LAIE, Hawaii — Elder Steven E. Snow (pictured right) of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reminded 205 Brigham Young University–Hawaii graduates from 34 countries that as leaders of tomorrow, "with your education comes a responsibility. You have not labored these past years simply to insure greater lifetime earnings."
Elder Snow, formerly an attorney in Utah's Washington County, served as a member and president of his local school board, was chairman of the Utah State Board of Regents, and also chairman of the Western States Commission of Higher Education, which includes Hawaii. He shared eight characteristics of a good leader with the graduates gathered in the BYU–Hawaii Cannon Activities Center on June 6, 2009:
- Be responsible: "It is a choice blessing to be someone people can count on. Such an honor does not come easily or quickly. It is earned. But if you achieve it, it will bring great dividends."
- Work hard: "There is absolutely no substitute for hard," he said. "By completing your education you have proven you understand the importance of hard work. Your studies will also help you work smarter."
- Have a vision of the future: "Visualize what you can accomplish and then take the necessary steps to make it happen."
- Don't be afraid to fail: "If you do make a mistake accept blame, make things right and move on. If you are completely adverse to risk, you will have a miserable life," Elder Snow continued.
- Be quick to say thank you and be generous in praise: "Remember, people thrive on praise and recognition."
- Live a balanced life: "Do not take your young health for granted. If you do it will let you down. Exercise and eat right. Follow the counsel of the Word of Wisdom in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants," Elder Snow said. "Treasure your family. If you are not yet married, plan for that day. Cherish, strengthen and support one another as husband and wife. As the children come, give them your time. Be diligent in holding family prayer, family home evening, family gospel study and wholesome family activities together."
- Don't take yourself too seriously: "Humor is the balm of life, so apply it liberally."
- Always find time to give back: "Not just in Church service, but community service as well," Elder Snow said.
Roger G. Christensen, Assistant to the Commissioner of the Church Educational System and Secretary to the Board of Trustees for all CES universities, who accompanied Elder Snow, used several Biblical themes to suggest to the graduates that as "you go about ‘doing good' [referring to Acts 10:38], you also need to make sure you are going in the right direction."
"As you look forward into your future and think about your pathway through life, it is important to understand that the Lord has a plan for you to take you where He wants you to be," he said. "Your responsibility is to try to understand that plan and then pursue the path that leads to it. Be cautious of distractions that will divert your attention and keep you from being on the right path."
"As you leave this great institution, regardless of the path you may take in pursuit of your life's goals, each of you must learn to ‘trust in the Lord with all [your] heart; and lean not unto [your] own understanding' [Proverbs 3:5]," he added.
June 2009 Graduates
BYU–Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright, a former Senior Associate Dean and Director of Harvard Business School's MBA program, quoted President Gordon B. Hinckley, who said of education, "life is more than science and mathematics, more than history and literature. There is a need for another education, without which the substance of our secular learning may lead only to our destruction."
"I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the character, of the spirit — these indefinable aspects of our personalities which determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with another."
"The education of the heart...consists of what we prepare our hearts to receive, embrace and desire," President Wheelwright said. "Our hope is that during your time on this campus that you have filled your hearts with faith in Christ and His Plan, gratitude for His atonement, and a steadfast desire to follow Him in all you do."
"Indeed, our greatest desire for you is that you have expanded your capacity to obey His commandments and have committed to serve Him with all your heart. I believe that this is the essence of an education of the heart."
Responding as a student representative [BYU–Hawaii does not name a valedictorian], R. Alex Storm, an accounting graduate from Monroe, Washington, told "all faculty, administrators, service missionaries, parents, friends and family who have sacrificed and labored diligently to bless each of us graduates with an education in both spiritual and secular pursuits [that] we are greatly indebted to all who have given selfless service to each of us."
"We are in debt to all of those who have sacrificed to raise us into the people we are today," said Storm, who served a mission in Sendai, Japan, prior to enrolling at BYU–Hawaii. He plans to pursue a master's in accounting degree at BYU Provo.
As is traditional in Hawaii, family and friends shared their aloha with the graduates outside the Cannon Activities Center after the commencement ceremony by giving them flower leis and gifts.
The Church founded BYU–Hawaii in 1955. Slightly over half of its approximately 2,400 students come from more than 70 different countries.
— Photos by Monique Saenz