Name: Candilyn Newell
BYU employee since: This is a little complicated – I began as a student employee working for the American studies program in 2005 while completing my undergraduate degrees in American studies and humanities with an art history emphasis. Then, I worked as an advisor in the University Advisement Center while I completed my Ph.D. in counseling psychology from 2007 to 2010. There was a three-year gap in employment when I was called to serve as a full-time missionary in Stockholm, Sweden, with my husband when he was called to serve as a Mission President from 2011 to 2014. I returned and began working ¾ time as a career advisor while I continued working on my Ph.D. I left BYU in 2016 to complete my (required) full-time internship at UVU, where I went on to become their head sports psychologist. I returned to BYU in late 2018 as a full-time employee. Additionally, I have taught professional etiquette, a semester-long class, since from Fall 2009–Winter 2011, and now Fall 2014–present. It began as an evening one-credit lecture class but has since evolved to where it is today – a two-credit class with two sections, one in the evening and one during the day.
My job at BYU is… career director at the College of Life Sciences. I help students successfully manage their next step professionally after graduating from BYU – whether that is to industry or graduate school.
I’m currently working on… a book based on my class lectures and student experiences with the principles taught in the class. The working title is "It’s the Person, not the Plate: Principles for Personal and Professional Success."
I’m currently reading… I have 11 pages of downloads on my Kindle right now – it really depends on my mood in the moment of the day. I read everything but romance – I tell others, “I have so much in my real life, I don’t need anymore."
I get most excited about my work when… students see the vision for the next step on their personal and professional path – it is an almost sacred moment to see the hand of the Lord in their lives. They work hard to present their best selves on paper in resumes and personal statements and then invest the time to be strong interviewees – interviewing is a skill, so the more you do it, the better you get. The wonderful thing is when they invest so much time and effort in the process, they can truly accept the outcome, knowing there is a plan for them individually and that timing is a part of that.
My favorite part about teaching is... watching students "get it." It is not unusual for students to comment that although the required assignments for the class take little time, they actually often think about the class principles during the week. That brings me so much happiness.
My favorite lecture to teach is... the one that I am teaching that week. I really enjoy each principle taught while helping students understand how to integrate that principle into daily life. I am well-known for using video clips to support my material – I often think of them as visual parables where everyone can take away a new way of thinking, depending on where they are in their life’s journey.
When I have 30 minutes of free time... you can find me reading, planning the next celebration for my family (every month has something to decorate for and celebrate, even beyond birthdays) or figuring out what I hope is a great birthday gift for my children and grans. I follow the adage of “something to read, something to wear and something to do."
My advice to incoming freshmen is… get out of your comfort zone – if you are a “sporty person,” do something cultural. If you are a “cultural person,” go to a sporting event. Go to Ballard Center events, attend the Film Festival, go to the museum and certainly go to sports games. I LOVE sports and have been compared to the 93-year-old March Madness fan, although I am not that old – yet! The campus has so much to offer, even during this unique season.
My advice to graduating seniors is… get yourself a mindfulness practice – you can write me a thank-you note later!
My go-to BYU Creamery ice cream flavor is… oh dear – again, that "in the moment thing" – lemon sherbet and raspberry sherbet are amazing (separate, not the lemon and raspberry mixed) and a three-scoop, death-by-chocolate: German Chocolate Chunk, Earnestly Chocolate and Brownie Nut Fudge. (It is a bit embarrassing that I know the names of so many BYU chocolate ice creams).
My favorite spot on campus is… the pathways between the LSB and lower campus – I love watching the baby ducks in the spring, the waterfalls in the summer, the leaves change in the fall and the quiet of winter descending on campus.
My go-to comfort food is... chocolate or lemon anything (please see the ice cream comment above).
You’ll never find me without... my Kindle – I rarely get grumpy anymore while waiting in line for anything – I just simply pull out my Kindle and enjoy.
The title of my autobiography would be... “I Will Die When I Am 93, In a Bookstore, Just Politely Toppled Over.”
My favorite quote is… three-way tie: “I will live my life with grace, which is the Savior’s gift and not perfection, which is Satan’s trap," “Preach the gospel always, use words only when necessary” and “comparison is the thief of joy.” A close fourth is “and it came to pass” – there is so much hope in that phrase for so many reasons.
My most embarrassing moment was... when I slipped and fell in front of a receiving line, which consisted of the entire Swedish Royal Court – new shoes with leather soles and 800-year-old marble floors are not a great mix.
My dream car is... a Jaguar! The burl wood interior gets me every time – just beautiful.
