During the winter semester of her freshman year, Hannah Criser walked home as the BYU bell tower rang across campus, playing “Country Roads.” Hearing that, she knew God was aware of her and that BYU was where she needed to be.
Criser, from a small town in Appalachia, is about to become the first BYU graduate in her immediate family. For Criser, BYU had always been the plan. Influenced by her cousin and friends who had attended, she knew it was the place for her, even though it meant leaving her beloved home in West Virginia.
As a freshman, Criser felt homesick and faced initial insecurities due to a seemingly different student demographic. However, that initial chip on her shoulder dissolved as she sought research opportunities and received guidance from her professors.
“I don’t want people to think I’m at BYU despite my upbringing — it’s because of my upbringing,” Criser said. “My family didn’t have the most money, but the work ethic that was instilled in me by seeing how hard my parents and community members worked has been so important.”
Knowing political science was her passion, she was eager to dive into BYU’s program. While working two to three jobs at a time to pay her way through school, she relied on the work ethic instilled in her upbringing.
Criser joined the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at BYU, a nonpartisan academic research center committed to producing high-quality research. For the past three years, she has participated in several research projects, opening doors to faculty mentorship, and future opportunities.
“I think everyone wants to be nonchalant. You want to seem like you know what you’re doing, but it’s from admitting that I don’t know everything that I feel like a lot has happened for me in my life. I asked for jobs and opportunities from professors, and that has done a lot for me,” Criser said.
One of her most memorable projects explored changes in voter fraud opinions. Her team conducted surveys at both the national and local levels leading up to the 2024 election. In later stages, they incorporated an AI component, allowing them to gather more robust data in a cost-effective way. Each chatbot adapted to the individual respondent, helping researchers better understand not only what people believed, but why those beliefs formed and whether they changed over time.
Criser said that BYU has pushed her both academically and spiritually. As she has deepened her education, she has also strengthened her faith. Her Book of Mormon as sacred literature class discussed how God is not only a Master Creator but also a Master Poet.
“There are so many facets to who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are, and I really learned a lot about them when I was at BYU. I loved that class in particular and have loved learning from my professors, whose discipleship and actions are seen in how they treat you.”
Criser looks up to her professors as examples of what it means to be a disciple-scholar. BYU’s mission to combine spiritual development with intellectual growth became real to her through their example. She hopes to carry that same approach into her future as she pursues opportunities in teaching.
“I would not have applied for a PhD or had the courage to do so if it weren’t for my professors, especially my female mentors. They are so intelligent, but they still make time for me and think I have interesting ideas.”
After graduation, Criser will attend the University of Texas to pursue her PhD — a path she hadn’t considered as a freshman walking past the bell tower. She will soon become the first in her family to graduate from college out of state and the first to pursue a doctoral degree.
