Make A Difference: Honoring my Namesake

You don't need to wait to change the world. Regardless of your major, friend group, or future ambitions, you can have real impact and literally change the world — today!

My great uncle and namesake, Captain Robert Alan Rex, was shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War in 1968, leaving a spouse and two children behind. Robert was missing in action for more than 25 years. After her son went missing, my great-grandmother, Pearl Rex, became a champion of abused and forgotten children, wives, and mothers of fallen soldiers, leading her to shake hands with three United States Presidents, their first ladies, and a British Prime Minister. Now, in 2021, The Ballard Center for Social Impact is giving me an opportunity to honor my namesake and rub shoulders with some of the greatest women and men on earth.

My story begins with Cisco. The Ballard Center for Social Impact connects teams of 3-5 students with large corporations to solve social problems in the Corporate Social Innovation Projects class (CSIP). Corporations have the unique ability to create and sustain large-scale change because of their access to both financial resources and knowledge experts. I signed up for CSIP thinking that I would help Walmart hire formerly incarcerated individuals, but by divine design, the Walmart project fell through and I was assigned to the Cisco Veteran Project.

Every year, more than 200,000 military veterans return home from full-time military service. Many veterans struggle to find purpose and direction after exiting the military, and most will experience depression within their first few years home. Over 50,000 organizations are committed to helping veterans in the United States, and transitioning veterans often find themselves drowning in a sea of goodwill. Our team of BYU interns is tasked with simplifying the transition experience for veterans by creating roadmaps to help them successfully navigate a sea of goodwill and discover meaningful careers in technology.

Throughout this experience, I’ve made life-long friends! It’s amazing how easy networking can be when you’re trying to solve social problems. I’ve learned how to work with ambiguity, manage a project, communicate professionally, prototype effectively, and so much more. I’ve had the chance to interview over 40 industry experts, organization executives, and veterans. Our team was able to present our project to more than 50 government leaders in the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. After our presentation, a man from the Department of Labor VETS expressed an interest in our project. He connected us with leaders of the Department of Labor Transition Assistance Program, who have the power to help our roadmaps reach thousands of veterans every year.

I’m excited because helping veterans transition into meaningful technology careers will reduce stress, depression, and anxiety in homes all across the United States. Families will be blessed with stability and opportunities that they otherwise might not have.

You don’t need to wait to change the world. The Ballard Center for Social Impact can help you change the world today!