Meeting refugees during his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tokyo solidified Cade Hyde’s desire to have a career in social impact. His ability to pursue his goals increased through opportunities at the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.
Hyde’s passion for social impact started when he was in high school in his hometown of Kaysville, Utah. As a member of student government, he led a campaign against vaping and saw how he could make a difference in others’ lives. Then on his mission, Hyde saw the poor working conditions of refugees and knew he wanted to dedicate his career to lifting others.
“While I was in Japan, there was a family of Sri Lankan refugees that I met, and they were working in terrible conditions at a cabbage farm,” Hyde says. “They were using their bare hands to spray pesticides on crops while working long hours every day. The pesticides would stain their skin, give them blisters, and make them violently sick. I felt helpless because I couldn't do anything for them.
“Seeing that suffering firsthand, I realized so many problems exist in the world,” he continues. “I am not going to naively say I can change everything, but if I can do something to make a difference in even one person’s life, I would have a lot to be thankful for. I have seen how even small actions can make a big difference for families.”
While Hyde returned from his mission knowing he wanted to work toward a social impact career, he did not know where to start. Luckily, he learned about the Ballard Center at a campus fair during his freshman year at BYU. “I found a home in the Ballard Center, and everyone I met was awesome. My time with the center helped me learn skills that I can use in my career,” he says.
Hyde has served in a variety of roles with the center. He spent two years as the codirector of the Ballard Brief project, where he supervised BYU students writing research articles about current social issues. He has also served as a student advisor. During the winter 2021 semester, Hyde did a social impact project (SIP) with BanQu, a company dedicated to improving extreme poverty through supply chain processes. Hyde is grateful for the lessons he learned from all his experiences and especially appreciates the technical skills he acquired through the Ballard Center.
“I think most people have a general desire of wanting to live in a more sustainable world and making everyone’s lives better. I developed the skills I needed to follow my desire for social impact at the Ballard Center,” he explains.
Doing a SIP with BanQu also provided Hyde with full-time employment after he graduated in April 2022. As a global supply chain management graduate from BYU Marriott, Hyde appreciates that BanQu uses supply chain systems to change the world. After his internship, Hyde told the company’s CEO he wanted to work for BanQu full-time because he felt the company was the perfect fit for him. He was hired on a temporary basis while he finished school and recently accepted a permanent position as a product manager.
Hyde credits the Ballard Center for helping him see short-term success at BanQu, along with preparing him for long-term success throughout his career in social impact. “I cannot say enough good things about the Ballard Center,” he says. “One takeaway from my time at the center is the network I established. I met professors, assistant teachers, and other students who are all passionate about social impact. The Ballard Center network is how I found BanQu, so those connections are already blessing my life and will continue to be so.”
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Writer: Mike Miller
