Two recent graduates from BYU-Idaho’s Communication Department talked about their experiences learning and working at BYU-Idaho for the Fulfilling the Mission podcast.
Isabelle Justice and Celeste Christopherson both graduated in 2023. Justice graduated with an emphasis in journalism and a module in visual communication. She was the editor-in-chief for the Scroll newspaper and president of the Journalism Society. She began working as a digital marketing specialist at Porter Pro Media.
Christopherson graduated with an emphasis in journalism and a module in broadcasting. She worked at BYU-Idaho Radio and began working full-time as a reporter for the Upper Valley Standard Journal after graduation.
Neither of the women knew exactly what they wanted to do when they began their education at BYU-Idaho. They say through their classes and talking to their professors, they learned what they loved.
“There's just so much room to take different classes and see what you like. And I just feel like there's something for everyone,” Justice said.
“There’s so much to do with communication that everyone’s doing something a little bit different, but you’re all kind of working towards the same goal,” Christopherson said.
As the editor-in-chief for the Scroll, Justice worked closely with her advisors and met with them often. She says working with people who had a lot of experience helped her in her education.
“I just feel like the teachers and the mentors and the faculty care so much,” Justice said.
Christopherson encourages students to get involved on campus. She says getting involved with organizations like the Scroll, Soapbox and BYU-Idaho Radio will give students the experiences they need to find a job after they graduate and connections with faculty members and administrative employees.
“They learn to trust you if you show that you’re trustworthy. And after graduation, they’ll recommend you to people, they’ll help you with jobs, they’ll connect you with the right people,” Christopherson said.
The mission of BYU-Idaho is to build disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, in their communities and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Christopherson and Justice both say their education at BYU-Idaho has helped them learn the skills they need for the workplace and has helped them grow closer to Jesus Christ.
“Just being at a little bit of a smaller school and at a little bit of smaller emphasis, it just gave me a platform for Heavenly Father to be like, ‘Hey, you’re awesome too. You can do this too,” Justice said.
Both women say from the students to the teachers, the majority of people on campus are amazing and give students the support they need to grow. Christopherson says she didn’t initially want to go to BYU-Idaho.
“Heavenly Father sends people here. … I remember just looking at the BYU-Idaho website and having this feeling, having this feeling like this is where you’re supposed to be,” Christopherson said. “And if you’re willing to follow God’s plan for you and what He has in store for you here at the school, He’ll show you and just follow Him.”
You can watch or listen to this episode of the Fulfilling the Mission podcast on YouTube, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts. The episode is also available below.