ICLRS Student Management Board 2014-2015
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies Student Management Board for 2014-2015 included 17 outstanding students who spoke among them more than a dozen lanugages. Third-year students on this board were Heather Binks, Christina Champenois, James Heilpern, Bryant Hinckley, Lynn Nouri, and Alex Storms, with second-year students Ryan Andersen, Eva Brady, Bennett Briggs, Tara Fitzgerald, Roman Harper, Travis Hyer, Jedidiah Knight, Aline Longstaff, Annalee Moser, Lauren Robins, and Jarvis Yau. Languages spoken by members of this group include Arabic, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu.
Ryan Andersen
Ryan Andersen was born in Provo, Utah, but grew up in Rexburg, Idaho. He first thought about a legal career when he was in high school debate, and this desire stayed with him through his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Yekaterinburg, Russia and his undergraduate days at BYU-Idaho, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Russian. Now part of the class of 2016 at the J. Reuben Clark School of Law, he looks forward to returning to Russia during the summer of 2014 for his internship with the Area Legal Counsel of the LDS Church.
Heather Binks
Heather grew up in several cities throughout the U.S., and this early exposure to various people and places sparked a love for learning about and experiencing diverse cultures. In 2012 Heather graduated cum laude from Utah State university with a B.A. in English writing with an emphasis in Spanish. Upon arriving In law school Heather took advantage of every opportunity to become involved on the international sphere. Some of her activities have included acting as an associate editor for the International Law and Management Review, as well as serving as a policy intern for The European Parliament’s Liaison office with U.S. Congress. Heather is excited to learn from working with the center and to serve as a voice in progressing mutual respect…
Eva M. Brady
Eva Brady is a second-year law student at BYU Law School. She is from Charlottesville, Virginia, and is the oldest of ten children. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Philosophy with a minor in Logic. Eva also studied Spanish extensively for ten years. Before beginning law school, she served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Korean, Busan mission. Eva enjoys being outside, playing sports, learning, spending time with family and friends, and playing the piano. As a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies for 2014, Eva spent a summer externship with the Area Legal Counsel’s Office for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lima, Peru. She…
Bennett Briggs
Bennett Briggs was born in California and grew up in Rexburg, Idaho. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Moscow, Russia, Bennett returned to BYU-Idaho and graduated cum laude with a BS in Communications. He returned to Russia during the summer of 2014 to work with the Legal Counsel for the East Europe Area of the Church. His research work with the Center focuses primarily on issues surrounding the same-sex marriage movement as well as anything with an Eastern European element. Bennett enjoys outdoor activities including rock climbing, camping, and waterskiing.
Christina Champenois
Christina Champenois spent most of her childhood in Denmark and later served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Moscow, Russia. She loves different languages and cultures and is passionate about international issues. In the summer of 2012, Christina participated in the BYU Moscow Internship Program, studying Russian at the Russian Presidential Academy in Moscow and interning at the Slavic Center for Law and Justice. She graduated summa cum laude with University Honors from BYU with a double major in linguistics and Russian and a minor in editing. During her second year at the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Christina was a recipient of a Foreign Language and Area Studies scholarship for Russian and enjoyed the opportunity…
Tara Fitzgerald
Tara Fitzgerald, a second-year student at the J. Reuben Clark Law School from Rexburg, ID, was a Center Fellow for summer 2014. The work of the Center was a major motivating factor in leading her to go to law school and to attend BYU. Tara previously attended BYU-Idaho, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education (Choral Education with Piano Emphasis). She also served as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dublin, Ireland Mission. Tara is grateful for the opportunity she has now to contribute to the work and mission…
Roman Harper
Roman Harper was born and raised in North Carolina. He served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Barranquilla, Colombia. After returning from Colombia, he completed language studies and received a bachelor of arts in Hispanic Literatures and Cultures with minors in Religious Studies and History from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2013. He entered J. Reuben Clark Law School Fall Semester 2013. After volunteering his help during Symposium 2013, Roman was named a member of the Transportation Team of the Student Executive Committee for the 21st Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. He is a member of the Student Management Board of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies for 2014-2015.
James Heilpern
James Heilpern has served the International Center for Law and Religion Studies as a member of the Documents sub-team for the International Law and Religion Symposium and a member of the Center Management Board with responsibilities for Latin America. Since coming to law school, he has worked on numerous amici curiae briefs submitted to courts around the world including the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the Constitutional Court of Colombia. In 2013, he interned at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he worked on several high-profile First Amendment cases including Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. Since then, James has also worked at the Utah Supreme Court, the U.S….
Bryant T. Hinckley
Bryant T. Hinckley enjoyed working with the International Law and Religion Symposium in fall 2012 as an informal translator. He spent the summer of 2013 as an extern in Johannesburg with the South Africa Area Legal Counsel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and later that year was a member of the documents team for the 2013 International Law and Religion Symposium. Originally from Salt Lake City, Bryant is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Utah where he earned a BA in history, anthropology, and Latin American studies. Prior to entering law school, he worked part-time at a Salt Lake City law firm. He enjoys practicing his Portuguese and staying current on world events, and he loves spending time with his wife and daughter.
Travis Hyer
Travis Hyer hails from Florida and is proud to call the Sunshine State home. Before entering the J. Reuben Clark Law School, his studies focused on Latin America and indigenous peoples. Specifically, he has conducted graduate research on religious dynamics of the Maya of southern Mexico. Travis also enjoys studying the arts and enjoys performing in musical and theatrical ensembles as often as he can. Travis was selected as a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies for 2014, serving a summer externship with the Area Legal Counsel for The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auckland, New Zealand. He served as a member of the Concierge/Hosting Team of the Executive Committee for the 2014 International Law and Religion Symposium.
Jedi Knight
Jedediah “Jedi” Knight is a second-year law student at J. Reuben Clark Law School. Jedi first became interested in Law and Religion issues as an undergraduate studying Physics, when he became acutely aware of the competing ideologies of secularity and religiosity. Jedi chose to attend BYU Law, in part, so that he could begin to help influence domestic and international religious freedom issues. As a first-year law student he volunteered extensively for the ICLRS Symposium, and in 2014 he served as member of the Recruitment Team of the Symposium Executive Committee. Jedi is currently helping publish the second edition of the West treatise Religious Organizations and the Law, and he is a member of the ICLRS Student…
Aline Longstaff
Aline Longstaff was born in Utah and raised in Saudi Arabia. Before coming to the J. Reuben Clark Law School, she received her bachelor’s degrees in History, Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic), and International Studies from the University of Utah, 2011. She went on to complete a master’s degree in Islamic Studies from Harvard University, 2013, where she also worked for two years as a research assistant for the Islam in the West Program at the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program. In summer 2014, she was a research assistant at the University of Bonn, Institute for Public International Law; interned at a firm in New Delhi, India; and completed an internship at the Utah Supreme Court. Aline is involved with the annual Law and Religion Symposium and is interested in this academic field.
Annalee Moser
Annalee Moser was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She graduated cum laude from BYU in 2013, with extensive education in Theatre Arts Studies and Mathematics. During her undergraduate years, she spent much of her time performing in shows at BYU, tutoring and mentoring athletes, and studying abroad in London. She is excited to be spending part of the summer of 2014 in Buenos Aires, giving her the opportunity to utilize the language skills she developed during her Spanish-speaking mission in Seattle, Washington for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She likes to spend her spare time watching musicals, reading plays, and spending time with her husband, Mychal. She hopes to use her law degree to be a criminal defense attorney once she graduates.
Lynn Nouri
Lynn Nouri has lived in a number of cities including San Diego, Toronto, Boston, Seattle, Charlotte, and Cincinnati. She graduated magna cum laude from Xavier University in 2011 with a BS in Marketing. She worked in research for a number of years at Procter and Gamble and resigned in 2012 to pursue her life-long interest in the law. Since coming to the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Lynn has served the International Center for Law and Religion studies in several capacities. She was first a volunteer (2012) and then a member of the Executive Committee (2013, 2014) for the annual International Law and Religion Symposium. In her pursuit to contribute to the improvement…
Lauren Ravsten Robins
Lauren Robins is from Huntington Beach, California. She attended Brigham Young University, majoring in Psychology and graduating in April of 2012. While at BYU, Lauren participated in the BYU Model United Nations team and traveled with this team for competitions. Lauren is now a second-year law student at BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School. During summer 2014 Lauren was a Student Fellow with the Law School’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies and worked in Johannesburg, South Africa. She will pursue a career in International Law and human rights advocacy work. She currently lives in Provo, Utah with her husband, Mack.
Richard A. (Alex) Storms
Before being namesd to the Inaugural 2014 Student Management Board, Richard (Alex) Storms was a volunteer for 2012 International Law and Religion Symposium and a 2013 Student Research Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, spending a six-week internship in Tokyo, Japan, before returning to Provo to spend the remainder of the summer completing a guided research project involving the Center’s annual update for the treatise Religious Organizations and the Law. He has now been appointed to the Management Board for 2014-2015. A husband and a father of a beautiful little girl, Alex grew up in Seattle, Washington. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus…
Jarvis Yat-Him Yau
Jarvis Yau was born and raised in Hong Kong, and is the youngest of the four children in his family. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City, where he spent a year in Queens and another year in Brooklyn. Jarvis returned to Brigham Young University – Hawaii to continue his study after he finished his mission in 2011. He graduated magna cum laude in 2013 with a bachelor of science in Business Management, emphasizing in both Finance and Marketing, with a minor in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Jarvis played college soccer before his mission, but he also loves other sports including basketball, table tennis, and squash. Jarvis is…