Becoming a BYU-Pathway Missionary
When I accepted a call to serve as a Senior Service Missionary with BYU-Pathway Worldwide, my goal was to share my own personal experience in going back to school after working for a few years, completing my undergraduate degree and then my masters while working full-time and supporting my family. Unlike the full-time missionary callings, I wasn’t packing bags or booking flights. Instead, my role is to work virtually with students in the Philippines and help them on weekly group meetings and one-on-ones to navigate the program, and whatever life throws at them in their pursuit of their learning goals. From the outside, it might not look like much—but I’m sure it will become some of the most meaningful work I’ve done in my career.
BYU-Pathway Worldwide is an online higher education program offered through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s built on three simple but powerful principles: bring the gospel into the hearts of students, help them become capable learners, and prepare them to lead and support families. That purpose is why I’m here. Here’s a brief overview video:
What Makes BYU-Pathway Different?
This program is more than just online college classes. It’s a carefully designed system to help people—especially those who might not otherwise have access to higher education—build better lives. Tuition is kept affordable, and students can begin without a high school diploma, standardized test scores, or even fluent English. There’s no barrier to entry based on worthiness, just a willingness to learn.
Students begin with PathwayConnect, a one-year foundational program that includes courses in life skills, religion, and academic prep. They learn how to learn—and they do it in a setting that weaves spiritual development into everything. After PathwayConnect, they can choose from a growing list of job-ready certificates and degrees offered online through BYU-Idaho and Ensign College. The courses are practical, flexible, and focused on helping students find work, support families, and build faith.
What’s especially unique is that this isn’t just a U.S.-based initiative. As of 2024, BYU-Pathway serves more than 75,000 students in over 180 countries. And while it’s run out of the Church’s educational system, the real magic happens wherever the students are—like the Philippines, where I’ve been called to help.
Why the Philippines?
My last visit to the Philippines through work was in 2023 when I spoke at an event at the Microsoft headquarters in Manila. I’ve had friends throughout my life who were first or second-generation Filipino Americans, and have always loved these people. Additionally, my oldest child, my daughter Audrey, served a full-time mission in the San Pablo mission, one of 26 missions serving the more than 1,300 congregations and nearly 900,000 members in the country. Funny story – as the shortest in our family, we often pointed out to her that she was serving in the one country where she would be one of the tallest 😉
If that was not enough of a reason to work with the region, the Philippines is also one of the fastest-growing areas for BYU-Pathway. Students there are eager, faithful, and hungry to learn. Many are the first in their families to attend any form of higher education. They juggle jobs, family responsibilities, and Church callings—and still make time to study. I will meet with these students weekly over Zoom, help guide their learning, answer questions, and offer encouragement.
This program changes lives. Current students and recent graduates often help new online students get started, sharing their personal experiences and “life hacks” to help others develop healthy habits to be successful in their pursuits. One student described that before BYU-Pathway, she felt stuck—working long hours in a job with no future. Now she’s earning a certificate in business and has a clear path toward a degree and better employment. Even more important to her, she says she now knows how to pray with real intent and feels closer to the Savior.
That’s what BYU-Pathway is about: spiritual growth alongside academic progress. Students don’t just gain knowledge—they gain hope.
A Program with a Purpose
As a missionary, my role isn’t to lecture or grade papers. It’s to support. I listen, encourage, pray, and walk alongside students on their path. It’s a different kind of missionary work, but no less sacred. Watching someone gain confidence, realize they can succeed, and take real steps toward a better life—that’s a privilege.
In a world that often feels divided and discouraging, BYU-Pathway is a light. It reminds us that education can be a spiritual pursuit, that faith and learning go hand-in-hand, and that we’re never too old, too poor, or too far away to grow.
BYU-Pathway is not just helping people get degrees—it’s helping them build lives. The mission is clear: develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities. And it’s working.
I joined this mission because I believe in that purpose. I’ve seen how it blesses students, families, and even those of us who serve. It’s a simple truth: when you lift others, you’re lifted too.
