At Brigham Young University – Hawaii, students hail from nearly every corner of the globe. Some of them, even, seem to have traversed most of it themselves on their own. It is of little surprise, then, that students like Nick Beezum, pictured at left, a senior and international business major originally from Adelaide, Australia, have come to BYU Hawaii to share and further their own unique and dynamic global perspectives.
Before his journey to BYU Hawaii began, Beezum left Australia to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to Germany. He then spent a year backpacking across the world, immersing himself in the cultures and peoples of nations across the world. At the end of his travels, he made his last stop in Hawaii. In reality, Beezum soon realized, that last stop on his worldwide exursion would become just his first start in Hawaii. “As soon as I got here, I just realized this is where I should be,” Beezum recalled.
Beezum applied to BYU Hawaii, was accepted, and once he arrived on campus, he immediately began exerting his passionate energy into his efforts, both at school, at church, and in his relationships. To supplement his business major, Beezum has been an active member of the campus’ international nonprofit SIFE, or Students of Free Enterprise, organization, where he now serves as the Co-President. “I became involved with SIFE and really got into the business service projects and competitions that it sponsors, and now have worked my way up to this position,” Beezum explains. SIFE focuses on the key functions of business management, including finance literacy, entrepreneurship, marketing, and success skills to help encourage students to engage in practical, real-world experience as they progress in their education and prepare to move into the global business market after graduation. “SIFE really challenges you to be aware of your surroundings to take what you learn in the classroom and then apply it productively and constructively to your career,” Beezum remarked. “BYU Hawaii has really helped me to this well.” He has participated in as many as 20 business projects each year with the BYUH team, directed by Dr. William Neal. “Dr. Neal has been such an enthusiastic and helpful mentor,” Beezum mentioned. The team competes with more than 1,500 other SIFE teams from colleges and universities across the nation, where BYU Hawaii has placed very strongly in recent years. “Last year, in fact,” Beezum said, “We competed in and won the regional competition, allowing us to move to the national competition in Chicago, where BYU Hawaii placed in the top 40 of more than 1,100 teams.”
Apart from his business classes and participation in SIFE, Beezum has also involved himself in the social and cultural activities that BYU Hawaii offers. He has now taken on the role of President of the Aussie Club. “I realized that if I didn’t get in there and help keep it going, we’d lose it,” Beezum remarked, “By recognizing that need, I was able to get active and fulfill it.” Just a few years later, the Aussie Club at BYU Hawaii now boasts 100 members and welcomes students from all cultures, nations, and beliefs to learn about and take pride in the Australian culture and customs.
“It’s a matter of knowing and understanding that the effort you put into something is what will determine what you get out of it.” Beezum has applied this principle as his own personal creed while at BYU Hawaii and for his life beyond his education. He has invested immensely in the opportunities and taken advantage of the vast wealth of resources that have been available to him at BYUH. As he prepares to graduate, Beezum now looks to the future. “I plan to focus on long-term entrepreneurship,” Beezum explains. “At BYU Hawaii, I have been able to grow in so many ways as I prepare to begin my career and the next phase of my life. My testimony, my relationships, and my mentality towards my life has changed all because of BYU Hawaii,” Beezum affirms. The culmination of his life experiences now resonates in his education at BYU Hawaii, a knowledge that he feels will provide him a truly golden future.