Distinguished guests, fellow graduates, Aloha!
Take a look around you and let it sink in that we made it. As we come to the end of this chapter, I am privileged with the opportunity to share some reflecting thoughts on this incredible stage of our lives.
As I share my story with you, please pay attention not just to the words that will be spoken, but to the impressions that come to your mind and especially the feelings that come to your heart.
There are a million and one lessons that I have learned here at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, but in the midst of our excitement, anxiety, and maybe a little bit of fear, the lesson I feel most impressed to share with you today is one about promptings.
In 2019, I was enrolled in one of the top-ranking universities in Australia. I had my five-year plan set out for me, and I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I received the shock of a lifetime when I felt the quiet pull in my heart to withdraw from that course and to go and serve a full-time mission. Anyone who knew me at that time of my life could tell you, very clearly that I was not someone they would typically describe as missionary-material. But this pull in my heart was so strong that I knew what had to be done.
I don’t mean to be dramatic but following that prompting changed the course of my entire life. By the end of that year, I was in the Philippines. However, due to COVID, I was reassigned to Australia and my first companion there was in the process of filling out her BYU–Hawaii application. I asked her, “Why BYU–Hawaii?” She told me very simply that she wanted to be educated in both mind and spirit. When she said that, I felt that familiar pull in my heart and two months after completing my mission in 2021, I was on a flight to Hawaii and ended up being roommates with that very same mission companion.
On one of my first days here at BYU–Hawaii, I was reunited with a boy. I’m sure you know where this is going. I had been in contact with this boy for about a year. We were emailing back and forth on the mission. Now you can call me a hopeless romantic but when I saw him again here at BYU–Hawaii, I knew that I wanted to marry him. I had a list of people at that time who would’ve freaked out at that revelation. But I took those thoughts to God and felt that quiet, gentle pull at my heart and I knew I was on the right track. By the end of 2022, we were married.
In Winter 2023, I found myself in my very first Pacific Island Studies class by accident. I was reaching a point in my studies where I felt demotivated. I was getting anxious about the future and felt limited with the options that I had. My world felt incredibly small. I remember sitting in that classroom listening to Dr. [Michael] Ligaliga talk about an ocean of islands and I felt this gentle but strong pull at my heart, and I knew I was where God wanted me to be. Dr. Ligaliga shared the classic Pacific Studies literature by Dr. Epeli Hau’ofa who reminded me that my ancestors did not “conceive their world in microscopic proportions. Their world was anything but tiny. They thought big.” [1] In that classroom, I was reminded that smallness is a state of mind. I followed that pull in my heart and picked up Pacific Island Studies as a second major, gaining incredible mentors and a stronger understanding of who God intends for me to be.
In May 2024, I was weeks away from giving birth, and even in all of the joy and excitement, life just felt overwhelmingly heavy – literally and mentally. I questioned whether I should take a break from my studies to make room for motherhood and focus on my family. During that time, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a university-funded trip with Dr. Marcum, Sister Marcum, and Dr. Bradshaw as well as a handful of other students. We travelled to several key Church history sites from New York all the way to Utah. On that trip, while studying the faith and sacrifices of early Church pioneers, I felt this pull in my heart to finish strong in my studies, take one day at a time, and to just let God do what God does best.
Although each of our academic journeys are unique, we’ve all been led to the same place here today. As we move forward and fulfill the next phase of going forth to serve, I know we are all excited and maybe even a little fearful of what comes next. I know I feel that way. For as long as I can remember, I have always feared the future. It has been one of the biggest sources of anxiety for me. However, these pulls at our hearts or promptings have eased those worries.
Growing up, I was taught that promptings are God’s way of helping you choose the right. While that is true, there is another key aspect I have learned about listening to promptings.
These quiet and gentle pulls at our hearts are God’s way of helping us to be present. Following these promptings have taught me that overcoming the fear of the future begins with being present. Be present with those around you and more importantly to be present with God. As we follow these promptings that teach us to be present, naturally God unfolds for us the most abundant future we could ever dream of.
Fellow graduates, as we stand on the shoulders of those before us, as we become diplomats, lawyers, teachers, businesswomen, businessmen, doctors, artists, parents, and more. I hope we never forget to follow those gentle pulls in our hearts, guiding us to greater joys than we could ever imagine.
Fa’afetai tele lava, mauruuru roa, and mahalo nui loa.
I leave these things with you all, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Epeli Hau'ofa, "Our Sea of Islands," The Contemporary Pacific, volume 6, number 1 [1994], 148-161