“This Is Where You’re Supposed to Be”

December 2025

Brianna Landon grew up a fanatic BYU sports fan, but when it came time to choose where she’d go to college, she nearly passed on BYU.

“[Another university] offered me a full-ride scholarship, whereas BYU offered half tuition,” she says. “I didn’t have a lot of money, so without scholarships, I would’ve had to work many hours a week while I was in school. Looking back on it now, BYU is way more affordable, and I’m really grateful for that half-tuition scholarship. Ultimately, I couldn’t pass up the atmosphere and energy I felt on campus—I chose to come to BYU.”

Right away, she realized she’d made the right decision. “I remember vividly my first day walking to class,” she says. “I had an overwhelming feeling: ‘This is where you’re supposed to be.’”

Landon took an accounting class and immediately knew she’d found her professional calling. Her studies at BYU also helped her realize she had another calling to fulfill first—serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I served in the Adriatic North Mission in Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia, and both my mission president and his wife were accountants,” she says. “If I hadn’t gone to BYU, I don’t think I would’ve gone on a mission, and it’s from my mission that I met some of my best friends and I made so many other connections.”

Back at BYU, she continued her studies in accounting and served as president of the BYU Tax Policy Association, which took her on a trip to Washington, DC—an experience Landon says opened her worldview. “I went to Congress and the tax courts,” she says. “I realized how important it is that we have people in government who understand tax and policy.”

Then an internship prompted a pivot in her career path, and she enrolled in BYU’s joint juris doctor and master of accountancy (JD/MAcc) program. “I received scholarships from both BYU Marriott and BYU Law School,” she says, “and that funding was a tender mercy and divine answer that I was on the right path. I am so grateful for the financial help.”

Whereas most JD/MAcc students land in transactional or tax law, Landon had the unexpected opportunity to intern in commercial litigation. “I am one of the first students from the program to do commercial litigation,” she says, “and I absolutely love it. You actually use accounting a lot—calculating damages, analyzing financial statements, etc.”

Landon graduated in spring 2025 and started working at the commercial litigation firm where she had interned. “I had the time of my life at BYU,” she reflects. “I got to be there for over six years, and because I had scholarships, I had so much more time to serve, volunteer, and discover what my passions were. It all goes back to the people who helped make it possible: the donors. I’m forever grateful for their generosity and examples of kindness.”