Ellie Romans Draper knew from a young age that she was interested in global development and philanthropy. “I was really attracted to politics because it seemed like many social issues were connected to politics,” says Draper, now a senior at Brigham Young University. “But after studying at BYU for a while, I realized I wanted to be more hands-on with the people who experience these social problems.” That desire led Draper to the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.
In joining the center, Draper set out to serve others and also found her own sense of belonging. “When I was a freshman, I had a really hard time making friends because I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere,” she shares. Draper, who is majoring in political science and minoring in both global women’s studies and global and community impact, felt that she truly resonated with the students in her classes at the center.
Draper soon realized that beyond finding a community for herself, making sure those around her also felt integrated and valued was important to her. “I think that everyone needs community to thrive in their life,” says Draper. “The larger the community, the more likely people are to grow and thrive in the ways that they should.”
Hands-on practice helping communities has been a highlight for Draper in her studies at the Ballard Center. Her first internship, with Qualtrics, was facilitated through the center when Draper took the Marriott School of Business 492R: Social Impact Projects class during spring 2023. Later that fall, Draper interned with the Policy Project, a Utah-based organization that had campaigned for recent Utah legislation to protect children from sexual abuse in schools.
As part of the Policy Project internship, Draper contacted representatives across the United States to discuss implementing similar legislation in their own states. She also assisted the Policy Project with local outreach, event planning, and onboarding new employees. “The internship was one of my very first tastes of understanding hyperlocal needs and getting to the root of the problems of the people that live in Salt Lake City and on the Wasatch Front, as well as in Utah more generally.”
Draper transitioned from local to global social impact projects when she started an internship with Humanitarian Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in spring 2024. “For a long time, I would tell people that I wanted to be like Sharon Eubank and run the humanitarian arm of the Church,” Draper says, “then I saw the internship application—and now she’s my boss.” The member-focused initiative that Draper is working with utilizes the built-in church network of ward leaders and assigned ministering brothers and sisters to combat child malnutrition. Her roles with this initiative include doing development work, planning for project management across 16 countries, and consulting area staff on best practices for implementing the interventions.
“I get to be part of such awesome work, but at the end of the day, there is so much suffering around the world that it would be very easy to get bogged down with emotion,” Draper says. “Without my faith in Jesus Christ and my belief that His Atonement can cover all suffering, I don’t think I would have the hope and faith to continue in this work.”
Draper hopes to keep working in social impact, but she recognizes that this doesn’t always mean working with formal organizations. Strengthening communities starting with her circle of influence is a way that Draper strives to live the two great commandments to love God and love neighbors. She says, “The most rewarding part of social impact for me is that I get to try as best I can to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and minister to the one.”
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Written by Elizabeth Walker
