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!
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.
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!
If I could have dinner with one person, I would have it with my 60-year-old self.
We would sit in a cafe on my birthday. I wouldn’t ask her how many kids I have, how my husband is doing, where I live, or how much money I make. I would ask her for tailored, hand-picked advice. I would ask her if I was doing life well and how much I should trust myself. I would ask how much pain is ahead – if things really do get better. I would ask her if I was able to slow down enough to enjoy my life.
She would smile, her long hair sitting so comfortably on her shoulders. She would take my hand and give it a squeeze.
My 60-year-old self would say that I should trust myself completely and love myself even more. She would say that I am doing my best and that would be enough. She would say that things get infinitely better, and your life would only reflect the kindness you give, but only if you slow down. She would say to let go of grudges. To relax, and not plan so much. To stay close to God.
I would probably cry. She would give me a hug and say that she was with me all along. We would drink herbal tea, eat an almond croissant, and laugh until dusk. She would pay the bill, give me one last squeeze, and be on her way. The smell of her perfume would stay with me.
On the cusp of her 80th birthday, Mary got ready for her special day. She fastened a new lace collar for her old black dress and pinned her white hair into a low bun. [1] Her glasses were polished, her hands clean, and shoes tidy.
It was the summer of 1928, and Mary stood in front of the camera man’s massive portrait lens. Her right hand was clasped over her left, resting on her stomach. She was poised but could not help but show a slight smile. It was the good humor that she got from her father.
As she stood still, her eyes showed a story of grief, endurance, and kindness. Life could not, and never would, make her bitter. Little did Mary know that this camera would capture her personality well, hinting at the great life she lived.
“Three!” shouted the camera man, raising the light.
At 7 years old, Mary left England with her parents, grandfather, and sisters to follow the Mormons to the United States. [2] In 1856, little Mary began her journey from Iowa City to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Soon after Mary left Iowa, her two-week-old baby sister passed. Winter came early, and the company grew weaker as rations ran out. The people that Mary loved, her aunt, grandfather, and playmate, passed away along the trail. Their deaths left a great sadness in her heart. [3]
Mary’s father, James, was intelligent as he was goodhearted. When there was no more food, James unwrapped the rawhide straps off the wagon wheels and boiled them for a treat, a delicacy that Mary thought of often. The journey was so cold that her feet froze, leaving her legs were blue, black, and completely numb. Mary did arrive to her promised land, but she could not walk.
“Two!” The camera man’s thumb pressed down on the trigger.
When the doctor examined Mary’s feet, he advised that they should be amputated. Her father protested, “This little girl didn’t walk a thousand miles to have her legs cut off! If she dies, she dies with her legs on.” [4]
Mary’s neighbor, Mrs. Snider, advised her family to wrap Mary’s feet in frozen beef steaks. She spent three days with her legs cocooned in thawing meat, which were later treated with a homemade ointment. After three long years, she could walk again. [5]
The downside? Pain in her feet for the rest of her life.
“One!” shouted the camera man.
Mary was a bride at 16 and the mother of thirteen children, yet the bounds of her love were not confined by blood. [6] Known as “Aunt Mary Wight” by Brigham City locals, she was a natural nurse that always cared for the sick.
At 70 years old, Mary cared for a neighbor’s sick infant.
“Mother! You might be exposing the whole family to something terrible,” her children reported. “You don’t know what the child has. It could have anything!”
“The child is sick,” Mary quickly answered. “A little baby cannot be sick … with Mormon homes about it. Every house has a door. Doors were made to let people in … I think you had better put a bite to eat on the table.”
Mary’s granddaughter wrote that after two days of attentive care, the baby smiled at Mary. He smiled for Mary’s warm home, a clean bed, and food. With a sign of sweet content, his eyes closed and he peacefully passed.
The parents wanted Mary to give a sermon at the child’s funeral and asked how much all her service cost.
“Not a penny,” Mary promised. “My church does not take money for preaching.”
Flash!
Her photograph was taken. When Mary saw it weeks later, she paused. For the first time, she paused for herself.
“My, she’s a big woman, isn’t she? … Do I look like that?” Mary asked.
“You do!” chorused her children.
“I did not know life was doing that to me,” Mary replied.
She dropped her head and wept. In all her life, without taking a second to look in the mirror, she was beautiful.
Works Cited
[1] Allphin, Jolene Spendlove. Mary Hurren, 2017, www.tellmystorytoo.com/member_pdfs/mary-hurren_1709_401.pdf.
[2] Rogers, Julie. “The Steps We Have Taken.” The Steps We Have Taken, Pioneer Artwork by Julie Rogers, 2018, www.tellmystorytoo.com/fine-arts/julie-rogers/the-steps-we-have-taken.
[3] Hurren, Mary Reeder. FamilySearch.Org, www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/125376773?p=53629688&returnLabel=Mary%20Reeder%20Hurren%20(KWNV-7BG)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWNV-7BG.
[4] Rogers, Julie. “The Steps We Have Taken.” Julie Rogers – Artist, julierogersart.com/the-steps-we-have-taken/.
[5] Jeppsen, Irene. “Mary Hurren’s Journey to Zion.” Mary Hurran 1956 Mary Hurren’s J – FamilySearch.Org, www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/102910950?p=53629688&returnLabel=Mary+Reeder+Hurren+%28KWNV-7BG%29&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWNV-7BG.
[6] Baird, Margaret Almina Wight. “She Wouldn’t Do It Any Other Way.” FamilySearch.Org, www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/10064038?p=53629688&returnLabel=Mary+Reeder+Hurren+%28KWNV-7BG%29&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWNV-7BG.
This article was written for a journalism course at BYU-I.
As Marcia Davis walked through the halls of Cambridge Prep Academy in Lake City, Florida, she felt out of place. Davis could see some students talking, while another group of friends waved “hello” to her. Most high school students feel awkward, but for Davis it was different. She was accepted, but it wasn’t the same. Why?
Because Davis has severe hearing loss.
For 22-year-old Davis, a student at Brigham Young University-Idaho studying communication, hearing takes all her effort.
“My hearing aids help with my articulation,” said Davis. “It makes me feel every click in my mouth, so I can talk more clearly. I would not be anything like I am today without hearing aids.”
For Idaho citizens that have hearing loss, Davis’s story can now be theirs. According to the Idaho Deaf and Hard of Hearing Council, certain residents are now eligible for free or discounted hearing aids.
“Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish,” said the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Council on their website.
Heidi Smith, BYU-I’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Coordinator, helps Rexburg, Idaho residents get access to hearing aids.
“If a deaf or hard of hearing person qualifies, they might get their hearing aids paid for,” said Smith. “It needs to be either student or job-related. If the hearing aids will help the student graduate and find a good job, or if the person needs hearing aids to work, then it is my understanding that they will help to pay for them.”
Smith recommended contacting Vocational Rehab, which is a state-funded program that has offices across Idaho.
“Vocational Rehabilitation … provides comprehensive vocational services to individuals with disabilities,” stated the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation on their website. “The scope of rehabilitation services that may be provided is extensive and includes services that lead to employment which will also result in increasing an individual’s independence and self-worth.”
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation focuses on getting residents with disabilities functioning in a school or work environment. But for Idaho residents who don’t want to go through state services, there are other ways they can get hearing assistive devices.
Idaho residents can apply for grants or payment through Ear Nose and Throat Offices across the state, such as Idaho Assistive Technology Project in Moscow or the Assistive League of Boise in Boise. Additionally, national programs like The Hike Fund, Easter Seals, and Optimist Club can get residents free or discounted hearing aids.
For many deaf and hard-of-hearing residents, hearing assistive devices are outside of their financial means. According to Customer Affairs, hearing aids average at $2,300 per device in 2023, making this a nearly $5,000 investment.
Davis was able to invest in hearing aids and got her first pair at 15 months old.
“When (my parents) found out I was hearing impaired, I was so behind and couldn’t speak,” she explained. “Because I was still young, I still had the chance to learn how to talk.”
With the help of her hearing aids and speech therapy, Davis now blends into a hearing world.
“There were lots of moments when I did feel behind, but the hearing aids have always helped,” Davis said. “Without hearing aids, I wouldn’t be able to talk. I would just use ASL, write, read lips – it would be a completely different life.”
However, the deaf and hard-of-hearing community does not always want hearing aids. Davin Glenn, a BYU-I graduate, is hard of hearing but never learned American Sign Language.
“Not every deaf person wants to blend into hearing culture,” said Glenn. “It can be controversial and I only speak for my own experiences as a hard-of-hearing person. I am able to lipread and I can get along fine, but many deaf people love their culture and don’t want to change it.”
Davis understands this, but still thinks the free or discounted hearing aids can benefit Idaho.
“I know there is a lot of debate about this,” Davis said. “I’m glad that I can fit into the norm of society rather than go and have to be in a specific community, which would be the deaf community.”
But Davis respects the deaf community, whether they want hearing-assisted devices or not.
“If (only learning ASL) had happened, I wouldn’t have known the difference and it would have been fine,” Davis explained. “But I wouldn’t be able to sing or be able to talk. I like being part of the norm. I’m glad they pushed not doing ASL and just focusing on speaking and hearing aids. I wish they did teach me ASL too just as a backup, but sign language was not encouraged back then.”
Sign language was not encouraged in mainstream culture until the late 2000’s, but Idaho is an anomaly in the deaf and hard-of-hearing world, according to Smith.
“In eastern Idaho there really is not (a deaf culture),” Smith said. “We have fully deaf students who have cochlear implants and they don’t consider themselves deaf, they consider themselves hard of hearing … the circle could be bigger but because there is not a big deaf culture here so many of them do not associate with being deaf. They kind of just want to blend in, which isn’t normally the case.”
Whether deaf or hard-of-hearing residents choose blend in or stand out, the state of Idaho has resources. The most popular one, according to Hearing Link, is the FM system. This is used in the classroom and is available statewide in public schools.
“FM systems are wireless assistive hearing devices that enhance the use of hearing aids”, says Hearing Link on their website. “(They) also assist people who are hard of hearing but do not wear hearing aids, in particular over distance and in noisy environments.
This photo was taken in Island Park, Idaho in February of 2023. The editing process included switching the photo to monochrome in Adobe Camera Raw and doing simple edits there, such as increasing the contrast, texture, and exposure. I sharpened the image and then used noise reduction.
In Photoshop, I used dodging and burning to highlight the horse’s eyes, hair, and hooves. I used this technique to bring dimension to any parts of the photo that were blown out.
The final piece was mounted on metallic material and hung in the communication department building.
Fine Art Piece
“River Horse”
March 13, 2023
Jacob Spori Building, BYU-Idaho
Raw Image
Before Photoshop
After Photoshop
Product photography is a great way to expand your editing skills, be an asset to your company, and add more talents for freelance work.
In our photo excursion to Island Park, Idaho, I was able to help the students in the Comm 300 Photography course with their assignments.
It was so much fun helping them enhance their photos! I helped them come up with creative ideas, such as a student walking through the river carrying a lantern with a long shutter speed, splashing water bottles in the river, and spraying water on indoor products.
In the process, I could see my understanding of cameras increase. I am so grateful for this trip!
As part of Caryn Esplin’s photography course, we planned and participated in a fashion photoshoot. I had the privilege to take photos of nine talented female models and six wonderful male models. We covered portraits for men and women, as well as accessory and group photography.
For this assignment, we were instructed to recreate a movie poster. I was determined to make this print something I am extremely proud of.
I decided to follow an 80’s classic – Pretty in Pink. I love the aesthetics of this film! I typically do my projects with blue or purple color schemes, but I wanted to see how well I could do with a color I have never played with before.
Here was my inspiration for this project.
Using a free font named “Blackout” from dafont.com, and a pink paint stroke .png file from pngitem.com, I elevated my design. I went through many drafts to make sure the final product was perfect. Finally, I took my InDesign file back into Photoshop. Here, I added a mask to remove the white backdrop, a halftone effect, and the healing tool. I am so proud of how this turned out!
Click through the slideshow to see my editing process from beginning to end.
For our first photography assignment, I wanted to apply my creativity with the things I already have. In a world saturated with advertisements, media and easy ways to spend money, we can forget to be grateful for the things we already have. For my OSES project, I wanted to apply just that.
For those who don’t know, OSES stands for “Ordinary Spot, Extraordinary Shot”. This means taking your photos in an “ordinary” or boring spot and making them spectacular. With Christmas just last month, I still had some flashing lights I had in mind to use as props. Over the summer, my family and I went to Mexico and collected seashells. With the treasures I already had in my home, plus other knick-knacks, I could make an ordinary spot in my apartment extraordinary.
The editing process was rather simple! I used sliders in Camera Raw, such as temperature, exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, textures and clarity. I took things a step further into Photoshop by dodging and burning and applying a final “Levels” filter. I also applied “Smart Sharpen” and my watermark.
Juston Wadsworth, affectionately known as the ‘Soupman,’ passed away unexpectedly on December 13, 2022. To celebrate his life, family members gave away his soup to the community.
Juston Wadsworth was born on August 28, 1978. The father of three children and the owner of Rexburg’s very own soup shop, “Soup For You,” Wadsworth positively impacted the sleepy college town of Rexburg, Idaho.
Inside the red brick shop with yellow antique tiling, the ambiance was heavy but full of love. Parents, children, family and college students created a line outside of the door, all for Wadsworth and his house-made soup.
The food options for the little soup shop’s last day of business were: Curried Seafood, Chicken Soup For the Soul, Cheesy Jalapeno and Bacon, Herbed Lentil, New Mexican Corn, and Creamy Tomato Pesto.
“Soup For You” was still filled with the same recognizable plants and collectible art, but this time, a shrine was made in Wadsworth’s name at the center of the store. Rexburg locals gave their condolences and graciously donated funds for Wadsworth’s funeral.
This semester I have grown so much. At the beginning of this course, I didn’t even know what aperture or ISO was. After studying how a camera works and personally testing it out for myself, I have become really proud of my work.
For my 16×24 Fine Art print,
I chose two photos.
The first photo I chose was of a beautiful mustang named Maserati. He was part of the Bannack, Montana photo excursion I was able to go on. When editing this, I really wanted to accentuate the texture of his hair and his aging spots. Sister Esplin gave a personalized workshop for the Digital Imaging students and she helped me understand how to do this in Photoshop. After she helped me, I made some adjustments myself. I used a lot of masks and used adjustments such as sharpening, Camera Raw filters, gaussian blur, and levels.
Below is the original image.
The next photo I chose to print was of my macro leaf shots. This was actually an in-class activity where props were brought into class for us to take photos of. The leaves outside were beautiful and I wasn’t impressed with how these macro shots were turning out. I decided to go outside ad try things from a new perspective. After Sister Esplin showed me some tips in Photoshop, I wanted to apply this for myself. So, for this photo, I used a Camera Raw filter, a sharpen mask, a gaussian blur mask, level adjustments, and the healing tool to cover up distracting holes in the leaf.
Below is the original image.
As the semester tips over its halfway point and our in-class photography is complete, we were assigned to compile our top 5 photographs.
Looking over my work, I am pleasantly surprised by my improvement. I can also see how much my taste in photography has changed! Photographs that I thought were my best work at the beginning of the semester has changed. It was really nice to look back and physically see my progress.
Elevate is a campus-wide competition at BYU-Idaho. Students from different majors get together and present a project to a set of judges. The purpose of the project is to create something that will improve the campus experience. Each semester, Elevate has a different theme. This semester’s question was: How can we achieve unified discipleship amidst, diversity, distance and difference?
As we competed in the Elevate competition, our group discussed the concept of unity and connection. Why are students at BYU-Idaho so disconnected? What makes this university so different than others? My group studied the difference between BYU- Idaho and Ricks College and noticed the biggest difference – the lack of a mascot. We proposed that BYU- Idaho should reintroduce the Viking Mascot digitally. This will increase school spirit and unity among students, all while spending little to no money and providing networking and internship opportunities for students.
Reintroducing the Viking Mascot, known as Thor, can bring new opportunities to students in the form of design practice, internships, and overall student connection. The Viking Mascot can be implemented in BYU-I social media and merchandise, including but not limited to, the University Store. Hashtags can also be used online to increase school spirit.
The skills that I used for this Elevate project were my graphic design and writing skills. I wrote the abstract our group submitted as well as formatting the Google Slideshow. I also made the mockup Viking logo, which took a sufficient amount of time. I spent about 12 hours on this project, according to my tracking journal. I felt that my team was really connected and worked hard. Even though we all had busy schedules, we made our Elevate project great!
During the performance, I presented the slides that went over the logo design process. I talked about how the logo will help the school in three ways: internship opportunities, campus involvement through a student logo competition and new merchandise for the university store, bringing in new income and excitement from students.
In class, we practiced macro photography. This assignment was where I realized there is a lot of potential for a photo in post-production.
I am extremely proud of this image! I found this collapsed rose in the gardens of the Smith Amphitheater on campus. The way it was dramatically placed by nature itself became my perfect shot.
I took some great editing advice from my professor who advised me to crop the image and create my focus on the sharpened part of the rose. I also liked the way I edited this picture and I think the post-production really made this image unique.
In a beautiful garden
I have this bit of serenity
The imminent feeling of being completely alone
While being close to so many
The rush of water
Chimes of tangled branches
Shadows that balance a summer’s light
A ladybug that dances
She is paused
Preparing for flight
I remember so peacefully
This feeling brings the wool around my heart
That feeling is known as comfort
Knowing I am in a world
Where nature is the music
My own, hidden covert
They will always sing
It rings so conferring
To those who have the ears to hear it
Maybe that is it – we are our own
These hidden and beautiful worlds
Only few people really know
And every time a person comes to visit
To walk amongst these complex forests
They appreciate the beauty, the exquisite
And notice all those who walked these woods before
What did they leave behind?
And what did you fail to take out?
It does not matter
Nonetheless, it stays
A beautiful garden remains
Isabelle Justice 