LDSHE West Conference | Alumni
Wednesday - Fun & Service
8:30-8:50
Donut Devotional
Start your conference experience with a devotional for all attendees led by the YCT.
9:00-9:50
Combined Opening Keynote:
Embracing Your Authentic Self to Truly Connect With Others (Will Rubio)
The strongest connections don’t come from trying to impress others—they come from being real. True connection starts with understanding and accepting yourself first. When you embrace your own story, strengths, and even struggles, you create space for genuine relationships built on trust and meaning. In this session, we’ll explore how self-acceptance leads to deeper connections with others, why people-pleasing holds us back, and how compassion for yourself allows you to offer it to others.
10:00-11:50
Games & Shirts
Some things transcend time, and at the top of that list are LDSHE games! Join us as we play the games we all love, without fear of bodily harm. We will also be tie-dying our awesome Alumni shirts!
11:50-2:00
Lunch Break
Grab a bite to eat and enjoy the lunch break with all LDSHE attendees. Parents and youth head back to classes at 1:15 at which point we have travel time built in to shift locations for our next activity.
2:00-4:30
Service Project
Join us at Santa’s workshop, or rather Tiny Tim’s Toys, as we aid them in their goal to ensure that every child has a toy. We will be making wooden toy cars, and there is a job for everyone. Catch up with friends while tracing and painting. Or renew old rivalries by seeing who can operate the machines with the most flair. There are lots of opportunities to mingle as we serve.
4:30-7:00
Dinner Break
7:00-9:00
Youth Talent Show & Special Performance with Katie Higley
Enjoy a night of talented youth acts followed by Songversations: Connecting With Heaven with Katie Higley, a unique performance/workshop that blends live music with interactive conversation. In this dynamic session, Katie will perform and share her approach to nurturing musical talents, empowering artists, and building confidence through song. Along with the Lighthouse Mamas, Katie will showcase the power of collaboration and creativity in real-time. Whether you’re an educator, performer, or music lover, this post-Talent Show event will build your desire to unlock your creative potential. Be prepared to engage, learn, and experience the transformative power of music and song!
Thursday - Around Town & Family Dance
9:00-9:50
Opening Keynote: Come Unto Christ (John Bytheway)
The scriptures are full of invitations. One of the most repeated invitations is to Come Unto Christ. When Jesus appeared in the new world, they could physically just walk toward him. But how do we come to Jesus today? We’ll explore what coming to Jesus means and how the direction we are facing in life is more important than the distance we have to travel.
10:00-4:00
Downtown Field Trip
Spend all day catching up with old friends, and making new ones as we tour the beautiful Temple Square
5:00-7:00
Kick-Off Dinner
Join your fellow alums at a local restaurant (details coming soon) for the official conference kick-off event.
7:00-9:45
Night at the Disco! Family Dance
Come show the youth the dance moves you mastered at LDSHE family dances in years gone by at the “Night at the Disco” family dance.
Friday - Conference Classes
9:00-9:45
Welcome & Mingle
Never got silly notes in a yearbook? That’s about to change! Have friends, old and new, sign the back of your conference booklet as we meet and mingle.
9:50-10:40
Speed Bumps (Nephi Zufelt)
Maybe you have the next phase of your life all figured out, maybe you are working on your grand plan, or perhaps you have no idea what to do next. Regardless of your current plan for life, we all know that there are going to be some big speed bumps. Those things that come out of nowhere to slow you down or change your direction. Some are the result of choices, and others come to guide us on the right path. In this class we will discuss how speed bumps are part of our lives and how we can choose to let them knock us down or use them to launch ourselves into the next great thing.
10:45-11:15
Games
11:20-11:50
Ordinary Heroes: How Homeschooling Shapes Everyday Success (Mary Stoddard)
As young adults, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the new decisions and pressures facing us every day. Drawing on wisdom from modern and ancient thinkers, this candid, peer-to-peer talk will explore how the real power of our homeschool experiences shows up not just in big achievements, but in everyday life: at work, in church, and at home. Let’s learn to value steady effort and ordinary moments, and find purpose in doing small things well.
11:50-1:10
Lunch
1:15-2:00
Keeping the Dream Alive While Covering the Costs (Oba Bonner)
You have big dreams—but how do you chase them while still paying the bills? In this class, Oba Bonner shares practical advice on how to wear multiple hats, balancing your passion with real-world responsibilities. Learn how to find work that aligns with your goals—even if it’s not the spotlight role—so you can keep your dream alive without sacrificing stability. Whether you want to be a doctor, a filmmaker, or a musician, there are ways to support your path while staying on it.
2:05-2:35
Games
2:40-3:10
Waiting Upon the Lord (Peggy Reeder)
Aren’t we all Waiting Upon the Lord in one way or another? This class will take a candid look at how waiting isn’t just about patience—it’s about learning to trust, grow, and find peace in God’s timing. It’s often difficult to find peace in the stillness, but even in moments of waiting, God is at work, strengthening our connection with Him and deepening our trust. Drawing from both personal experiences and lessons learned from friends, Peggy will share what she’s discovered about Waiting Upon the Lord. For those navigating life’s quiet moments, this class will remind us that waiting can be an active, transformative part of our faith journey.
3:15-4:00
Variety Show
Maybe it was a wacky dance number, maybe it was ventriloquy with a stuffed alligator, whatever it might have been, we’ve seen it all at LDSHE talent shows. But does the talent still remain?
4:05-5:15
Combined Closing Keynote: The Power of Coming Together to Accomplish Great and Heroic Things (Brandon Mull)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Mull will explain what he has learned about teamwork and sharing his imagination over a twenty-year career as a professional novelist that includes nineteen New York Times bestselling novels.
