The Gordon B. Hinckley Award winners from the fall 2023 semester.
Stephen Henderson presenting me with my award.
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.”
Isabelle was granted her award on December 12, 2023.
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.
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.
Summer 2023.
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.”
Trends at Grand Teton National Park.
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.
Winter 2023.
“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.
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.
Documentary
Articles in the series ‘Idaho and the Energy Future’
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.”
Isabelle Justice, Scroll’s Editor in Chief, speaks to Fowers on the corner of the conference center.
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.”
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.”
Two Names, One Mission
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.”
Womptober Music Festival
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.
Feature Video ~ Oct. 17, 2023
Lily Galer Podcast Narrative
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-IdahoScroll 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 forthe 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:
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 written for BYU-I’s news organization, Scroll.
On Sept. 6, Isabelle Justice met with President Alvin F. Meredith III and Jennifer Edgin Meredith to discuss the couple’s hopes as the new leaders of BYU-Idaho.
“We know that (BYU-I students) can become disciples (of Jesus Christ) and become experts and scholars in their fields,” said President Meredith. “I am really grateful for that vision of BYU-I — a vision that we are inheriting.
On May 16, President Meredith was announced as BYU-Idaho’s 18th president, succeeding Henry J. Eyring who served for six years. His inauguration is on Oct. 10 in the BYU-Idaho Center.
“It’s just very humbling,” said Sister Meredith. “We know that this stewardship is a very sacred responsibility.”
The Merediths in an interview with Scroll. Photo credit: BYU-Idaho
The Merediths began their stewardship at BYU-I in the summer and are connecting with the Rexburg community.
“BYU-Idaho is famously friendly,” said President Meredith. “That’s the phrase that we’ve heard and we have felt that. You know, we’re from Tennessee and so we know southern hospitality when we see it. We just didn’t expect to see it in Southern Idaho.”
President and Sister Meredith have six children — four boys and two girls — and each served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Meredith is continuing to serve as a General Authority Seventy while president of BYU-I.
“(Our children) are excited to be here,” President Meredith explained. “When they learned of this assignment, they changed the name of our family group chat from ‘Meredith Family’ to ‘Tater Tots.’”
For a journalism course, I wrote a feature article about the Library Aid in the Special Collections archives at BYU-Idaho. I created a magazine with this content, and below are the results of this project. This article is also on Scroll.
“It’s important that history is recognized as being important,” said Braden.
His aviator glasses sat comfortably on the bridge of his nose. His honey-blonde hair was tucked behind his ears. His index finger and thumb rested on his chin as he calculated an insightful answer to my overarching question. When I asked Braden Chancellor if it’s important that everyone has a basic knowledge of history, he didn’t give a long-winded answer like I was expecting. He didn’t preach about how the study of history is a dying art, instead, he explained that historians want their profession recognized and respected.
“We have a lot of focus on STEM, right? Just as a university and a nation,” Braden said, his hands danced in the air to emphasize his point. “I think that a focus on STEM is great and some could argue that it has more value, but I know history has a significance that people don’t recognize.”
Many historical texts are located in the Special Collection archives for students to see.
Braden Chancellor is a Library Aide for the Special Collections, an archive on campus that is tucked away on the second floor of the library. It is a place where prehistoric artifacts and the history of Upper Snake River Valley are kept safe. The room itself is quiet. Cozy. Serene. The carpet was brown and blue. Vintage, from the 50s, Braden said. There were shelves of books and bust statues, lines of blue-clothed rocking chairs, and an exhibit about religious texts. Braden pulled a chair for me, and we sat across each other on a long table on the north side of the room.
“I led this,” he said and pointed around at the foam posters and glass containers that surrounded us. Each exhibit protected religious books that were hundreds of years old. “I started getting involved with the exhibits and writing … they said that I was doing a good job and asked if I could be in charge of planning the others.”
While the exhibit sat perfectly in the front of the room, Braden did most of his work in the back. The archives. They spiral like a maze and are only open to the employees.
“At first, I took old materials that people donated and organized them,” he said. “It was just indexing for a little bit, but I wasn’t on that for very long. I got introduced to exhibit planning, right?”
And that’s where his passion lies, he clarified. And as he did, something switched in Braden. His eyes lit up and a smile crept across his face. It’s the kind of smile only those passionate about their career show, and he reminds me of myself. Braden’s niche is history, mine is writing. Writing gives me the space to speak my mind or speak it for others. History gives Braden the space to understand the world. It’s not often that I meet someone so vocal about what they care for.
“I would love to be in a museum and teach people about history in a creative way,” he said when I asked him about his dream job. “As long as I can make enough to support my family. Whether it’s a city historian, state historian … I like the idea of being able to be a well-respected authority. You want people to say your name and know who they are talking about.”
I asked how he first started to love history. He told me that it was because of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Braden Chancellor in front of the David O. McKay Libraryat BYU-Idaho.
“I loved learning about these stories,” he said, laughing. “I would get little fact books about pirates and tell my friends and family about what I learned.”
And when Braden got into advanced placement classes in high school, his interest in history blossomed into a passion, one that followed him into his college career. Once at BYU-Idaho, Braden realized that a history degree was more versatile than he originally thought.
“There is this area of study—it’s kind of new—comes from the 1670’s, and it’s called public history,” he said while tapping his pointer finger on the table. “Examples of that would be working in museums, battlegrounds, and national parks. Those are areas of employment that historians actually get hired to do rather than teaching.”
Braden does what many are afraid to do: follow their dreams. He explained that it was understandable why many don’t, but it’s necessary to follow through with the gifts God has given us. And it’s more than just wishful thinking. Braden completed an internship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he was able to index records that were hundreds of years old. That internship got him his job in the Special Collections.
And that’s why I interviewed him. Actually, that’s why I interviewed him twice. I couldn’t get enough of Braden’s bright mind, or shake the notion that more people need to be as driven as he is.
“What if this hobby is so important to me that I want it to take eight hours of my day?”
“I received a blessing that said how important my education would be; that I would be able to find a career that supports my family,” he shared. “I think back to why it’s okay that I didn’t pursue a STEM career even if it’s more valuable. It’s because I’m naturally interested in answering these questions.”
Do you think that everyone needs to ask why as you do, I ask.
“I think it’s necessary for some people to ask why in life, but I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone to,” he responds, buckling my argument that everyone needs to be fueled by their interests alone. “There’s going to be some that are curious, and there’s going to be some people who want to take it as it is—that’s okay.”
And then it makes sense: just like it’s not essential to know the periodic table, it’s not crucial that everyone has definite knowledge of history. All he, and historians want, is for us to value them. Include them in the modern discussion too, because they do have a voice.
“I’ve had some people say not to make your hobby your job,” Braden confessed. “What if this hobby is so important to me that I want it to take eight hours of my day? I don’t want to sit in an office and do sales … I want the bulk of my life to be focused on my family. I want history to be a part of it.”
Isabelle Justice 