“The students in Africa, they’re so faithful, they’re so hopeful, they’re so capable. They just needed the opportunity.”
—Elder Clark G. Gilbert
Here are a few of the people you will meet in Pathway to Hope.
Grace Ninsiima took her four daughters and fled an abusive marriage. Since then she has earned a degree through BYU-Pathway and now works remotely for an American venture capital firm and as an international area manager for BYU-Pathway. Her daughters now attend international schools, and Grace pays school fees for six other children.
“The Lord is using BYU-Pathway to bless us, all the students in Africa. . . . It’s going to be revolutionary because it’s changing so much everywhere. There’s no way you can join this program and remain the same. It’s impossible.”
—Grace Ninsiima
Bradley Okoth had to withdraw from college to support his mother and nephew. Now he is pursuing a degree through BYU-Pathway and working remotely. Due to his new job, he has earned enough to move his mother and nephew into a better apartment, rent a place of his own, and launch his own tech business.
“BYU-Pathway came along like a miracle. I had a prompting [to apply], and when I got accepted, it was actually lifechanging. . . . It was the best decision of my life because though BYU-Pathway, I started seeing growth.”
—Bradley Okoth
Faith Ssenyonga and her husband, Vianney, are the parents of three biological children and two adopted orphans. Faith started a cake-baking business after completing a project-planning certificate during her second year in BYU-Pathway. With her business she has more than doubled her income to help provide for her family.
“Before I joined BYU-Pathway, I knew Jesus Christ, but I didn’t understand Him. I didn’t know that He could do the things that He does for us, that He loves me. My testimony of the Savior has strengthened so, so much.”
—Faith Ssenyonga
Lorri Cummings is a service missionary assigned to BYU-Pathway who dedicates 5 to 10 hours a week leading online gatherings and offering support that guides students to feel loved and to recognize their divine potential as children of God.
“In my 60 years, I’ve never had service that I’ve enjoyed as much as this. I don’t know anything more rewarding. . . . This is really at the top of my joy in mortality, to serve this way, and I hope I can do it until my dying day.”
—Lorri Cummings
Changing Hearts
Pathway to Hope was produced and narrated by Johnson, who is widely known for her work at CBS News, ABC News, and NPR. As a passionate supporter of BYU-Pathway, Johnson was inspired to help tell the story of how the program uplifts God’s children through faith and education.
The idea for a film began when Johnson and her husband, Mark, were invited to participate in a Zoom call with BYU-Pathway students. The Johnsons were impressed by the resilience of the students. “I could not get these students out of my mind,” says Johnson. “I wanted the youth and young adults of the Church . . . to know their stories. I wanted our members everywhere to understand BYU-Pathway. And as a journalist, I wanted the world to see the remarkable ways that our Church is blessing so many lives across the globe.”
Johnson took a film crew to Kenya and Uganda for nearly two weeks and shot 90 hours of video. “It was exhausting,” she says. “[But] it was exhilarating and completely transformative, meeting some of the most remarkable people I have ever known.”
Johnson’s goal was to show how BYU-Pathway transforms people’s lives, but her life was also changed in the process. “I love these students, and I will never be the same because of this experience,” she says. “I am touched by their dedication, their sacrifice, their determination, but mostly their faith. The kingdom of God will grow because of BYU-Pathway. That is clear to me. And I am grateful to be a part of it.”
“I love these students, and I will never be the same because of this experience.”
—Jane Clayson Johnson
