How Inclusivity Has Become Part of BYU Belonging

Professor Cougar Hall sits down with Greg Hooke, a senior in Public Health and member of the College of Life Sciences Student Belonging Council, to explore what “belonging” really means at BYU—and how simple acts of connection can change campus culture. Greg shares how a Johns Hopkins internship studying bias in long-COVID care opened his eyes to everyday experiences of being unseen, and how that sparked student-led efforts at BYU: first-gen mentoring lunches, a Women in Life Sciences dinner, and hands-on service with Help Me Grow Utah and United Way. He and Dr. Hall unpack the tension between competition and collaboration in tough gateway classes, swap practical ways introverts and extroverts alike can make friends, and celebrate a college-wide bump in belonging (now ~86%). Greg also opens up about recovering from a traumatic brain injury, the faith that grounded him, and his goal to become a neurologist who blends clinical care with public-health principles of inclusion. If you’re new to campus—or helping those who are—this episode is equal parts playbook and pep talk.

Recorded, Edited & Produced by Averee Bates, Christy Gonzalez, Harper Xinyu Zhang, Madison McArthur, Kailey Hopkins, and Tanya Gale