At BYU’s commencement exercises, journalism student Amy Ortiz will represent the graduates as the student speaker. This profile celebrates her BYU experience and how God has magnified her to bless the lives of others.
When 9-year-old Amy Ortiz first emigrated to the United States from Mexico, she could not have imagined herself becoming an accomplished journalist. Learning a new language and culture was daunting and writing was a struggle. But she watched how her parents thrived with courage, education and service. Now, Ortiz recognizes that her BYU path has revolved around these values. Her confidence comes with placing Jesus Christ at the forefront of her goals and decisions.
Ortiz was born in Mexico in March 2001 — the same month her father was accepted to the MBA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business. In Provo, the family grew to three children and Ortiz watched as her parents worked to gain the skills and knowledge that would enable them to strengthen their home and the Church. After completing the MBA program, the family returned to Mexico and her father was soon called to serve as branch president.
“My parents were able to share the gospel — lead and serve — and have the means to do so thanks to their joint efforts to obtain work and education. Their example allowed me to see firsthand how education leads to service.”
"I want to treat everyone with love and respect and tell their stories truthfully. I feel like the Lord is teaching me that when I put Him first, He will continue to strengthen me."
As Ortiz served alongside her parents, she was able to interact with people of different backgrounds, enriching her appreciation of human stories.
“I was able to be there with them, help build homes and do different things in the community. Those early experiences instilled a love in me for getting to know people and their stories. This has translated into who I am now and the area of work that I’ve chosen.”
Ortiz’s proclivity for journalism is an extension of innate gifts as well as experiences that have stretched her to learn a new language and culture, keenly observe, get to know people and gather information. These experiences have also increased her empathy for others.
By age 9, the family returned to Utah for her father’s work. Ortiz focused on photography, videography, and art in high school and participated in the college-prep SOAR program through BYU’s Multicultural Student Services. When she was admitted to BYU, it was a dream come true.
Beginning BYU was also scary, and she had doubts about finding her first student job. Her mother encouraged her: “You may not have previous work experience, but you’ve been serving. You know how to lead a meeting, write an email, and communicate — so put that on your resume.”
Her mother’s advice helped Ortiz land her first job as an administrative assistant at the BYU Law School. She demonstrated strong communication skills and one of her first assignments was to write a profile story on a judge. Through this experience, she realized that she enjoyed writing, and she could tell a story. Her confidence grew.
“I can do this. I’ve been doing this with my family for generations — sitting and listening to the adults at family gatherings, being able to listen to them and then transfer those same skills.”
Ortiz paused her schooling and work to serve a full-time mission at the Mexico City Temple Visitors’ Center.
“I was able to use those managing and communication skills and teach people all around the globe who spoke Spanish and be able to feel confident and trust that the Lord would magnify those skills.”
Ortiz’s mission experiences propelled her when she returned to BYU. She participated in several experiential learning opportunities abroad, including traveling to Germany with a team to produce a video documentary that she is currently finishing about BYU’s founder, Karl G. Maeser. As part of the journalism program, Ortiz wrote stories for The Daily Universe and, with the encouragement of her mentor, soon became a copy editor and later editor-in-chief. Once again, Ortiz felt some doubts, but she knew she loved the interview process and appreciated people’s stories.
“Getting to meet with people and hear their stories and then produce something was exciting and uplifting for me.” With this love, she knew she could take on challenging responsibilities and perform well.
This past semester, Ortiz has been interning with the Church News. She was naturally attracted to this opportunity because she loves the Church, faith stories and positive news.
“It’s been a wonderful learning experience — being with the team and being able to use the skills that I’ve been learning at BYU to inspire, uplift and create meaningful content.”
Ortiz’s service-oriented attitude continues to produce confidence. “Oftentimes the messages that I’m writing have been exactly what I needed that day or that moment. Being able to share that, and hope that it inspires something or someone else, has been wonderful.”
As Ortiz nears graduation, she plans to continue connecting with others and share meaningful stories and content. Her underlying motives have not changed.
“I want to be a beacon of light, truth and hope. God is our loving Heavenly Father, and we are all His children. I want to treat everyone with love and respect and tell their stories truthfully. I feel like the Lord is teaching me that when I put Him first, He will continue to strengthen me.”
