New Horizons

Recently, something wonderful happened. Somehow, in some way, work became fun. I have surrounded myself with so much that is soul-enriching and yields true joy that I am having a blast.

As Joseph Sowa and I started the Student-Provo City Alliance, our ambitions began to grow. Initially we wished to merely overturn an unjust ordinance passed by the Provo City Council. As people signed up and more research was conducted, our vision increased. Joseph, however, was tapped for a prestigious study abroad and was unable to continue. In our executive council meeting on Monday, the SPCA suggested that our leadership structure have only one head: me. Consequently I find myself now heading three organizations instead of the the one that I signed up for two months ago. Let me explain.

Two months ago I was appointed as the Co-President of the Honors Student Advisory Council by the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education. With Dan Garcia, I will manage, grow, and develop the honors student community of 4,000+ students at BYU. It vaulted me up to some high falutin' councils that only the big cheeses go to. By in large, I've found the council's meaningless and unproductive, at least in regards to my organization.

Shortly after the SPCA began. As part of our research, we discovered that Provo residents were generally hostile towards students and students, in response to that antipathy, expressed apathy for the community. What was to be done? I couldn't sleep one night as I began to mull over several options for community outreach and unity. One idea was a website that facilitated service. I got out of bed, shuffled to the front room, and brain dumped on our 6' x 4' whiteboard. The result has been something of Providential intervention. I connected with the head of the Center for Service and Learning at BYU who is potentially interested in becoming a paid partner of the site. I connected with Brock Alexander who is a rising star in branding and developing a website's look and feel. I connected through a friend to a very competent man named Mike Benson who will be creating the guts of the website. I connected with Mitchell Harris who is acting as a consultant to simplify and streamline the structure of the website. Dave Coleman, who is working with me in the SPCA, is helping with strategy and marketing. If I can find a graphic designer, I'll have a full team.

The site will facilitate service by enabling people to create profiles as individuals and organizations. These individuals and organizations can then connect with one another in a very easy way to do service or to provide the service opportunity. Those who I have bounced the fleshed out idea off of have been very supportive and encouraging. Not only will I make the community a better place, I might be able to pay tuition and rent as well.

So I find myself as Co-President of HSAC, founder and President of the Student-Provo City Alliance (our new website, studentprovocityalliance.org, will be up and running by the end of this week), and founder and President of a website whose name has not been disclosed yet (we are in negotiations to purchase one of two domain names that look most appealing).

I still struggle with the reality that I was offered no internship this summer. But perhaps working for the Associate Dean of the business school, running these three organizations, ensuring my graduation with honors, and adding a second, lucrative degree will compensate.