Whether their paths began in laboratories, literature or the mission field, every member of BYUI faculty has a unique reason for why they chose BYU-Idaho.

Here are stories from four professors, how they came to teach at the university and their #whyBYUI.

Brother Bailey: Finding God in ourselves

In 2008, shortly after the housing market collapse, Caleb Bailey was two years into postdoctoral research focusing on cancer at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

He had earned his doctorate in cell biology and anatomy from the University of Iowa and had dedicated years to studying how viruses could help treat cancer.

“My passion has always been cancer research," said Bailey. "It’s always been a complex problem requiring a complex solution.”

Despite job insecurity, Bailey earned a position at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, where cutting-edge technology and funding allowed him to explore the limits of scientific discovery.

“As I was well funded at the Stowers Institute, I was really only limited by my lack of imagination,” Bailey said.

When political and financial instability threatened research funding, Bailey began to pray for direction.

“I came to the realization that stability for my family — seven kids at the time — was the most important thing for me. As I brought this choice and my dilemma to the Lord, He invited me to come to BYU–Idaho,” Bailey said.

The transition from research to teaching came naturally.

“In all of my time in academic research, I stood out for my teaching approach," Bailey said. "Academic teaching at that level is still lecture-based, but I’ve never been fond of lectures.”

Instead, Bailey focuses on Q&A, back-and-forth dialogue and learning by the Spirit. He often reminds students that understanding the human body — God’s greatest creation, which is us — can be an act of worship.

“Biology is meant to be studied as a companion to religion. Studying the human body is a form of worship as we express admiration for God’s greatest creation,” Bailey said.

For Bailey, that belief defines his #whyBYUI:

“In learning about God’s greatest creation — yourself — you truly come to know Him," Bailey said.

Caleb Bailey is a faculty member in the Department of Biology at BYU–Idaho, where he teaches anatomy and human biology courses.

Brother Taylor: Inspiring students through language and culture

Alan Taylor received his associate's degree from BYU-Idaho, formerly known as Ricks College, in 1994. He fondly remembers Rexburg as "fun, small and safe with great professors."

He went on to BYU to receive his BA in French, fueled by his love of languages. Taylor has a deep appreciation for Spanish, German and Chinese, but says French was the first second language he could use fluently.

“I love any language,” said Taylor. “French just happened to be the first second language I could use fluently.”

After earning both his master’s and Ph.D. in French linguistics and second language acquisition at Purdue University, Taylor learned the value of immersive language instruction. His classes emphasize using the language in conversation and writing, not just studying it theoretically.

“Purdue trained me to offer a language class where students not only had a good time, but used the language orally and in writing while in class,” Taylor said.

Taylor returned to BYU–Idaho because of his fond memories as a student and the connection, because that is where his father grew up.

In his classes, Taylor encourages students to see the practical and spiritual blessings of learning a foreign language.

“Seeing students try hard and caring about the class is amazing," Taylor said. "It’s great seeing students catch the vision of how much French can and will bless their lives. It makes them better missionaries and ambassadors. It’s also useful if they travel anywhere in the world."

BYU–Idaho’s culture of possibility also sets the school apart.

“There’s more of a can-do attitude here. People know you can become fluent and it will bless your life,” Taylor said.

Faith also plays a role in Taylor's teaching. Taylor encourages students to have a purpose for learning French, reminding them that the skill will serve them in life and even in missionary work.

“I just try to tell my students to have a good reason for learning French. They will use it in their lives sooner or later if they travel anywhere in the world,” Taylor said.

For Taylor, his #whyBYUI revolves around professors and the atmosphere.

“Professors care more. It’s just a great place to be an undergraduate student,” Taylor said.

Alan Taylor is a faculty member in the Department of Languages and International Studies at BYU–Idaho, where he teaches French courses.

Sister DaBell: Sharing the light of Christ through art

Kyoung DaBell, originally from South Korea, completed her studio art degree at BYU-Idaho and later went on to complete an MFA at Colorado State University.

Before becoming the art curator at BYU-Idaho, Sister DaBell worked in the financial sector as a sales associate at Morgan Stanley. Although she had earned a degree in studio art, she stepped away from her creative pursuits while her children were in school.

“When my husband decided he wanted to return to Rexburg, where he grew up, we had no doubt,” said DaBell. “There’s no place like Rexburg, surrounded by BYU–Idaho’s influence. It’s the best place to raise children.”

What began as a part-time opportunity became a career that felt like a calling.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself,” DaBell said. “Is this for real — that I get to request paintings of Jesus Christ to show in a space where my fellow disciples can feel the Spirit?”

Her deep love for both art and the gospel now defines her work as curator. She sees every exhibition as a chance to invite light and strengthen testimony.

“There’s no other place on earth where your job and your faith are so intertwined,” DaBell said. “That’s what makes BYU–Idaho unique.”

For DaBell, the most meaningful part of her work is mentoring students and helping them see their divine potential through creativity.

“Every day we solve problems together, and we talk of Christ,” DaBell said. “When a student remembers who they are — a daughter or son of God — that’s a miracle to me.”

DaBell's #whyBYUI is simple: faith, purpose and connection.

“I wake up every day grateful that my work aligns with my testimony,” DaBell said. “It’s truly a dream come true.”

Sister DaBell is the curator of art exhibitions at BYU–Idaho, where she works closely with students and faculty to share sacred and inspiring artwork with the campus and local community.

Sister Moen: Finding her voice through literature and faith

Joelle Moen didn’t always plan to be an English professor. She began college as a mechanical engineering major because she was always good at math and science. But during her freshman year, she took an honors class that combined literature, history, and humanities.

“I found myself grinding through my calculus and physics first so I could reward myself with the literature and humanities homework later,” Moen said. “I realized I was in the wrong major.”

By her sophomore year, she was majoring in English and minoring in math. Her family worried about what kind of job she would get with an English degree, especially after switching from engineering, but Moen wasn’t worried. She was having fun in her classes and knew she had found what she loved.

After serving a mission to Spain, she added a Spanish minor. During her mission, she was asked to oversee English classes for her city because of her background as an English major. That experience helped her get her first teaching jobs after graduation.

“I worked two jobs, both of which used my English major,” Moen said. “During the day, I worked as a speech and language paraprofessional in a school district, helping little kids learn to talk. In the evening, I was the assistant in an English as a Second Language course at the local community college.”

When the community college added a new class midyear, they asked Moen to teach it. “In other words, I was an adjunct professor,” she said. That summer she taught English in Mexico, which provided housing, transportation, and a meal stipend. “While I wasn’t paid, I increased my experience,” she said.

After that summer, Moen began graduate school at Washington State University. Her graduate assistantship covered tuition and provided a stipend while she trained to teach college composition.

“I wrote my master’s thesis on Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Moen said. “Before graduate school, I’d never read this novel, and it changed the way that I saw literature. I fell in love with the beauty of the language, the resilience of the people and culture, the prominence of the folklore and tricksters, and the literary innovations. Honestly, I felt cheated because I’d never been assigned much literature by people of color. At that point, I started specializing in African American literature.”

After earning her master’s degree, Moen accepted a teaching position at Ricks College. “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to teach college forever, so I decided to give myself three years of teaching and then re-evaluate,” she said. “Then, 14 years later, I realized I thought this teaching gig was pretty great.”

When Ricks became BYU–Idaho, Moen decided to pursue her Ph.D. Her dissertation focused on how late-19th- and 20th-century African American writers responded to pseudoscientific ideas about race. “I’ve always been interested in making connections between literature and other disciplines—art, culture, history, anthropology, the environment,” Moen said. “Analyzing the confluence of late-19th-century ‘science’ texts and literature was a natural extension of this interest.”

Moen earned her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Washington State University. She now specializes in American literature, especially twentieth-century and African American literatures.

In 2018–19, Moen served as a Fulbright Roving Scholar of American Literature and Culture in Norway. In that role, she was a traveling guest lecturer giving workshops on topics such as Jim Crow laws and culture, rhetorical devices in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” decoding propaganda, and revision strategies for writers.

She visited 81 schools, teaching nearly 9,500 students and training around 300 teachers. Since then, she has served on the Fulbright National Screening Committee for English Teaching Assistants.

Moen’s love for global education began with a study abroad program in London. “That experience changed my life,” she said. “It opened my eyes to the power of art and culture.”

Since then, she has visited all 50 U.S. states and traveled to more than 40 countries, including Spain, India, South Africa, Brazil, and Norway. “Each trip deepened my understanding of people, stories, and faith,” she said.

For Moen, her love of literature and her testimony of the gospel define her #WhyBYUI.

“I love helping students see how literature connects us—to each other, to the world, and to God,” Moen said. “That’s what makes teaching here so meaningful.”