When Marisa Hoover first learned about Big Ocean, she did what she always does: conducted some research and then jumped in with both feet. At the time she was a freshman at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She and a friend were drawn to an Instagram post inviting young women to apply to be…
Growing up amid the beautiful green hills of North Carolina, Sarah Anderson appreciates the natural beauty of her hometown of Durham. Although she has lived in Utah, Georgia, and Florida for brief periods of time, she always returns to North Carolina. “I love it! It is beautiful, green, but most of all there is not…
Changing the World Word by Word Shelli Spotts is a writer. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing, belongs to a writers’ group, and teaches college students writing and composition. You will see she has mastered the art of writing when you read her work and experience her poetic gift of weaving a tapestry…
Pat Frandsen is a member of the media team and shares her skills as a videographer. When I interviewed her, I found she widely shares much more than that. Her words jumped out at me, “Our umbrellas need to be larger and incorporate people from many different backgrounds.” The more I learned about her, I…
Before the sun rises on most mornings, Norma Hendrickson is up and going. She joins in an exercise class that begins at 5 a.m. two days a week and walks with a friend or serves in her church’s temple on other mornings. Explaining, she said, “I love mornings when it is quiet and peaceful and…
“Family is everything,” Carol Sagebin declared in a recent e-mail exchange and video chat. That phrase was a recurring theme as we discussed her life and passion for Big Ocean. Family brought her to Big Ocean. Her sister-in-law is Carolina Sagebin Allen, Big Ocean’s founder. (It can be confusing since both women are named Carolina…
On any humid morning along Boston’s Charles River you might be able to find Angela Fisher Ricks running or biking the tree-lined parkland paths with her husband or a friend. Angela is originally from Utah, but now lives in Boston where she graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a master’s degree with…
Elisabeth Weagel is a master of words, someone who expresses herself in beautiful, poetic terms, and can make magic out of even the most ordinary of events, so her involvement in Big Ocean’s media team seemed a natural fit. She lives in Albuquerque, NM, about which she says, “This is where I grew up. The…
When Corrie was asked what motherhood looked like to her as a woman with no children of her own, she shared her experience as a teacher, and how she becomes a mother figure to many of the children she has the privilege of teaching and the impact good parents have in their lives: Which children…
On any warm morning almost year-round, you could possibly find Jennette Jenkins hiking in the hills around Gilbert, Arizona. Jennette loves to be outside, and describes herself as athletic and enthusiastic. “I feel like I was blessed with a strong body, and I try to take advantage of that. I play basketball several times a…