Get to Know the Speakers and Musical Performer Who Will Present at the Ceremony for the School of Communications.
Annabelle Jones is graduating with a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism. She has been accepted at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University and will begin studying there in the fall. While she has not yet decided the specific area of law she would like to pursue, she says, “I have no doubt it will include continuing to share people’s stories.”
Q: What is your favorite course you have taken at BYU?
Photojournalism. Journalism often feels like a baptism by fire, and I have felt a fair share of the heat. I had never used a professional camera before taking my photojournalism class and had to learn quickly while I was in the field.
My favorite memory at BYU was shooting a photo essay for my photojournalism class. Instead of using text and video, I had to rely on photos to tell someone’s story. I called a few laundromats before I got in touch with a local Guatemalan tailor who invited me to visit his shop. Neither he nor I fully understood what was supposed to happen when I went there – all we knew was that I was going to take photos.
My experience was life-changing. The tailor showed me how to hem a pair of jeans, but I learned so much more than just stitching. Between grabbing shots of his nimble hands and veteran sewing machine, I listened to him tell his story.
I was touched. In just a few moments, we had graduated from acquaintances to what felt like intimate friends, and I left with a newfound passion for storytelling.
Fire feels uncomfortable, but it is refining. My time in the journalism program has helped me understand the value of leaning into discomfort. It is there we find the stories worth telling.
Q: What is one experience you think everyone in your major should try to have before graduation?
Go out on a whim! Seek out the people that interest you. It never hurts to ask people questions. Some of my favorite stories are the ones I thought were stretches. And on that note, get rejected! Learn what it feels like to be told no. Then, be intentional with how you respond. Handling rejection is a part of the process and, more importantly, a part of a well-lived life.
Q: Describe your BYU experience in five words or less.
All in God’s timing.
Q: What do you feel is your biggest takeaway from your education?
God will make more of us than we can make of ourselves.
Q: Can you give us a teaser for your presentation?
How did someone afraid of talking to waitresses fall in love with storytelling? Learn the lessons that empowered me to interview protestors, film a documentary halfway around the world, and even order a chicken sandwich without breaking a sweat.
Q: What inspired your speech topic OR what inspires you about the piece you will be performing?
I have met and worked with some incredible women during my time at BYU. I am inspired by their examples of confidence and Christlike leadership. They have shaped me into the woman I am today. I hope to share what they have so generously taught me.
Q: How have you seen divinity within your craft while studying here at BYU?
God cares about what we care about, and he cares about the stories we need to tell. Back in October, we were scheduled to shoot a documentary in the Philippines. The forecast showed that rain was inevitable during our entire trip, which would have made things difficult.
Sure enough, when we arrived in the Philippines, there was not a raindrop in sight. We had half a day of rain during our entire stay there. This was just one of many miracles we experienced during filming.
This taught me to have faith and trust that our forecast rarely matches God's plan. It pales in comparison with what He has in store. When we do our best and involve the Lord along the way, we will be amazed and notice His kind, gentle hand leading the way.
Madeline McCauley is graduating with a degree in communications with an emphasis in advertising. She is currently applying for jobs nationwide but leans toward California. No matter where her career takes her, she says, “it will be an adventure.”
Q: What is your favorite course you have taken at BYU?
I have loved all of my advertising classes but Pop Culture and Media takes the cake!
Q: What is one experience you think everyone in your major should try to have before graduation?
Camping with the cohort! Get everyone together and go be silly in the forest.
Q: Describe your BYU experience in five words or less.
In a sentence: Learned how to become myself.
In a list of words: Exciting, scary, fun, fulfilling, challenging.
Q: What do you feel is your biggest takeaway from your education?
Being scared is worth it!
Q: Can you give us a teaser for your presentation?
BYU is where I have found my people!
Q: What inspired your speech topic OR what inspires you about the piece you will be performing?
My topic was inspired by the biggest theme of my time at BYU: uncertainty.
Q: One of the most important things about a BYU education is the intertwining of the intellectual and the spiritual. How has that kind of education impacted you?
An education of the world would be inherently incomplete without an education of its parentage. The spiritual lens I have adopted here has helped me develop my relationship with my Heavenly Parents, utilize the Atonement of Jesus Christ and discover my divine identity.
Q: How have you seen divinity within your craft while studying here at BYU?
All good things come from God! When I am making good work, I feel the power of the Creator guiding and instructing me. It takes a lot of humility, but I have felt the spirit inspire me to make beautiful things!
Monet Rojas is graduating with a degree in harp performance. She plans on attending graduate school, but plans to take a couple of years to continue to teach her students, participate in orchestras and seek more musical opportunities. Along with her husband, who is also studying music, she hopes to incorporate music into her future family and use her gifts to bless others.
Q: What is your favorite course you have taken? (Major or non-major)
I always loved being in the Philharmonic. That was my favorite major class by far.
Aside from major classes, I loved taking Writings of Isaiah as well as ASL.
Q: When you were a freshman, what did you think you would be graduating in?
I always knew I would study harp, so I got into my major right as a freshman. I feel so blessed and grateful to have studied music here.
Q: What is one experience you think everyone in your major should try to have before graduation?
I think everyone should take advantage of the experiential learning opportunities that BYU provides, including study abroad trips. I was lucky enough to study abroad in Italy one summer and it has had a marvelous impact on my future career.
Q: Describe your BYU experience in five words or less.
Enlightening, character-building, spiritually-driven and inspired
Q: What do you feel is your biggest takeaway from your education?
My education has taught me to collaborate with God in all things spiritual and temporal. College is hard enough, but it is even harder if you try to do it without Him.
When you allow Him to work through you, beautiful things happen. He has a very specific and unique plan for each of us, and if we let Him, He shows us that path. Music just happens to be my path and He has carved that path before me – some of it visible, some of it not. But He has shown me time and time again that when I trust in Him, I have no need to fear the unknown.
Q: Can you give us a teaser for your presentation?
The piece I chose will hopefully tell the story of my journey here, conveying both the highs and lows.
Q: What inspired your speech topic OR what inspires you about the piece you will be performing?
The piece, like all music, has the power of communicating without words. It brings an excitement and the spirit into my life, and I hope that the audience can feel this as I perform.
Q: One of the most important things about a BYU education is the intertwining of the intellectual and the spiritual. How has that kind of education impacted you?
This education has made all the difference in my life. I loved seeing how any and all subjects of learning could apply to the gospel. It made me more aware of how much God is in all the details.
Q: How have you seen divinity within your craft while studying here at BYU?
I certainly saw divinity within my craft. I would not succeed at anything I do without Him. There are so many unexplainable miracles or situations that just happened to work out throughout my collegiate career, and I know it was His hands guiding me through it all. He is the reason why I have these talents and have grown as a musician – my hope is to use it for good and to glorify Him.
CFAC Convocation Information | April 24, 2026
Concert Hall | Music Building
Communications | 9:00 a.m.
Dance, Music and Theatre and Media Arts | 12:00 p.m.
Art and Design | 3:00 p.m.