When you give to students, they give back
Amelia Otuhouma from Tonga is a daughter, returned missionary, and BYU-Pathway Worldwide student. Ben Ball from California, USA, is a husband, father, business owner, and BYU-Pathway donor. While Amelia and Ben have never met, BYU-Pathway has linked them in a unique way.
Ben and his wife, Angie, first discovered BYU-Pathway six years ago, not knowing the profound impact it would have on their lives. As they envisioned what BYU-Pathway — and, more importantly, its students — could become, they wanted to help. Today, they are actively involved in helping students get jobs and contributing significantly to tuition discounts.
“Heavenly Father could do all of this on His own,” Ben said, “but He doesn’t want to rob us of blessings that will change us.”
Amelia discovered BYU-Pathway after her mission, when she was dedicating most of her time and resources to help support her family. She had nearly given up hope on earning a degree when she learned about BYU-Pathway’s low tuition rate and extra tuition discounts . After enrolling, Amelia could finally see a clear path to accomplishing her goals.
“BYU-Pathway is a blessing financially, academically, and, most importantly, spiritually,” she said. “It’s changed my perspective of life, and I’ll be forever grateful.”
Preparing to serve millions
Generous contributors like Ben and Angie are essential to keeping costs low for students like Amelia. In 2023 alone, more than 125,000 tuition discounts were awarded to 46,244 students. As enrollment grows, so will the need for tuition discounts and the opportunities they create.
Even through the smallest donation, we can experience blessings.
Reciprocating the blessings
Donations are helping students all over the world discover new hope and opportunities. And, many donors are realizing that giving to BYU-Pathway is blessing them as well.
“Sometimes we think that scholarships just help others, and they certainly give opportunities,” said Ben. “But these students are a vessel of Christ’s mercy to me, because I see them using the money to educate themselves, build better lives, serve in the Church and their communities, and consecrate themselves to the Lord. Those are the blessings I feel in my life as we are all the collective family of God.”
President Brian K. Ashton said, “Donations of all sizes are essential to creating lifelong learners who will bring light to their own circumstances and, in time, the world.”
Contributor: Rachel Peterson
Learn how supporting BYU-Pathway blesses lives at give.byupathway.edu.