Paden Howard was serving a church mission in Brazil when COVID-19 forced him home for 19 months. Four years after he received his mission call, he completed his service; but Howard says the longer-than-expected journey helped him develop a deep love for service that led him to join the BYU Army ROTC program. And a focus on serving others, Howard explains, has helped him become a better and more Christlike leader.
“I really enjoyed how hard my mission was in the sense that I saw how improving myself helped the people around me,” says Howard, a senior studying biology from St. George, Utah. “I wanted to find something similar for my career.”
Howard shared his career goals with his uncle, who was a BYU Army ROTC instructor, and he suggested Howard join army ROTC. “When I first joined, I didn’t sign any contract at first,” Howard says. “But eventually I went all in because I really liked it and saw that it as a way I could serve others and provide for my family.”
A typical day in the army ROTC program includes being put in stressful situations to practice leadership skills. “Leadership includes organizational skills, but it’s really dealing with people,” Howard says. “It’s really based on loving those around us.”
Howard says he felt that love and support during the Ranger Challenge competition, a physically and mentally rigorous national two-day event for army cadet teams. “I started cramping during a task and when my team noticed, they picked up my pack and we ran together,” Howard recalls. “They still had high expectations for me, but they supported me by making sure I was drinking enough water and getting enough electrolytes for the next round of the competition.”
He adds, “I think it goes a long way if people can maintain confidence in leadership while loving others and thinking about what another person may be experiencing.”
One experience that helped him develop his own leadership skills was during summer training at Mountain Warfare School, where army personnel come from diverse schools and backgrounds. Howard’s group included people from different faith backgrounds, many of whom ranked higher than him, and he received many questions about his own faith. “Answering their questions forced me to put myself in their shoes and to try to answer from a place of love, even when I felt questions were mocking or aggressive,” he says. “At the end of my time, I created friendships and learned to be a better leader by considering other people’s experiences and beliefs.”
Howard says his attentiveness for relationships extends to his family life as he strives to balance participating in ROTC, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology, and spending time with his wife and their new baby. “It’s been a hard balance,” especially when their baby required NICU treatment while he tried to meet course deadlines. “Keeping close to God and the Spirit helps guide me through difficult situations and decisions.”
As he finishes his time at BYU, Howard says he’s grateful for the lessons of love and service he’s learned through ROTC and he hopes to continue growing as he begins his four-year contract as an infantry officer. “My biggest takeaway is how I’ve changed here as a person,” Howard says. “I don’t feel too stressed about the future because I know if I’m working as hard as I can, prioritizing my family, and staying close to God that it will work out no matter where life goes.”