BYU–Hawaii student Jane-Lyn Scotty will find herself looking up a little more now when she passes by the university’s iconic Flag Circle at the campus main entrance. Jane is the first student from the island nation of Nauru, and on Wednesday, December 30, 2015, her country’s flag was added to fly alongside the 69 others at the Flag Circle. These flags are from the nations of the university’s international student body. With more than 1,000 international students, BYU–Hawaii is the most internationally diverse baccalaureate university in the United States. (Read the report in The Chronicle of Higher Education.)
Joined by university president John S. Tanner, Vice President Norman S. Black, friends and other supporters, Jane hoisted her country’s flag for the first time in the university’s 60-year history.
“I’m just so happy that people can know Nauru exists, and can learn more about my country,” Jane said. Jane plans to take her education and experience from BYU–Hawaii back to Nauru, encourage others toward education at BYU–Hawaii, and make a difference in the country’s future.
“We’re so excited to have this true modern pioneer here at the university,” said President Tanner. “As the first student from Nauru, she will have a long-lasting impact on her country as she follows the mandate to ‘go forth to serve’ and become a leader, as David O. McKay prophesied.”
Jane is a political science major who comes from the Boe district in Nauru. She became acquainted with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she visited family in nearby Kiribati, and later joined the Church and attended the Church school in Kiribati. She served as a full-time missionary for the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, (Utah Salt Lake City East Mission) and came to BYU–Hawaii following her mission.
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is located in Micronesia. The closest neighbor is the island of Banaba in Kiribati, about 186 miles (300 km) to the east. There are fewer than 10,000 residents of Nauru who live on eight square miles (21 sq. km), making Nauru the third smallest nation in the world behind Vatican City and Monaco.
The Nauruan flag is blue – representative of the Pacific Ocean – with a bold yellow line that symbolizes the Equator because the country is located just below the Equator. A white star below the yellow line signifies the original 12 tribes of Nauru.
