During Thursday's August Commencement Ceremony, Elder Brent H. Nielson, General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared with students advice he wished he had heard at the time of his BYU graduation.

Ashton Omdahl will represent the graduates as the student speaker at BYU’s Commencement exercises this month. University Communications’ intern Erica Ostergar recently met with Omdahl to discuss his BYU experience what advice he’d give to other students.

Michelle Stevens may describe herself as “a chill, ordinary graphic design student” but not every graduate has had their own art exhibit independent from their program, spent spare time volunteering for a youth camp or had their life filmed for a reality show. 

Getting a Ph.D. was never among Alden Yellowhorse's expectations for himself, but the decision opened doors for personal, professional and academic growth – including an ongoing research relationship with NASA.

“I can't imagine anywhere but BYU sending an undergraduate student to do research at both poles. I feel ridiculously lucky to have gone to Antarctica and the Arctic—both places are really unique and important environments to study.”

Through faculty mentorship and the drive to make a difference in the world, Cade Dopp has begun a robust educational program in Ghana using technology to teach and tutor underprivileged children.