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Marriott School of Business
Ballard Center

Stories

Stories are one of the most powerful ways to understand social impact in action.

This collection highlights the experiences, research, and accomplishments of students, alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who are working to address social challenges and create meaningful change.

Explore the Stories by Topic

Students in a lecture hall

Students

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2 grads hugging

BYU Alumni

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2 people talking at a table

Faculty

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3 students from SIP

Social Entrepreneurship

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Eva Witesman writing on white board

Social Impact Principles

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Sharon Eubank with a student

In the News

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Skills

One Family, Three Social Impact Projects

August 27, 2026 04:10 PM
Three Putnam siblings, three unique paths to social impact. Through the Ballard Center Social Impact Projects, Rhett, Rae, and Shay connected their individual talents and interests with real-world work in sustainability, workplace inclusion, and education. Read their story and see how Social Impact Projects can turn student passions into meaningful impact.
1 Min Read
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Announcements

How Faith Shapes Social Impact: Eva Witesman, PhD, on the followHIM Podcast

August 12, 2026 03:26 PM
Eva Witesman, PhD, director of the Ballard Center for Social Impact at BYU Marriott, joins the followHIM podcast to explore how faith shapes meaningful social impact. Drawing on Doctrine and Covenants 81–88, Witesman shares insights on ministering, strengthening communities, and creating lasting change by serving individuals and addressing their needs.
4 Min Read
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Community

How Ballard Briefs Are Shaping the Next Generation of Changemakers

August 04, 2026 03:30 PM
Learn how the Ballard Brief is helping high school students build research skills, information literacy, and a deeper understanding of complex social issues. Inspired by the Ballard Center for Social Impact, students at Maple Mountain High School used the Ballard Brief model to research root causes, evaluate evidence, and develop a more informed, human-centered perspective. See how social impact education is preparing the next generation of changemakers.
5 Min Read
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Skills

Transferring For-profit Skills to Social Impact Work

July 21, 2026 09:53 AM
Brent Goddard shares how his experience in business and brand management prepared him for a career in social impact, highlighting the value of transferable skills, corporate social responsibility, and purpose-driven leadership.
1 Min Read
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Community

Rooted in Community, Led by Christ

July 21, 2026 09:43 AM
Discover how BYU alum Ellie Romans Draper transformed her passion for community service into global social impact through the Ballard Center. Learn how faith, leadership, and hands-on experience empowered her to create meaningful change.
1 Min Read
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Community

Faith, Collaboration, and Lasting Change

July 09, 2026 04:11 PM
In this employee spotlight, Eva Witesman, director of the Ballard Center for Social Impact, shares insights on her career path and goals as a professor in the BYU Marriott MPA program.
1 Min Read
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Skills

How One BYU Alumnus Built Social Impact into His Career

June 22, 2026 05:00 PM
Do your career goals align with your core values? For BYU alumnus Andres Aleson, finding fulfillment in his career required more than a steady job in his chosen field. He’s learned that pursuing purpose-driven work can offer a deeper sense of gratification, even if it wasn’t part of the original plan.
1 Min Read
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Skills

Learning by Doing: Lessons from a Case Competition

June 22, 2026 04:32 PM
What happens when students turn classroom lessons into solutions for real-world challenges? Three BYU students took on a case competition to develop TechConnect, a nonprofit concept aimed at expanding laptop and technology access for students in Nigeria. Along the way, they discovered valuable lessons about collaboration, research, and creating meaningful social impact.
1 Min Read
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Skills

BYU Engineering Capstones Incorporate Social Impact

June 15, 2026 04:10 PM
BYU Engineering capstone students, in collaboration with the Ballard Center for Social Impact and collaborators like Gram Vikas, develop engineering projects such as scalable water treatment systems that address real-world challenges through cross-disciplinary teamwork.
4 Min Read
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Community

Bingham Family Clinic Expands Free Healthcare Access with BYU Student Support

June 15, 2026 03:09 PM
Through collaboration with the Bingham Family Clinic in Orem, Utah, BYU students with the Ballard Center for Social Impact develop outreach strategies and community partnerships aimed at expanding access to free healthcare for uninsured individuals.
5 Min Read
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Announcements

Planting Seeds of Community

October 18, 2025 02:21 PM
More than 600 BYU students turned a few minutes between classes into meaningful community service, creating 2,100+ seed balls to support local community gardens and raise awareness about food insecurity. Through this hands-on project, the Ballard Center and Y-Serve showed how small acts of service can bring light, connection, and hope to a community.
3 Min Read
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Community

Seeds of Change: The 2025 Do Good. Better. Conference

April 02, 2025 01:40 PM
From insightful interviews with social impact experts to bold startup pitches by BYU students, the 2025 Do Good. Better. Conference exceeded expectations.
1 Min Read
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