During my internship in Washington, D.C., I spent my days covering Congress, attending policy briefings, interviewing lawmakers, and reporting on some of the biggest political stories in the country. Being surrounded by politics every day taught me a lot, but it also left me with a question I couldn’t stop thinking about.
Why has politics become such a defining part of people’s identity?
That question eventually became the foundation of my senior capstone project. Instead of writing a traditional research paper, I created an interactive scrollytell that explores political identity, constitutional principles, and why I believe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should place their allegiance to Jesus Christ above allegiance to any political party.
Over the course of the semester, I spent more than 80 hours researching, interviewing, writing, filming, coding, photographing, and designing the final project. Every part of the experience was built to encourage readers to slow down, think critically, and reflect on where their deepest loyalties belong.
Where the Idea Came From
This project wasn’t something I came up with overnight.
While I was in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to attend policy discussions, interview elected officials, and observe political culture from the inside. At the same time, I started noticing something outside of Washington as well. Political identity seemed to be shaping how people viewed themselves, their neighbors, and even their faith.
That observation stayed with me long after I returned home.
Instead of creating another political article, I wanted to explore a much bigger question. What happens when politics becomes more important than everything else?
Researching the Problem
I knew this project couldn’t just be based on my opinions.
I spent weeks researching political polarization, constitutional history, Church doctrine, communication theory, and studies about why people join groups and stay committed to them. I also looked at how media and social platforms influence the way people think about politics.
One thing became clear.
Politics isn’t just about policy anymore. For many people, it has become identity.
Talking to Real People
I didn’t want the project to rely only on research, so I decided to talk with students myself.
I interviewed BYU-Idaho students about politics, elections, media, and civic engagement. Those conversations became part of the scrollytell and were also turned into short-form videos that reached thousands of viewers online.
Hearing different perspectives made the project stronger. It reminded me that behind every statistic and headline are real people trying to make sense of a complicated world.
Using Visual Storytelling
One of my biggest goals was making this feel different than reading a research paper.
Every image was chosen for a reason.
Photos from Washington represent the political institutions that shape our country.
The Capitol reminds readers of the Constitution and the principles it was founded on.
The fire and storm imagery represent the division and uncertainty that many Americans feel today.
My own photographs help ground the story in real experiences instead of abstract ideas.
Together, the visuals help tell the story just as much as the words.
Building the Experience
The entire project was built as an interactive website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
As readers scroll, images move, text fades in, graphics appear, and the pace of the story changes depending on the section. I wanted the experience to feel intentional from beginning to end.
The format allowed me to combine journalism, historical research, scripture, photography, animation, and web development into one experience instead of separating them into different projects.
What I Learned
This project taught me that great communication is about much more than writing.
It challenged me to think like a journalist, researcher, designer, photographer, and web developer all at the same time.
It also reminded me that some of the most meaningful conversations don’t begin with answers. They begin with good questions.
Instead of telling readers what political party they should support, I wanted them to think about something bigger.
What deserves our highest allegiance?
That question became the heart of this project.
The finished scrollytell represents more than 80 hours of work and combines research, original reporting, multimedia storytelling, photography, interviewing, coding, and design into one interactive experience. More than anything else, it reflects how much I’ve grown as a communicator and journalist during my time at BYU-Idaho.