ICLRS Student Management Board 2017-2018
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies is pleased to announce the Student Management Board for 2017-2018. Members of the board are chosen based on their interest in law and religion and their skills in writing, research, editing, and languages. Throughout the school year Board Members participate in research, writing and editing projects, conferences, and other assignments with the Center. The 2017-2018 Board Members are third-year law studdents Reed Adlish, Alexander Alton, Jessica Farnsworth, Rebecca Horne, Ryan Hughes, Minji Kim, Thomas Palmer, Joshua Prince, and Benjamin Thornell. and second-year students Jarom Blackhurst, Shaun Belliston, Adam Bouka, Melissa Hartman, Kyle Harvey, Justin Miller, Malea Moody, Joe Moxon, Sara Plater, Shelise Rupp, and Taylor Shaw.
Reed Adlish
Reed Adlish was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile where he developed a great love for the people and culture of Latin America. Upon returning from his mission, he attended Brigham Young University, where he majored in Economics and Spanish, with a special interest in economic development issues worldwide. He worked at the Missionary Training Center teaching Spanish, where he was able to further his interests in Latin America and religious issues in general. He is excited to continue his work with the people of Latin America. In his free time, Reed enjoys watching and playing any kind of sport, reading, and traveling. Reed was a 2016 ICLRS Student Fellow, working for part of the summer in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and a member of the 2016-2017 Student Management Board. He returns as a member of the Board for 2017-2018.
Alex Alton
Alexander Alton was raised in Mira Loma, California. From August 2003 to August 2005 he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bahia, Brazil. Alex graduated cum laude with University Honors from Brigham Young University in April 2009, earning a bachelor of science in business strategy with a minor in music. Alex then spent two years as a Teach For America corps member in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While in Philadelphia, Alex taught 7th-12th grade English to students in the district’s alternative education program. He concurrently earned a master of science in education degree from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in May 2011. Alex spent two years selling residential real estate in southern California. Alex’s interest in the work of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies was one of the principal reasons he felt compelled to attend the J. Reuben Clark Law School. Alex and his wife Samara, a native of Maranhão, Brazil, have been married for just over two years and have one son. Alex was thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Brazil as an ICLRS Student Fellow in the summer of 2016 and contribute to the Center’s work of advocating for religious liberty throughout the world. He served as a member of the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and returns to the Board for 2017-2018.
Shaun D. Belliston
Shaun Belliston was born and raised in Richland, Washington. He served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Viña Del Mar, Chile where he fell in love with Latin American culture and the Spanish language. After his mission, Shaun attended BYU-Idaho and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Humanities & Philosophy. After graduation, Shaun traveled for a year throughout the world, including places like India, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Alaska, and Canada. During his travels, he developed a deep love for many world religions which led to his desire to work with ICLRS in Lima, Peru, where he served a summer internship in 2017. Shaun was appointed to the Student Management Board for 2017-2018.
Jarom Blackhurst
Jarom Blackhurst was raised in Bountiful, Utah as the seventh of twelve children. He is passionate about studying languages and studied German and Russian in high school. After his freshman year at Brigham Young University, he served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Kiev, Ukraine. He returned to BYU where he graduated cum laude with a BA in Russian and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. He is currently pursuing a joint MBA/JD degree and is planning for a career that will allow him to serve and practice internationally. Jarom is married and has two children. As a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies he spent part of Summer 2016 completed an internship with the Offcice of the Area Legal Counsel for the Church in Moscow. Jarrom was apponted a member of the ICLRS Student Management Board for 2017-2018.
Jessica Farnsworth
Jessica Farnsworth is second-year BYU Law student from Provo, Utah. She graduated from BYU with a degree in Middle East Studies/Arabic. Before graduating she served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand and studied abroad in Amman, Jordan. She loves learning about people through studying languages, politics, and religions, and traveling around the world. She is interested in human rights and comparative law. Working as a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, and completing an internship in Hong Kong during summer 2016 was a dream come true for her as she was able to return to Asia and research religious freedom issues. She was a member of the Master Schedule Team of the Symposium 2016 Student Executive Committee and was Chair of Master Schedule for 2017. She served on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and has been re-appointed for 2017-2018.
Kyle A. Harvey
Kyle Harvey was raised in Denver, CO. In 2010, he began his undergraduate studies at Southern Utah University and was a pitcher for SUU’s division 1 baseball team. After completing his freshmen year at SUU, Kyle served an LDS service mission in Lisbon, Portugal from 2011-2013. Following his mission, Kyle returned to Southern Utah University where he met his wife, Chelsee, and completed his degree in Economics, graduating summa cum laude, and earned a double minor in Finance and Legal Studies. Kyle enjoys his legal interests at BYU and the wonderful chance he had to work as an ICLRS Student Fellow with the Area Legal Counsel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sao Paulo, Brazil during summer 2017. He was appointed to the Center’s Student Management Board for 2017-2018. Kyle enjoys dirt-biking, hiking, playing sports, and spending time with his wife and young son.
Rebecca Horne
Rebecca Horne is a second-year Brigham Young University Law Student. She is a Linguistics graduate of BYU and speaks several languages. Rebecca is a mother of four and comes to law school with significant business and non-profit experience. Most recently, she served as President and co-founder of The Bridge Foundation, a Utah non-profit providing aid to single parents and their families. She is a professional photographer, web/graphic designer, champion marimbist, and successful entrepreneur. Rebecca is interested in civil and human rights and constitutional law. She will served on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and returns to the Board for 2017-2018.
Ryan Hughes
Ryan Hughes grew up in Mesa, Arizona. He attended Brigham Young University, where he majored in Middle East Studies/Arabic. His studies led him to become deeply interested in religious freedoms and how religious minorities are treated throughout the world. He participated in a study abroad in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. After graduating magna cum laude in April 2015, he decided to attend the J. Reuben Clark Law School. During summer 2016 he was an ICLRS Student Fellow and served an externship to Frankfurt, Germany. Ryan was a member for the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and has been reappointed for 2017-2018.
Minji Kim
Now a Canadian citizen, Minji Kim was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. She studied English and French at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul and obtained a BA (honours) in Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal, Québec. She worked in both private and public sectors in South Korea and Canada. Before coming to J. Reuben Clark Law School, she worked as an analyst in the Department of National Defence headquarters in Ottawa, Canada. Minji is interested in business law with an emphasis on international trade. She is also interested in employment and human rights issues as well as political and security affairs in the Asia Pacific Region and the Middle East. She serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and has been reappointed for 2017-2018.
Justin Miller
Justin Miller was raised in Star Valley, Wyoming. Following his graduation from Star Valley High School in 2011, and two academic semesters at Brigham Young University, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chihuahua, Mexico. After his mission, he returned to Brigham Young University where he majored in history and minored in Latin American Studies, graduating with University Honors in 2016. Justin married his best friend Megan in 2016, and they returned to Mexico during summer 2017, where Justin worked for…
Malea Moody
Malea Moody was raised in St. George, Utah. She studied Physics for 3 years at Utah State University and worked as a research assistant at the Space Dynamics Laboratory. She served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lima, Peru, where she developed a desire to help people who cannot help themselves. When she returned, she transferred to Brigham Young University and graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a minor in Mathematics. During the summer of 2017, she was an extern with Spain’s Ministry of Justice where…
Joe Moxon
Joe Moxon thinks learning the law is a lot of fun, and feels incredibly blessed to be able learn through experience this summer in South Africa, where he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2010-2012. Following his missionary service, Joe studied public relations at BYU and completed several internships in that field, including one in New York City. He also participated in study abroad programs in Jerusalem, London, and Western Europe. Joe is a Provo, Utah native and a lifelong fan of the Denver Broncos…
Thomas Palmer
Thomas Palmer grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated concurrently from Brighton High School and Salt Lake Community College with an associate’s degree in 2011. He attended Brigham Young University for one year before serving a mission in Barranquilla, Colombia. After returning from his mission in 2014, he graduated from Brigham Young University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Thomas was married in the summer of 2015 and enrolled at the J. Reuben Clark Law School in the fall of 2015. He was a 2016 ICLRS Student Fellow in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is on the 2016 Student Executive Committee for the Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. He was a member of the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and has been reappointed for 2017-2018.
Sara Plater
Sara Plater was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She attended Brigham Young University majoring in Sociology with a minor in Philosophy. During her time at BYU she volunteered and interned with social workers discovering a love for helping people one on one. She also did research on international human rights, which led to her love for international religious freedom. She served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from January 2013 – August 2014. She loves hiking, traveling, and playing…
Joshua Prince
Joshua Prince was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Upon graduating high school, he enrolled in Brigham Young University. After a year of study, he served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Donetsk, Ukraine. In Ukraine, Joshua developed a deep love for both the Ukrainian people and the Russian language that he spoke. Upon returning to BYU, he continued his study of the Russian language, ultimately earning a BA in Russian. During his time at BYU, he received several awards in national contests for written Russian. He was married in February 2013, and he and his wife are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. He has a deep respect for the goals of the ICLRS, and hopes that he can continue the work of religious freedom during his time with the Center. Joshua spent the summer of 2016 as an ICLRS Student Fellow, working as an extern for part of the summer in Moscow, Russia. He also assisted with the Center’s 2016 Regional Conference in Talinn, Estonia. Joshua served on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and was reappointed for 2017-2018.
Shelise Rupp
Shelise Rupp is from Thousand Oaks, California, and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English. Before coming to Provo, she had the opportunity to work as a docent at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, and she also served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. She loves the law and language and learning for its own sake, and is especially passionate about religious freedom around the world. She is grateful for the opportunities that the Center has given her to bring…
Taylor Shaw
Taylor Shaw was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated from high school and attended Victor Valley College where he was on the wrestling team. He then served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rome, Italy where he fell in love with Rome and the Italian/European people. After his mission Taylor attended BYU-Idaho graduating cum laude with a degree in Business Management and an emphasis in Finance. He was the recipient of the Newel K. Whitney Outstanding Graduate Award. Taylor has always had a strong love for justice and felt drawn to a law degree. He loves to fight for those who cannot or don’t have the ability to fight for themselves. As a student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies in 2016, he worked in the Office of General Counsel in Frankfurt, Germany. He was appointed to the Center’s Student Management Board for 2017-2018. Taylor and his wife, Malorie, have toddler son also named Taylor.
Benjamin Thornell
Ben Thornell was born and raised in Bountiful, Utah. After serving a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Louisiana, he obtained a BA in Philosophy from Brigham Young University with minors in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Psychology, and Logic. Ben then went on to obtain a Master of Social Work degree, also from BYU. While doing social work, Ben learned to love fighting for the beliefs and rights of all people, especially the powerless and the marginalized. This love lead him to law school and the ICLRS, where is grateful to have the opportunity to serve. Ben spent the summer of 2016 as an ICLRS Student Fellow in Accra, Ghana. He joined the 2016-2017 Student Management Board and returned to serve on the Board for 2017-2018.