Valuing Discipleship as a Disciple-Scholar
Story by Noah Rogers | Photos Courtesy Libbie Allen
Libbie Allen, a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering, has found a real passion in interdisciplinary learning. Like most Honors students, Libbie strives for excellence at school, work, volunteering activities and in following Jesus Christ. She recently had the opportunity to attend the BYU Jerusalem Center and shared some of her experiences with us.
Libbie said going to Jerusalem was one of the biggest reasons she decided to attend BYU. The experience more than exceeded her expectations, as she learned how to connect with Jesus Christ and with those around her.It was more than worth it, she noted, despite unfortunate circumstances regarding military activities in Israel and Iran. The Jerusalem Center ended up being locked down while they were there and regrettably, they had to leave Israel earlier than planned.Even with these challenges, she found the most fulfillment in Israel from the relationships she was able to grow.
“About the Jerusalem center, people say it’s life changing all the time.” She noted that we often talk about eternal relationships in the context of families and how families are forever, but it's not just families that are eternal relationships. “Because of Jesus Christ, all of the relationships that we make in this life can last forever, that we can have these friendships that we cherish, that can last forever. At the Jerusalem center there are these people that I just grew to love, like they're part of my family, and I know that I will always treasure those relationships that I have. I will always have friends and people that are there to support me and help me and care about me because I went to the Jerusalem Center.” One such experience occurred while Libbie and her fellow students were trying to pass the time in lockdown. Together they enjoyed a memory night, sharing what they learned about Jesus Christ.
Other memorable experiences included sitting and looking out at the Sea of Galilee, picturing Jesus Christ’s apostles out there in a tempest.“There was a small storm while we were there,” she said. “And there were also lots of missiles. Just being able to feel how real these experiences that the Savior had with these people, walking through the streets of Jerusalem picturing his miracles, that's just a once in a lifetime chance.”
Honors students at BYU often end up juggling 4 or 5 projects at a time, fulfilling responsibilities in work, school, church and planning for the future, and it can be hard to spend time on interdisciplinary and other experiential activities. When asked if it was worth it, Libbie observed we have Christ’s example to follow. “Jesus has all this stuff going on. There's someone that's dying over here and he slows down and takes the time to be with this person who stretched as far as they could to touch the edge of his robe. In our lives, that's important too. You know, we're in a hurry, we’ve got deadlines, but to take time to slow down and realize what else is going on around us is important. Sometimes we might need to be the one that pauses. We might need to be the one that reaches out to the Savior. Maybe what we need is to take that break and reach out to the Savior and recharge with him.”
“I feel like students are inherently inclined to do lots of things and Honor students, with the interdisciplinary nature of the program, are inclined to push themselves even more. Try lots of things, that's just how the Honors program is structured. If you're in the Honors program, that's probably what you do.”
She noted that prioritizing can be hard for Honors students who care about so many different things. As an Honors student advisor, she often hears from students that they’re not sure if they have time for the program. She encourages students to think about what’s important to them, weighing experiences and opportunities with timelines. For herself, Libbie said, “weighing the benefits is more important than feeling like school is a race I have to finish on time.”
For Libbie, taking a semester to spend time at the Jerusalem Center is a perfect example of balancing opportunities. “Because I spent that time in Jerusalem, I learned to value the disciple part of disciple-scholar,” she said. “Honors is about interdisciplinarity, which also includes the spiritual perspective. ”Developing that perspective, gaining faith, and growing as a disciple-scholar, has since helped Libbie focus more on spiritual development alongside her academic pursuits. “That has blessed me in my schooling going forward,” she added.