When the Plan Changes—and It’s Better Than You Imagined

January 2026

Savannah Strickland grew up dreaming of going to BYU. She grew up wearing blue sweatshirts and cheering in the stands at football games. “It was always the plan,” she said. “I took the ACT multiple times, got good grades, did everything I could to get there.”

But when the acceptance didn’t come, Strickland was left confused.

“It felt like the future I imagined just disappeared,” she said. “I didn’t have a backup plan. I thought I had done everything right.”

In that moment of uncertainty, something unexpected happened: God opened a different door.

Her parents—both Ricks College alumni—encouraged her to consider BYU-Idaho. Her dad had played football there, and her mom, who was an All-American hurdler, had grown up in Idaho. Still, Strickland was unsure. “I wasn’t excited about the idea of Rexburg,” she said. “But they suggested we at least take a day trip to see it.”

That visit changed everything.

“I remember the exact spot on campus where I felt it,” she said. “The Spirit whispered, ‘You need to be here.’ It was one of the strongest spiritual impressions I’ve ever had—and honestly, it caught me off guard. I didn’t tell anyone at first because I didn’t even feel like I got promptings that often. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.”

She looked at other options. Nothing else felt quite right. When it came time to make a decision—when 11:41 p.m. arrived and she had just 19 minutes left to accept her offer—Strickland chose to follow the prompting.

She moved to Rexburg not knowing a single soul.

“It was scary,” she said. “I had five random roommates, and I was completely on my own. But one of those roommates is now my best friend.”

Over time, BYU-Idaho became more than just a school. It became a sacred space of growth. Strickland started in general studies, eventually finding her passion in the business program. She attended devotionals in the I-Center, built confidence through small classes and kind professors, and discovered strength she didn’t know she had.

“I learned how to do hard things. I learned how to trust myself and trust God,” she said. “Moving to a new place, living with strangers, starting over—it made me braver. It forced me out of my comfort zone in all the best ways.”

She also grew to love Rexburg and its beauty. “It’s become one of my favorite places, especially in the summer. I love the long evenings, our spontaneous trips to Jackson, Wyoming, and the peace of a close-knit community.”

Now, when she looks back, Strickland is still in awe of how things unfolded.

“I didn’t end up where I thought I would, but I ended up exactly where I was supposed to be,” she said. “God knew the kind of experience I needed. And BYU-Idaho became that for me.”