In the fall of 2022, Whitney Beck was a new freshman at BYU. There are a lot of words people could use to describe the start of their freshman college experience, but Beck’s description was simply, “it sucks.”
Beck said her parents really wanted her to attend BYU, and that was just about the only reason she was there. Between that and roommates moving out for new jobs or marriage, feeling alone became the norm for her.
It was this experience, along with others, that became a catalyst for Beck’s endeavor to foster belonging on campus.
Beck is currently a junior in the public relations program and started working as a peer mentor for first-year students about a year ago.
“I feel like since I was given that experience, I had a moral obligation to make sure no one else had to go through that and to be there for people,” Beck said. She explained that she wanted to “be the person I wish was there for me when I was struggling.”
Sei Park, a sophomore at BYU and Beck’s best friend, shared ways she’s seen Beck “be this person." Park said there was a time she overheard a conversation between Beck and one of her students where the student was openly sharing about her dating life with Beck.
“We all know the dating culture here is different from other places for sure,” Park said. “I think just being able to openly talk about that with your peer mentor, especially with Whitney, I feel like that’s just a really comforting space.”
Beck’s efforts to foster inclusion goes beyond her workplace. Park said she’s seen Beck's efforts have an influence on their relationship as well.
“Being generous, fostering connection and being willing to give is something I’ve seen a lot from her,” Park said. “She opens that warm atmosphere in that home for me that I feel like I can just go over whenever.”
While connecting with other people is a common way Beck advocates for inclusion, she also talked about how her connection with God plays a role in understanding her place at BYU.
She believes each acceptance letter to BYU is not a coincidence, but part of God's plan.
"I believe that if you got in, you belong here," Beck said.
President C. Shane Reese, in his inaugural speech “Becoming BYU," shared similar thoughts on connecting the students' experience with spirituality.
“Bolstered by ‘gospel methodology,' we frame these experiences by our conviction that each student is a child of God who can be bound to Christ as a child of the covenant,” Reese said.
Beck mentioned that remembering you belong can be difficult for students at times because of the plague of comparison.
“All the girls are absolutely gorgeous, and you feel like a freaking frog,” Beck said. “Then everyone’s super faithful, they know exactly what they’re doing, everyone’s getting married … and it’s very intimidating.”
However, through the hard times, Beck said she still finds hope through moments when she sees God’s influence.
“I truly believe that God has a purpose for everything. And even in your worst times when you're yelling at Him, He still has your best intentions in mind,” Beck said.
Beck said one experience that helped her see this was when she was looking for a new job before becoming a peer mentor. Beck had just quit her job at a fast food restaurant and was applying to several new jobs.
“I got rejected by thirteen different jobs,” Beck said jokingly. “Let me tell you, my heart was broken — pieces on the ground.”
However, by the end, she felt there was divine wisdom through it all as she said the rejection led her to her current peer mentor position.
“I feel like I needed, at least for myself and hopefully for the students I teach, to be a peer mentor,” Beck said.
Overall, Beck kept coming back to the importance of trusting that she belongs and finding confidence in God’s purpose for her at BYU. She does her best to teach this truth to the students she peer mentors.
“He wants you (at BYU) for a reason,” Beck said. “Becoming BYU is becoming the person God wants you to be.”