{CAPTURE LIFE}: Thank you, Institute.

I was asked to write a short paragraph summing up my experiences at Institute over the past year. It gave me some time to reflect on how being a part of Institute has impacted my time in college and I am grateful for an opportunity to think about this. I absolutely love the Institute and am passionate about its purpose as a program. I have found a home away from home at the Institute and I hope that others will come and find that they have similar experiences.

Balancing academics, athletics, and church appeared to be an impossible feat this year. Although somewhat unintuitive, for me, it was adding institute to this mix that actually made balance possible. I was called as the Institute President last January and was excited, yet unsure of what this new calling would bring me. I soon learned that as I focused on making this calling a priority many miracles would ensue. I felt closer and more reliant upon Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ these last six months than I have at almost any other point in my life. I know that without the blessings given from attending Institute with a desire to learn and grow, I would not have been able to accomplish all that I needed to this year. I have often thought how I was carried throughout this year by miracle after miracle. Some of these miracles include: teachers who were willing to forego their prepared lesson to follow the spirit and discuss topics that I desperately needed to discuss in class that day, meeting a new best friend whom I am grateful for every single day with every conversation the two of us have, activities where I have felt that I am able to connect with those I normally would not have the chance to get to know, the ability to remember names of people I have only just met, the ability to finish my homework, the ability to pass my exams, and the peace and comfort of knowing Heavenly Father is ever present and more importantly, ever engaged in my life. Institute has always been a blessing in my life, but perhaps one that I was initially hesitant in getting involved with at the beginning of my college career. With each passing year I can see clearer and clearer that it is Institute and my goal to make it a priority that truly has shaped me into the person I am and person I am becoming. I am grateful for Institute and for the way in which Heavenly Father works with and shapes me through this program.