Faith beyond church: Student gains confidence at Religious Academic Conference
Guest Column by Eliza Bailey | University of Idaho
Students from the University of Idaho’s Martin Institute recently participated in the Student Conference on Religion in the Public Sphere (SCRIPS) at BYU. Organized by the Wheatley Institute, SCRIPS brings together diverse religious mentors and students to develop projects addressing pluralism in local democratic institutions. The Martin Institute focuses on studying war causes, peace conditions and international engagement.
When I first heard about the Student Conference on Religion in the Public Sphere (SCRIPS) at BYU experience, I was very curious as to what it would entail.
I grew up Christian but have never applied my faith to an academic event outside the walls of the church. Despite that, I was excited to branch out and try something new.
Upon arrival and hearing the introductions of the faculty advisors, I was immediately drawn to James Patton, president and CEO at the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy. He radiated compassion, intellect and a calm demeanor. Fortunately for me, he became the leader of the group I was in! From here on, I faced many challenges but left with more confidence within myself and had more insight into new knowledge.
Starting at the end of the first day and leading into the second, we got to listen to “lightning rounds” of knowledge and advice from the five faculty advisors. I truly loved hearing them all because they all had unique perspectives. I wrote down everything I could.
For those who are quieter in group settings, we were encouraged to engage sooner than we’d want to. I really clung to this because that is something I have a hard time with. I don’t free-ride, but I have found that those with stronger, more dominant personalities take over and I just go along with everything. This is fine to a degree, but I really wanted to challenge myself at this conference and was inspired to do so.
Professor Andrew Reed said, “Dream big but be practical.” I kept this in mind to remind myself to not take bites too big to chew — theoretically, so to speak.
Professor Eva Witesman reminded us that failure is essential to success. She said, “Fail small, fail early and fail often.”
It means you’re trying! I’ve been struggling to find a job, so this advice was really applicable to me, especially since it was the first time I’d ever been rejected. A point Patton made that stood out to me was a question: “How do you divorce what someone did to whom someone is?”
Redemption can happen — people are allowed to evolve from their past.
After the lightning rounds and intermingling with other students, I went back to my room for the night feeling very unqualified to be there. A lot of people I spoke with had a background in theology and/or were integrating religion into their career path.
Me on the other hand? I was just there to learn more and gain new perspectives, but at the time, that didn’t feel like enough. This is when my confidence began to drop. My roommate was in the room when I got there, and we talked about it. Come to find out, she was in the same boat I was in. I didn’t feel so alone after that. I went into the next day with an open mind and hopeful spirits.
During the next couple of days, we worked in our groups. There were times I had a hard time engaging with the group simply because there were times people were talking over each other to get their point across, and I don’t like doing that. Other instances stemmed from my lack of confidence in my answers or ideas.
Patton uplifted me and a few others to engage, which helped me overcome my shyness. I really appreciated that.
Looking back on this experience, I’m so thankful I went. It was challenging and definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I overcame a lot of uncomfortable feelings and because of this, I believe I ended this conference as a more confident version of myself.
I’m so thankful for the support from my peers and the faculty — they all were amazing. Overall, I took away various snippets of advice and learned that facing difficult challenges can help you grow as a person.
Hi, my name is Eliza Bailey! I’m a junior at the University of Idaho, studying international studies and wildlife sciences. I’m one of four students who got the opportunity to attend the SCRIPS conference.
