Meet Jacob Adams

Get to know BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s Student Network Operations Analyst

BY: J.A. Bañez

Jacob Adams recently accepted the position as BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s Student Network Operations Analyst. He was born in Rexburg, Idaho, and currently resides in Centerville, Utah, with his wife, son, and two daughters.

Jacob (back right) and his wife, Crystal (back left), with their children (from left to right) David, Pearl, and Amy

Jacob is an advocate for educational innovation. Working for BYU-Pathway Worldwide is a dream come true for him and his wife, Crystal, who is an online instructor for PathwayConnect. They both desire to help online students, especially international students, receive quality higher education.

“My wife served her mission in Madrid, Spain, and I served in Cebu, Philippines,” Jacob said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re traveling, driving, walking together, or whatever. We naturally start talking about these international members of the Church, wondering, hoping, and praying that they could get just as impactful of an experience [through BYU-Pathway], as if they came to BYU-Idaho or BYU-Provo.”

This dream is also evident in Jacob’s education. He received a bachelor’s degree from BYU-Idaho, where his senior project focused on the international student experience on campus, and he received a master’s degree in comparative and international development education from BYU. For his PhD from the University of Utah, Jacob also researched the international student experience in online classes.

Jacob hopes to use his skills to serve PathwayConnect students.

One of Jacob’s responsibilities is to gather and organize student data, which then helps student mentors identify at-risk students who may need help with varying challenges.

Jacob’s goal is to use his skills to continue improving the way student mentors, service missionaries, and online instructors can minister one-by-one and go to the rescue of these students. 

Besides helping online students, Jacob also enjoys playing the piano and drums, exploring the mountains with his son, eating Filipino food, and reading biographies. He has read the biographies of all the prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he especially loves biographies about Abraham Lincoln.