Isabelle Wheeler (they/them)

Isabelle is a senior at Utah Valley University. They will graduate in the Fall with a bachelor’s in Psychology, a Spanish minor, and a Global/Intercultural Distinction. The plan afterwards (hopefully) is to pursue a master’s in Social Work.

While they were unaware of the term non-binary at the time, Isabelle’s “egg” cracked in their second semester of college at BYU-I, not long after submitting their mission papers. It was a sudden development that they didn’t have words to describe. Something gender-related just wasn’t right, and it caused conflict with their faith. In the midst of a full-blown gender crisis, they ended up serving a Spanish-speaking mission in southern Florida.

Upon their return, Isabelle continued the process of understanding and accepting their gender identity. They started connecting with the queer community and eventually got involved with advocacy. They participated in The RaYnbow Collective for two years. Their beliefs about the Church have shifted and evolved a lot over the past few years; and that process is still ongoing. You could say their current relationship with the Church also doesn’t fit the binary.

Isabelle often jokes about being a “bland” enby, having no dyed hair or fun piercings and typically wearing neutral colors. They’re also half-Mexican (what, you couldn’t tell?) And they have a lot of insight about dealing with anxiety disorders, having been diagnosed with OCD. When they’re not dealing with chronic tiredness, Isabelle enjoys creative writing, singing, acting, some drag, and playing philosophical/psychological horror video games.