Y Magazine

What can you learn from other faith traditions? BYU religion professor Andrew C. Reed (BA ’04) says that interfaith efforts can help us develop, “generosity of spirit.” Reed is the Chair of the BYU Council for Interfaith Engagement, and he leads BYU students in interfaith efforts through the Interfaith Student Association and a study abroad focused on interfaith leadership. In this episode of the ...

For 29 years, BYU alum Sarah Jane Weaver (BA ’94) traveled across the world reporting on ministry tours, temple dedications, and humanitarian outreach as a writer and then the editor for the Church News. Now in her new role as the first female editor of the Deseret News, Weaver will continue recording truth for a global audience. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, host Whitney Singley Ar...

In 2010, BYU alum Adam C. Miles (BA ’92) started a non-profit organization to help reunite refugee families who were resettling in the United States from Africa. Over the years, he realized more needed to be done to help refugees find belonging in the US. His solution? Soccer. in 2016 Adam Miles launched Refugee Soccer, with the three-fold mission of play, equip, and compete—raising money for refu...

45690Janiradebaugh is a minor planet nestled in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But Jani Radebaugh is also a professor of geology at BYU. Radebaugh’s research in planetary exploration and involvement with the Dragonfly mission have earned her a place among the stars. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Jani Radeb...

Olympians Clayton A. Young (BS ’19, MS ’22) and Conner B. Mantz (BS ’22) are competitors—but they’re also close friends. Both BYU alumni will be running the Olympic marathon on Aug. 10, but they’ve been keeping stride with each other for years. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Young and Mantz about the 2024 Paris Olympics, their friend...

For Paige Crosland Anderson (BFA ’11), art is not only a profession but a way to connect with her family and her divine identity. As the mother of four daughters, Anderson often creates her art with the help of her children—though their help can sometimes be an obstacle. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Anderson about how her abstract...

Could you build a company over the course of two semesters? BYU students have the opportunity to try through a new program: Sandbox. This 18-credit class motivates students to turn their ideas into real tech startups that solve problems for people from various industries, from therapists and dentists to river guides and Dungeons and Dragons fans. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, host W...

When Celeste Humphrey Mergens (’81) found out that girls in Kenya were trying to manage their periods with pieces of cardboard, she immediately began looking for solutions. She discovered that girls and women all around the world were missing weeks out of every year due to period poverty. Mergens’s solution? A nonprofit called Days for Girls. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, host Whitn...

Casting about for a great podcast to enrich your gospel study? Look no further. Podcasts are a great way to tune into spiritually enriching stories, devotionals, and research wherever you are. In this episode of the  Y Magazine  podcast, Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with three different podcast producers from across BYU campus about their podcasts— BYU Speeches ,  Y Religion Podcast ,...

Sitting in a humdrum office, recent BYU grad Isaiah G. Shields (BS ’19) realized that there was a whole world out there for him to discover—and he was missing it. And so he decided to take a walk—a really, really long walk. In early 2020 he stepped from his Provo home’s driveway and began his journey across America, traversing 28 states and 8,600 miles over 500 days. In this episode of the Y Magaz...

Who wouldn’t want a peaceful life? Making that desire a reality is where many of us get stuck. But Emily de Schweinitz Taylor (BA ’97, PhD ’24), an expert in mediation and conflict resolution, believes that even a three-year-old can learn to navigate conflict effectively. The trick? Practicing a few simple communication tools. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Taylor and host Whitney Sing...

BYU alumni from all walks of life are leaning into the second half of the university’s motto: "Go forth to serve." In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, hear three different stories about alums who have bloomed where they were planted—turning their unique circumstances into opportunities to serve others. Listen in as host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) uncovers stories of preemie miracles...

Byron J. Adams (BS ’93), BYU’s always-chill “worm herder,” lives in Antarctica for months each year to conduct some mind-blowing microfauna research. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join Adams and host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to uncover his passion for the natural world. From his origins as a free-range kid with a fascination for Mother Nature to a biologist who has a nematod...

When BYU economics professor Joseph P. Price (BA ’03) realized that FamilySearch lacked coverage of many African American and international individuals, he employed AI tools to expand coverage of the human family and help build our genealogical ties. Through BYU’s Record Linking Lab (rll.byu.edu), his team has already added 50 million people to the tree. But the work isn’t done. The lab calls on t...

Odds are, you’ve experienced loneliness at least a time or two. According to BYU psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad (BS ’94, MS ’98), loneliness is a part of everyone’s human experience; and feeling isolated can be worse for your health than big-name problems like obesity, alcoholism, and pollution. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) and Holt...

Have you ever made an unlikely friend who ended up changing your life? Turns out, that’s not so uncommon here at Brigham Young University. In this episode, we’ll hear from four alumni who share their unique stories of friendship—each starting on campus and making a lasting impact. From unrequited crushes to Christlike service, these tales can teach us a thing or two about how to be a true friend....

To enhance your Come, Follow Me study of Book of Mormon in 2024, learn 10 study techniques from BYU religion professors Joseph M. Spencer (BA ’04) and Daniel L. Belnap (BA ’96, MA ’99). Whether you’re studying the Book of Mormon individually, as a family, in a seminary or institute class, or in Sunday School, Spencer and Belnap suggest we “zoom in and out” as we read, looking at the scriptures on...

This summer, Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) took a serious tumble—a fall of 30 feet while rock climbing in Provo's Rock Canyon. Miraculously, she landed in the only Whitney-shaped clearing possible—an inch or two higher or to the right, and she would have hit her head on a rock. The injuries she did sustain weren’t insignificant—from a shattered sacrum to a grisly compo...

Who comes to mind when you think of your favorite teacher? It’s probably someone who ignited a passion, instilled confidence, or cared deeply. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in chatting with two inspiring teachers who graduated from BYU and went forth to teach: high school physics teacher Wesley R. Morgan (BS ’18) in Springville, Utah, and E...

In May 2023, a group of BYU engineering students touched down at the airport in Quito, Ecuador. They were headed to Prótesis Imbabura , a small prosthetics clinic. It was time to put their work to the test: the students had been designing and redesigning two key components for prosthetic legs—liners and foot shells. Their goal was to make components that were both affordable and comfortable and th...

Join our host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) and assistant director of the School of Music Mark J. Ammons (BMu ’85) on an audio tour of BYU’s new Music Building. This state-of-the-art building opened in January 2023 and houses acoustically impressive performance halls, upgraded recording studios, and improved classrooms and practice spaces for daily use. From the Concert Hall to Studio Y to th...

As a member of the displaced Karen people, BYU international-relations student Laesgaw K’Chawtee (’25) spent his early childhood in a Thailand refugee camp—about as far from Provo, Utah, as you can get. So how did he become a sophomore at Brigham Young University teaching a 300-level Karen-language course for returned missionaries? Speaking with his friend and Y Magazine intern Coleman S. Numbers...

“Religious freedom isn’t just for believers,” says Elizabeth A. Clark (BA ’94, JD ’97), associate director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU. “What religious freedom does is preserve a space where people can make choices.” In this episode, Whitney and Elizabeth Clark discuss religious freedom—what it really is, why it matters, and what we can do to stand up for it. Th...

With BYU entering the Big 12 athletic conference this season, Cougar Nation is buzzing with excitement. As the 2023 schedules are set, the challenges and advantages of being in a power-5 conference are becoming a reality. And the Cougars are getting ready to compete on a national stage. “The expectation is high,” says women’s soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood (BS ’89). “There’s pressure, we’re nervou...

Over the years, fitness and sports classes at BYU have gone by many names. For a while, they were part of the exercise-science department, then the course catalog listed them as STAC classes, and as of 2019, they’re known as student wellness (SWELL) classes. Through all that time, though, one thing’s stayed true: the classes are a source of fun, activity, and exploration for students. And every ye...