The week before each semester begins, I see something remarkable occur at curbsides around the campus of Brigham Young University–Idaho. Family-sized vehicles — filled seemingly beyond intended capacity with brothers, sisters, luggage, and parents — line the streets and parking lots.
There are lingering looks as dads and moms attempt to hold back tears of overwhelming pride and longing. While some parents may not be college graduates themselves, others are alumni who seem to soak in everything possible as their memories meld with the moment.
It is quite touching to watch at this point in my life. I recall clearly the feelings I had as a new student, at what was then Ricks College. I remember unloading old and brand-new belongings while wondering anxiously what my next few months would be like.
Now as a parent, I also recognize those heartstrings, even apron strings, wrapped around a child being sent out to experience life and significant growth as a young adult.
The new students have a familiar and unusual look that conveys amazement, excitement, fear and insecurity all at the same time. Never before have they more wanted to be adults and, at the same time, children. Younger siblings are in awe as they help carry items into the students’ new “college apartments” or just stand quietly by, unsure of what is really happening.
For moms and dads, leaving a child at BYU–Idaho is like turning them over to the Lord. Parents hope in their hearts that they have done everything within their power to, as it says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Working for LDS Philanthropies at BYU–Idaho, I have the opportunity to observe, interview, and write about alumni and friends who faithfully contribute toward the education of students. I have the privilege of doing the same with the young men and women who humbly accept these gifts as sacred. I wish you could join me in witnessing this ongoing process firsthand. The hand of the Lord is so evident throughout.
A student recently wrote the following thank-you note for the financial support he received:
“Your gift is a blessing to both my wife and me. We see this act of charity as a rich blessing and an opportunity to spend more time studying and preparing to accomplish the will of the Lord. Please know that the sacrifices you are making to help students like me reach and accomplish goals have an eternal ramification that can and will bless the lives of thousands of people. Thank you so much for your gift and generosity.”
Every semester the same basic scene is repeated. Parents trustingly and lovingly turn their children over to this, one of the Lord’s universities. And with the support of alumni and friends, thousands of students have their hearts and lives changed at BYU–Idaho.