
In 2022, I was a Desk Editor for the University section of the school newspaper. This is one article that was submitted to me by a practicum student. This was completed in September of 2022.
Anything within the double brackets indicates it should be deleted and anything in bold is what I added.
I took an Editing Essentials course at BYU-I, and we were required to edit our classmate’s books. This is the introduction chapter of an autobiography. This was completed in March of 2023.
Anything within the double brackets indicates it should be deleted and anything in bold is what I added.
I took an Editing Essentials course at BYU-I, and we were required to edit our classmate’s books. This is the second chapter of a historical novel about Jamestown. This was completed in March of 2023.
Anything within the double brackets indicates it should be deleted and anything in bold is what I added.
This article was submitted to me as part of a series while I worked with Scroll as the Editor in Chief. This was completed in September of 2023.
Anything within the double brackets indicates it should be deleted and anything in bold is what I added.
This article was submitted to me as an opinion piece while I worked with Scroll as the Editor in Chief. This was completed in July of 2023.
Anything within the double brackets indicates it should be deleted and anything in bold is what I added.
Isabelle Justice 