Heroes of our Own Journeys
Dressed in glittering ballgowns and sharp suits, students filled the WSC Garden Court to enjoy the annual Honors Program Gala Friday night. Dreams took flight as they imagined where their life stories would take them. The room was decorated with pastel-colored balloons, twinkling lights, and miniature hot air balloons, reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s book, Oh the Places You’ll Go!
Hal Boyd, an Honors alumnus and currently Chief of Staff to BYU President C. Shane Reese, gave an inspiring keynote address. Boyd received his undergraduate degree in philosophy at BYU and later went to Yale Law School. He has been the editor of the Deseret News and executive editor of Deseret Magazine. Boyd’s speech, titled: “You Just Won 10,000 Francs! Now What?” encouraged attendees to embrace their role as the main character in their own life story.
Boyd started his address by recalling fond memories from his time as a BYU Honors student. “It’s a special thing to be a student in the Honors Program. It opened the windows of heaven for me, and I pray that it will for you,” he said. “Give to it and it will give you more in return. Cast your bread upon the waters, as we read in holy writ, and it will flow back to you, and in my experience, it flows back tenfold, twentyfold.”
Referring to the beginnings of stories like Harry Potter, Moby Dick, and scriptural accounts of Adam and Eve, Boyd explained that we each have our own personal hero’s journey, beginning with a call to action. “Deep in our souls, we hear eternal echoes of the Master’s call to us even before we were born. This is the hero’s journey, and you, you Honors students, are the heroes,” he said.
Boyd shared an experience from his personal life when he felt a call to action and had to cross the threshold into a new world as the protagonist in his own story. He was on the trajectory to a lucrative career in law when an opportunity arose to become a journalist. Although he didn’t initially like the idea, he decided to follow the call to action. Eventually, he became the editor of the Deseret News and has been able to have great influence through this career choice. Boyd encouraged the audience to embark on their own hero’s journey, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. “When you move beyond the comforts and safety of the garden and you come to college, where you enroll in your first Honors course, or dare I say, you take to the dance floor on this very night once the speech ends, you begin an adventure,” he said. “You push yourself into soul stretching moments of discomfort that build character. It’s character development, a plot development in your story, and you’re writing it, right now. Go leave this lecture and go live.”
Using divine gifts he has received has also been an important part of Boyd’s adventurous life journey. He related the story of a woman named Babette who won 10,000 francs in the lottery, but used this gift to bring unity and harmony to her village community through preparing a feast (“Babette’s Feast,” by Isak Dinesen). As BYU Honors students and disciples of Jesus Christ, Boyd explained that each attendee has been endowed with special gifts, like they each won their own 10,000 francs, which they can use to bless the lives of others. “Just like the people who are estranged in that austere village, you can help dissipate animosity. You can become the peacemakers that President Nelson talks about. The people you help serve will indeed revel in mutual forgiveness and fellow feeling. You can help heal the world,” he said.
To conclude, Boyd shared his heartfelt testimony of Jesus Christ. “He is our hero. He is the hero of Israel, the mighty one to save,” he said. “May we follow in his heroic footsteps on our own hero’s journey, to overcome, and to use the gifts that we gain in that process to serve others.”
Following the banquet, attendees enjoyed a floorshow by members of the BYU Folk Dance Club, who then taught the crowd three different dances from around the world. Honors students and faculty are quick learners! The dance followed, with everyone on their feet until the end. Dancing the night away, enjoying a quality dinner, being inspired by an Honors alumnus, and meeting new people are just some of the things that made the Honors Gala a night to remember!