Three “Impossible” Things That Led to BYU-Idaho

April 2025

Growing up in Rexburg, Idaho, Janessa Bingham was determined to carve out her own path by attending BYU in Provo, Utah. “I really wanted to go to BYU for the sports. I wanted to be where the football games were,” she recalls. When the time came, Bingham fully embraced life in Provo. “I was thriving,” she says. “I loved the business program, my time with the dunk team, and the life I had built there.”

Then an unexpected feeling settled in. “Out of nowhere, I started feeling like I needed to move back to Rexburg,” she says. “It didn’t make any sense. I was happy. On paper, there was no reason to leave.” Her sister, who was serving a mission, teased her weekly, “You should move back home to Rexburg.” Bingham always laughed it off. One day, her sister challenged her: “Well, why not?” Bingham said, “There are three things that would have to happen before I’d even consider it.”

The first? She wouldn’t be able to camp out for football games. Two weeks later, an email announced a new policy: camping out was no longer allowed. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh no.’ That was one of the things I was sure would never happen.”

The second condition was not getting into the business program, something she believed was practically guaranteed. A month later, she got the news—she wasn’t accepted. “At this point, I started taking the idea of moving more seriously,” Bingham says.

The third? Something had to fall through with the dunk team. She had already made the team and helped order gear for the year. Then her coach called her into his office. “He sat me down, ran his hands through his hair, and said, ‘Janessa, I don’t know why, but I can’t put you on the team this year.’”

Bingham instantly knew why. For some reason that only her loving Father in Heaven knew, she needed to be in Rexburg, Idaho. She submitted her application to BYU-Idaho that day and was accepted two weeks later.

From the moment she arrived, Bingham felt heaven’s confirmation that this was where she was supposed to be. She recalls, “On my first day of class, my professor greeted me by name. At the end of that class, I called my mom and said, ‘Mom, I feel so taken care of.’”

The next day, at the campus devotional, the mission statement of BYU-Idaho appeared on the screen: “Develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities.” For Bingham, it felt like a direct message from God. She says, “Sometimes we end up in places we never imagined for ourselves. I loved my time at BYU and I’m so grateful for it, and I was excited to be able to explore this next chapter of my life, continuing to build my confidence rooted in Christ.”

She found strength in the university’s close-knit community, forming meaningful connections with her professors and with President and Sister Meredith. “Sister Meredith once told me, ‘You’re part of our mission now—you’re one of our sons and daughters.’ Being able to form a personal relationship with them has been inspiring for me. It was an answer to a prayer I didn’t even know I still held on to.”

Reflecting on her relationship with Jesus Christ, Bingham says, “He meets us at every crossroads—even in our academics. And if you hold on long enough, He shows you evidence of His presence in your life.”

Bingham’s trust in the Savior led her to find purpose, first at BYU and then as she was guided to BYU-Idaho. “I want to thank the donors who make BYU-Idaho possible,” she says. “This university doesn’t just educate us. It transforms us into disciples of Christ. That’s something eternal, and I’ll carry it with me forever.