"By Study and By Faith: The Legacy of Karl G. Maeser," a documentary created by students in the BYU School of Communications Journalism and Sports Media program, premiered in the Varsity Theater on Sept. 18.
The documentary followed the life of Karl G. Maeser and the spiritual legacy he left at Brigham Young University and how his experience both as a teacher in Germany and a missionary in England helped shape his path.
BYU journalism students traveled to Germany and the United Kingdom to document and explore Maeser’s legacy. The students who worked on the project noted that, although it was hard work, it was a life-changing experience.
Journalism students in Germany
Amy Ortiz was one of the journalism students who researched and filmed the history of Maeser in Germany. She said that while it was a great experience, it also came with obstacles.
“Our biggest challenge was trying to tell the story of someone who wasn’t physically with us,” she said.
Ortiz noted that this challenge also contributed to her biggest takeaway.
“I feel like getting to explore, research and interview so many people who are still impacted by his story and be able to recognize how Maezer’s legacy has impacted my own story, education and the blessings that have come into my life, was my biggest takeaway,” Ortiz said.
Similar to Ortiz's experience, Belle Lewis noted how the religious aspect of working on the documentary was life-changing.
“I’ve always felt like I deepen my own spiritual connection by appreciating the religious history of the world,” Lewis said. “And in Maaser’s case, his religious history prepared him to found BYU based on revolutionary learning principles.”
Lewis also noted the importance of his story during BYU's 150th anniversary celebration.
“150 years of BYU to me is 150 years of learning, personal growth and seeing the world with faith,” she said.
Jessica Spencer, another student who filmed in Germany, said the connections made her trip memorable. She recounted how she miraculously ran into her dad’s German mission companion and was then able to interview his son.
“This was just one of many miracles that happened in making this project, but it was very special to me personally because it helped me see that God doesn't just care about BYU and this project, but that He cares about and is aware of me personally,” Spencer said.
Jackie Durfey Asher said her biggest takeaway from the experience came when she asked God to lead her to more information about Maeser. After praying and fasting, she came across a museum that led to incredible experiences.
“I stumbled across the museum, which is in the town [where] Maeser went to teacher school, and one of the board members actually knew who Maeser was,” she said. “That ended up being a really important, informational interview and a lot of our b-roll came from the museum.”
Ethan Pack, who worked on the magazine component of the project, reminisced on the time spent in Germany outside of filming and interviewing.
“I really liked walking back to the Berlin Gate, after interviewing and filming all day,” Pack said. “It was nice to walk along the river and I got some fun pictures for the magazine.”
Throughout their time in Germany, journalism students were able to collaborate on and craft a compelling story on the impact of Maeser’s legacy.
Journalism students in England
Brianne Barrus, who travelled in the UK group, attributed the connections and interviews to making the project memorable.
“One of my favorite memories was getting to interview my dad’s mission companion while we were in England,” Barrus said. “I loved working together with everyone on this project … but these interviews also proved to myself that I was able to do longer interviews.”
The experience also provided a meaningful connection to her own identity.
“This [interview] was especially sweet to me since my dad passed away when I was ten years old, and speaking with my dad’s companion provided me with a connection to him that I hadn’t known before,” Barrus said.
Olivia Wettengel saw many miracles throughout her time researching the life of Karl G. Maeser.
After coming back from the UK, Wettengel was in a Utah temple when she ran into the wife of Maeser’s great-great-grandson, who was an ordinance worker with the last name “Maeser” on her name tag.
“I know that wasn’t a coincidence, and that if our whole team hadn’t been working with a prayer in our hearts, we may not have found such amazing direct descendants of Maeser to interview,” she said.
Wettengel knew that this was a divinely inspired moment.
Dylan Eubank stated that the experience built his storytelling, creative and filming skills that would later propel him into the journalism field.
“I think my biggest takeaways were being able to spend time with other people in my cohort and being able to utilize these skills to put everything together,” Eubank said. “I’d say experiences like that are what got me my job today at the Salt Lake Tribune.”
He also noted that although it was a great experience, it was still hard work.
“It was brutal work. It was so time consuming, and there was so much effort in the planning and prepping,” he said. “There were so many obstacles that came up during our trip that we had to find solutions and problem solve. That’s essentially what journalism is.”
Chloe Chandler stated that the biggest challenge was long, tiring days. She noted that they would work 16 to 18 hours, working early in the morning till late at night.
Her favorite experience from the project was visiting the Gadfield Elm Chapel in Cloucester. For Chandler, learning about her own heritage and identity made the trip to Germany worth the challenges.
“Being able to see and stand in places where my third great-grandparents made choices that changed the trajectory of my life — even into the eternities — is an experience that I will always be grateful for,” Chandler said.
After the groups returned from the UK and Germany, they spent the next several weeks going over transcripts and writing scripts. To Elsa Bray, the countless hours spent editing the documentary were a rewarding and bonding experience.
“I loved everyone in the group and feel like we worked really well together like a well-oiled machine and it was super nice to bounce ideas off of each other,” Bray said.
Friends, families and BYU students came together to watch the finished documentary on Sept. 18. The miracles and hard work behind the scenes allowed journalism students to tell the story of Karl G. Maeser’s impact in a captivating way.
The project was part of Professor Ed Carter’s Comms 490 capstone class and the Comms 491R media labs course. Melissa Gibbs, director of the Universe Lab, and Alan Neves, lab production manager, mentored the 12 students, with Professor Kris Boyle assisting the group in England.
The nearly 26-minute documentary is available on The Universe’s YouTube channel. To watch click here.