My wife Jennifer and I were with family in Utah over the Independence Day weekend. We met a member of the Young Men General Advisory Council. When someone mentioned to him that we served at BYU-Idaho, he became emotional and simply said, "That place changed my life."
I've thought about those five words many times since then. They capture what we hope happens here. Yes, you students earn degrees. Yes, you prepare for future work. But our deepest hope is not simply that you graduate. Our deepest hope is that you have been changed. And today, as I look out at each of you, I can't help but wonder how this place has changed you.
Today isn't simply about receiving a diploma. It's an opportunity to reflect on what the Lord has done in your life during your time here.
This day didn't come easily. It took hard work. It took perseverance. And it required real sacrifice.
In preparing for this wonderful occasion with you today, I was reminded of Paul's words: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." [1]
Jennifer and I congratulate you on finishing your course (and courses) here at BYU-Idaho. But even more than that, we congratulate you for striving to keep the faith in Jesus Christ along the way.
Now, commencement is an interesting day. It is certainly a celebration. You've earned that. But it is also a beginning. Today, we celebrate what you've accomplished, and we look forward with great hope and confidence as you commence on the next chapter of your lives.
As you sit here today, for just a few moments, I hope you'll ponder on the path that brought you to this day. For some of you, that journey began right after high school or following a mission. Others came later. And for some of you, much later. You started from different places, traveled different roads, and faced different challenges. But today you've all arrived at this same remarkable milestone.
As you think about your own experience, you probably remember different moments. For some, it happened in a classroom. For others, it happened in a devotional, in a student ward, in the temple, or in an apartment with roommates.
You have experienced a remarkable education because you have been taught by teachers who are like no other. Elder Clark G. Gilbert observed that faculty here "unapologetically build their professional focus on teaching and advising students." [2] I've seen that over and over again. And students frequently tell Jennifer and me how touched they are when they arrive on the first day of class and discover that a teacher already knows their name. That has always been one of the things I love most about BYU-Idaho.
Beyond the classroom, you have built lifelong friendships, participated in campus activities, and explored the breathtaking landscape of southeastern Idaho.
And through all of those experiences, I hope you've gained not only knowledge and skills, but also the kind of character and faith that will bless your family, your career, your ward, and every community you live in.
None of this has happened by accident. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has placed education among its great priorities. President Dallin H. Oaks has said that “As Latter-day Saints we believe in education, and we have a philosophy about how and why we should pursue it. Our religious faith teaches us that we should seek learning by the Spirit and that we have a stewardship to use our knowledge for the benefit of mankind.” [3]
The Church has made an extraordinary investment in you. That investment isn't simply financial. It's an investment of faith. I speak from first-hand observation: our Board of Trustees, made up of leaders of this Church, believe in you. They believe in the rising generation and in what happens here because it matters to the future of the Church and to the world.
And because they believe so deeply in the rising generation, they have given BYU-Idaho a very clear and inspired mission: “To develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities.” [4]
Beginning tomorrow, for you, the mission of BYU-Idaho doesn't end—it expands. Wherever you go, you'll carry with you what you've learned here and, I hope, who you've become here. In many ways, tomorrow is the day you begin living this mission in new places.
I hope that years from now, someone asks you about BYU-Idaho and your response is much like the one I heard a few weeks ago. "That place changed my life."
But I hope you won't stop there.
My hope is also that someday someone else will look back on an interaction they had with you—a conversation, an act of kindness, a moment when you noticed them—and they'll be able to say, "That person changed my life." And if that happens, it won't really be because of you alone. It will be because the Lord continued working through you the same way He began to do while you were here.
Perhaps it will be a son or daughter. A spouse. A neighbor. A colleague. Someone who is struggling and simply needs another disciple of Jesus Christ to notice them, encourage them, and help them see what they can become.
That is what disciples do. And that is why BYU-Idaho exists—not simply to prepare graduates for successful careers, but to prepare disciples who bless homes, strengthen the Church, build their communities, and quietly change lives wherever they go.
My dear brothers and sisters, Jennifer and I express our love and confidence in you. We pray that you will always remember that living the gospel of Jesus Christ is joyful.
The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't simply something to believe. It's something to live. And when we live it, we become instruments in the Lord's hands to bless His children.
I bear witness of Jesus Christ—our Savior, our Redeemer, the High Priest of Good Things to Come, and the Light and Life of the World. I testify that President Dallin H. Oaks is the Lord’s living prophet.
May the Lord pour out His choicest blessings upon you and your loved ones—today and throughout your lives.
In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] 2 Timothy 4:7
[2] Clark G. Gilbert, “A Pioneer’s Heart, A Disciple’s Future,” Brigham Young University-Idaho devotional, Sep. 15, 2015.
[3] Dallin H. Oaks, “Learning and Latter-day Saints,” Liahona, Apr. 2009, 26.
[4] BYU-Idaho Mission Statement
About President Alvin F. Meredith III
Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today.
Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.
In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital.
President Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.