Hey There, We're Rise Up!
The purpose of this campaign is to highlight personal stories, during the COVID 19 Pandemic, of overcoming adversity and exemplify how they turned hardship into hope.
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If you’re craving inspirational content, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube!
Share your own Rise Up story with the community with the following hashtag: #riseupstories
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And remember, we Rise Up Together!
ELISA HUHEM
Hello! My name is Elisa and I’m from Cedar Hills, Utah. I’m excited to be graduating this April 2021 with a degree in Communications with an emphasis in sports journalism. I’ll be returning this Fall to the BYU Marriott School of Business to pursue a Masters in Public Administration. The idea for this campaign came because of several conversations with friends and family that I have had during COVID-19..There were so many sad stories, and yet it seemed like there was a light amidst all the darkness. There was hope and things learned even though it was so difficult and so the purpose of this campaign was to help highlight the good that came about even in the middle of such challenging circumstances.
TABITHA EVANS
Hello! I’m Tabitha from Gilbert, Arizona, and I’m studying Advertising. I chose to participate in this campaign because of my personal experiences in 2020. At the beginning of 2020, I had just been accepted into BYU’s advertising program as an art director and I was ecstatic to get started and get to work, but, due to the pandemic, I had to move back to Arizona. Being away while my program started was difficult, and even when I returned to Utah in the fall, trying to do collaborative work and meeting new people during Social Distancing became a mission on its own. I want to use this campaign to give hope and show that we can find ways to make small victories even in this “New Normal”.
KAELA CLEARY
Hello! My name is Kaela and I’m from Santa Barbara, CA. I’m looking forward to graduating this April with a degree in journalism. I decided to join this campaign because COVID created a lot of challenges for me. For my whole college career I’ve been on the cross country and track team. Last February I finally had a really good race and was excited to continue improving- until the pandemic put a stop to my season. Throughout the pandemic my team worked really hard to overcome our challenges and be ready for when competition did come. This experience has inspired me to create hope for others going through life challenges. This campaign has also inspired me because I get to hear other people’s stories about how they’ve overcome challenges.
LIV JOHNSTON
Hi hi hi! My name’s Liv. I’m from Bountiful, Utah but I'm headed to New York City after I graduate from the BYU Advertising program come April. I’m pretty sure everyone can agree when I say that COVID-19 totally threw my life plans. My study abroads were cancelled, all my classes went online, and my job as a wedding videographer ceased to exist. As hard as it was learning to adapt, I am grateful for the lessons I learned from it. I learned how to go with the flow and keep creating despite challenges. I learned that we are much more resilient than we often give ourselves credit.
SADIE STRATFORD
Hi! My name is Sadie and I’m from North Salt Lake, Utah. I am majoring in Public Relations and am planning on graduating from BYU this December. COVID-19 has been a whirlwind for all of us and many plans have been changed and readjusted this past year. I was on a study abroad in Jerusalem when the pandemic hit and was sent home early not knowing how serious it really was. Learning how to adapt to a “new normal” is hard but learning from others experiences can uplift and empower us through this difficult time.
HANNAH MINER
My name is Hannah, and I’m from American Fork, Utah. I am majoring in journalism with emphases in sports and visual journalism. Like so many others, COVID changed so many of my plans. I didn’t get to travel to the Olympics for my capstone, my job as a newspaper photographer completely changed, and online classes were pretty hard at first. As I’ve adapted to life during the pandemic, I’ve been able to learn so much. Hearing other people’s experiences has helped me feel connected to the community, and I’m grateful that I can be part of a campaign highlighting the positive ways people have been able to grow from their experiences with COVID.
ALEX KYLER
Hey! I’m Alex from Alpine, Utah and I’m in the Communications Studies major at BYU. COVID has been a difficult and unique time for all of us, and it’s so easy to get discouraged. From classes going remote, to not being able to be with friends and family, it’s been a really tough time. But it is what we make of it! There are so many stories of people who have risen above the hard circumstances, including you and me! One of the biggest things I’ve learned through all this Corona craziness is that with Lord’s help, we can truly do hard things.
ASHLEY JORGENSEN
Hello there! I’m Ashley from Draper, Utah. I’m studying digital journalism at BYU with a minor in editing. I was drawn to this campaign because the craziness of the COVID experience is universal. It’s affected all of us in some way. Last year, I had plans to begin an internship that I was really excited about, but then the world shut down, and so did my internship. It was a bummer, and watching the news everyday was an even greater bummer! I thought that it would be inspiring to hear about the good things that have come through the hardship. I love learning about how people really do rise up to any challenge.