Ella Babcock
CFAC Creative Works Contest
2025 Winners
Ella Babcock | Visual Media
2nd Place
Design
Ella Babcock is a senior studying graphic design at BYU. She submitted visual media about her experience studying abroad in Utah and Japan, and her contributions to a shared campus exhibition titled “Down Wind Peace.”
“I have a testimony that seeking light, truth and knowledge is one of my callings here on Earth. I have a duty to learn from the past and help make the world a safer, more peaceful place for all of God’s children, regardless of the nation they are from.”
During my study abroad in Utah and Japan, I developed skills I could not have learned in a classroom. I wanted to understand both the history of the atomic bombings and the culture of Japan. I did not expect how much the experience would reshape me as a person, a designer and a child of God.
I was immersed in the topic, traveling to the sources instead of only reading about them. Research became real and human. I learned some Japanese and briefly lived in Japan, gaining firsthand experience with the culture and people there. Seeing a different perspective increased my admiration for Japanese culture and showed me that peace, reconciliation and regrowth are possible.
Design transcends language, and I became a better designer by experiencing design outside my normal context. Unable to read anything, I was forced to view the design around me objectively, simplified into grid systems and hierarchy. It was comforting that even without words, the principles spoke clearly. I want to make design work that truly communicates. This experience confirmed that my work should make communication clearer for all.
This study abroad transformed the way I interact with history and how deeply I question what I have been taught in America. Historical and personal biases became shockingly real as I encountered contrasting stories in each location we visited. The perspective taught at Wendover Airfield conflicted heavily with the one at the Topaz internment camp, and the perspectives from the museums inHiroshima and Nagasaki differed as well.
How can I confront history, peace or truth if I only see one part of the story? I wanted my personal project to reflect this idea. I wonder if this is how God sees His children — He sees every side of my story, not just the one I can see for myself. Why is it so hard for us to see each other in that way — as multifaceted humans who are far more alike than we are different?
I know God and Jesus Christ desire peace, and I encountered people working tirelessly for it. Nothing good comes from hatred or an “us vs them” mindset. I have a testimony that seeking light, truth and knowledge is one of my callings here on Earth. I have a duty to learn from the past and help make the world a safer, more peaceful place for all of God’s children, regardless of the nation they are from.
For me, this experience fulfilled President C. Shane Reese’s vision for inspiring learning. Our small group created a safe environment that nourished me spiritually as we confronted the tragedy of the atomic bombs. It was a high-impact experience that inspired me to keep learning and to use design for peace and belonging.
I felt a deep sense of belonging with classmates and new friends, and I realized people are the same everywhere. We all belong to one human family. That sense of shared humanity continues to shape how I see my role as a designer and as a child of God.