A Tradition of Learning in the Light
Article by Aspen Wooley | Photos by Grace Heaton
“Light is not about certainty. It is not about the absence of failure. Light is what persists when everything around you collapses,” said Dr. Byron Adams at this year’s Honors Conference. The theme of the conference was “A Tradition of Learning in the Light.” This conference highlights student excellence, providing an opportunity for them to present their thesis projects, Great Questions Essays, and Leadership Development Experiences (LDEs).
“Learning in the Light, When the Lights Are Out”
After a delicious breakfast, Dr. Adams’ keynote address kicked off the conference. His remarks, titled, “Learning in the Light, When the Lights Are Out,” reiterated the theme. Dr. Adams explained that there is still light even when things do not go according to plan. In his life he encountered many unexpected changes: moving to a farm with his family, injuries preventing football scholarships, serving a mission, and struggling in school. In explaining the process that generated a pattern of bad grades, he said, “The question is, is the final outcome predicted by the pattern that we see here?” Sometimes it seems as though we are stuck in a predicted outcome, but we still have the chance to find success, he explained.
In following these patterns and being unsure of how to change, Dr. Adams felt like all the lights had been turned off. Being in the light, however, does not mean that our life will be exactly like we thought. He said that what he thought would be his “ideal life” would have had negative outcomes he couldn’t have foreseen. In going to dark places, he found that the only thing left was light and “choosing to seek that and hold it and keep it and embrace it. So, plan B is not what happened instead of my life, plan B is what made my life. Plan B wasn’t a detour; plan B is actually the curriculum.” In the path that led away from his plan A, he found light.
Dr. Adams noted that having an idea of what we want in life is important, but things will inevitably go wrong. When lights go out, “it doesn't mean that you’re lost, doesn’t mean that you’re off track…You’re exactly where the Lord needs you to be…so that you can become the person that He wants you to become. Now you’re learning in the light…we really, really learn when the lights go out.”
The Light in Action
Following Dr. Adams’ words, Honors students presented their projects and research in breakout sessions. Students described the outcomes of their hard work despite encountering setbacks. These students didn’t focus on their failures but instead spoke of the good they discovered in each effort. This conference offers a chance for them to share their successes, demonstrating the words of Dr. Adams in action.
Thesis projects and Great Questions Essays require extensive writing and research in disciplines of all kinds. Students explored many fields including psychology, engineering, biology, religion, and marketing, to name a few. Other students shared their Leadership Development Experiences, demonstrating interdisciplinary thought in learning how to guide others. Each student presenter shared a unique focus and their ambition to make an impact, inspiring many with their projects.
In presenting her Great Questions Essay, Colette Radstone reflected on an experience she had when she was a young girl. She heard a woman in church say, “God knows you better than you know yourself.” This thought introduced a lifelong question for Colette that propelled her to explore identity. The title of her essay is “I Am the Dust of the Earth,” and she is majoring in American Studies with minors in political science, history, and ballet. Researching her question through a lens of folklore, supply chain management, and geo-physics, she came to better understand what that woman meant. God does not just have a list of traits memorized about us, but knows our identity and purpose completely.
Jacob Sy presented his thesis titled, “The Geography of Genes in a Plant Pathogen.” He is majoring in molecular biology with minors in music and global studies. He is seeking to understand how geography and Pectobacterium are intertwined. Do the strains of this bacterium carry different genes based on their location? This research could help to predict outbreaks and enhance food security. Students like Jacob are making an impact that reaches far beyond their own lives.
Shawn McDougal and Celeste Espinoza presented their unique Great Questions Essays that carried similar messages. Shawn’s essay is titled “Choosing Our Essential.” He focused on the decisions we must make in our lives and figuring out what the “nonessential decisions are to make essential ones grow.” This must not be based on the decisions others make, but on our own decisions about what we need in our lives and where we want to end up. Celeste’s essay is titled “Seeing Leaves, Seeing Lives, Seeing Light.” She focused on uncertainty in mortality, and seeing beauty, even while living with tension. Dealing with uncertainty is something both Shawn and Celeste emphasized. Celeste shared the discomfort that accompanies moving forward in an uncertain future by talking about the seasons. She loves leaves and the changing colors because of their reminder that there is so much beauty even in change. As our lives shift and we move forward, beauty is found in these new seasons.
Lighting the Path Forward
Students who attended the conference shared the ways they were uplifted by the presentations. Abby, from Roseville, CA, said her favorite part was seeing student work that “made me really excited [about writing a thesis] because there are a lot of ways to go about it. This should be fun for you! School is really for life.” Elliot, from Wisconsin, said that his favorite part was Dr. Byron’s remarks because he was “very genuine and showed you don’t have to be on a cookie cutter path. Failing is ok.” Emma, from St. George, UT, said it was “inspiring to be around so many people working, learning, and developing, and seeing different fields of research I don’t usually experience.” Each student and attendee of the conference left feeling inspired, with ideas of research they might conduct if given the chance.
Learning in the Light is a continual process. Moving forward, even in the face of trials, brings rewards we cannot yet imagine. The Honors Program continues to build eager learners who are not afraid to look for answers in unexpected places. Thank you all for joining us at this year’s Honors Conference!