The story of BYU-Idaho is, at its heart, a story of trailblazers. People who stepped into unfamiliar places with faith as their guide.
Thomas E. Ricks was one of them. In 1848, while pursuing a group who had stolen cattle, he was shot three times and left near death. As he lay in camp, however, he received a quiet but remarkable promise: “You will not die; you will live to go to the valley of the mountains, and there you will do a great work in your day and generation.”[1]
True to that promise, Thomas recovered. In the years that followed, he devoted himself to helping and strengthening others, often in challenging circumstances. He participated in rescue missions during the Saints’ migration west, and in 1883, he accepted a call from President John Taylor to leave his home in Logan, Utah, and help care for the Saints in Bannock County, Idaho.[2] That choice would influence generations.
In 1888, Thomas offered a dedicatory prayer in a small log schoolhouse that became the Bannock Stake Academy, the beginning of what would eventually grow into Ricks College.[3] The building was modest, but the purpose behind it was inspired. The academy brought the Saints together, emphasized the value of education, and opened doors for many who otherwise might never have had the chance to learn.
The cost to Thomas was real. Establishing the school demanded time, means, and personal sacrifice. “My means have been used up, and I am comparatively poor,” he said. “But my faith has been increased in the Lord, and I acknowledge the blessings of the Lord.”[4] His willingness to give so much for a future he would not fully see reflects the kind of steady trailblazing spirit that has shaped the institution from its earliest days.
That same spirit surfaced many years later in the John W. Hart Gym when President Hinckley announced the transition from Ricks College to BYU-Idaho. Excitement swept across campus, but there was uncertainty, too. No bachelor’s degrees existed yet, and the change required major adjustments to programs, identity, and infrastructure. Students had to ask themselves: Should I stay or should I go?
Many chose to stay. That decision meant more than simply remaining enrolled. It meant helping build something new. Students like Brian Haynie, Johnny Hanna, Alisha Stratton, and Matt Maroon understood that the success of BYU-Idaho would require effort, faith, and a willingness to move forward even when not everything was clear. In their own way, they followed the same pattern Thomas had set long before.
Opening Doors
Matt was one who chose to stay after the transition was announced. He graduated with a degree in communications and, through a connection with a faculty mentor, became the first student from the department to secure an internship in New York City with the Nielsen Company. That experience became a springboard for his career and opened doors he had not expected.
His experience at Nielsen and later at Microsoft helped establish lasting internship and recruitment pathways for BYU-Idaho students. Today, Matt serves as department chair of the BYU-Idaho Department of Marketing, where he continues to help students pursue meaningful opportunities. Looking back, he recognizes how the Lord guided his professional path.
“I just always assumed that God does not care about my career,” he said. “… But I learned that is not true. He cares very much about my career…, and the impact I can have within my career to help other people.”
Matt was not the only one who helped open doors. Johnny and Brian, who helped develop the university’s early intramural sports programs, went on to build businesses of their own. As their companies grew, they began recruiting BYU-Idaho graduates, trusting the kind of preparation and character they would find there.
When asked what stood out about those recruits, Brian said, “I think there’s a genuine spirit of gratitude and humility… that doesn’t exist on any other campus in the world, and that’s the thing I love the most about BYU-Idaho. They’re humble, they’re eager, they’re grateful, and they’re willing to work. I think that wins every time.”
An Inspired Place, An Inspired Education
Brian’s praise highlights something central to the BYU-Idaho experience. The university blends spiritual grounding with strong academic preparation, something that initially surprised and eventually won over Alisha Stratton.
“It was not my first choice of colleges that I wanted to go to,” Alisha said. “I always had intentions to transfer somewhere else, but it was such a great experience that I never left.” During her campus tour, she felt a quiet confirmation that she was right where she needed to be. She thrived as the area director of the BYU-Idaho sports programs and later went on to work at USAA, where she now serves as an executive director of application development.
When asked how the spiritual aspect of her education influenced her career, Alisha said, “Those types of spiritual experiences gave me what I needed… to have more of a leadership experience in the Church, but also directly translate into work skills. At the end of the day, I certainly think that the spiritual aspect of BYU-Idaho is one of the things that makes the students most enticing.”
Her willingness to trust Heavenly Father helped her succeed both at BYU-Idaho and in her professional life. Johnny shared a similar experience. “I knew that everything would work out according to God’s will,” he said. “… Even if things are appearing that they’re not going to work out, they will. They always will in the end.”
In different ways, each of these alumni stepped forward with faith and helped shape opportunities for others. Their efforts reflect the ongoing pattern of trailblazing that continues to influence the university today.
The Light Will Move
The dedication and faith of these alumni, along with many others, did more than help the transition from Ricks College to BYU-Idaho succeed. Their collective efforts helped define the university’s purpose and future. What they accomplished came from individuals who acted with courage and trust, even when they could not see exactly how things would unfold.
In a devotional given shortly after President Hinckley’s announcement, President David A. Bednar offered this insight: “God instructs, ‘Take a step into the darkness,’ and we respond, ‘First, move the light and then I will take the step.’ God instructs again, ‘You take the step and then the light will move.’ Faith is the assurance that precedes the act which ultimately yields the evidence. As we walk to the edge of the light, I testify and promise that the light will move.”[5]
For Thomas E. Ricks, risking his life for the Saints and later leaving behind all he knew were real steps into the darkness. Yet, as promised, the light moved with him. His life stands as a reminder that the Lord keeps His promises to those who act in faith. When we are willing to give our all, as Thomas, Alisha, Matt, Brian, and Johnny did, God does more than move the light. He gives us the power to create it.
1. Danny Ricks, “Thomas E. Ricks and the Spirit of Ricks,” Perspective
Magazine, Brigham Young University-Idaho, October 9, 2024.
2. Bailee Edwards-Kevin, “Thomas Ricks: Preserving the Birthright,”
BYU-Idaho Scroll, March 3, 2024.
3. “Thomas E. Ricks: A Man of Foresight,” Ensign, October 2001, 36.
4. “BYU-Idaho’s Rich Heritage,” Brigham Young University-Idaho website,
https://www.byui.edu/about/history. Accessed November 11, 2024.
5. David A. Bednar, “According to Thy Faith,” BYU-Idaho devotional address,
January 26, 2016.