Change people's lives at home and around the world
December 2022
Jace Watt loves to travel, but he is more than a tourist. When abroad, Watt seeks to serve and build relationships, which fits perfectly with his aim to become a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State. Foreign service officers promote peace and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the United States abroad.
Watt jumped at the chance to study abroad in Tanzania, where he and other BYU students were hosted by the College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka. They heard guest lecturers from across the continent, visited three national parks, and even saw four endangered black rhinoceroses in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Summiting Kilimanjaro was a highlight for Watt. “It was one of the most unifying, spiritual experiences I’ve had—because we relied on each other,” he says.
“If I could meet the people who helped me travel to Africa, I would hug every single one of them because it changed my life forever.”
Watt wouldn’t have been able to travel to Africa without financial assistance; donations made his trip possible. “If I could meet the people who helped me travel to Africa,” he says, “I would hug every single one of them because it changed my life forever.”
“I can say the donors to the College of Humanities materially changed my life. Because of their contributions, I graduated debt free and worked fewer hours, which created time for me to concentrate on preparing for the Law School Admission Test.”
“You don’t realize how much power is in this room,” Sitake told the donors. “The sacrifices you make in time, in money, no matter how small, have the power to change lives.”
Abby Thatcher’s study abroad changed her life, but not how she expected it would.
