Emmanuel Amirikau named first Stirling Fellow
On January 24, 2019, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and the LLM Program at BYU Law School awarded the first Stirling Fellowship to Emmanuel Amirikau of Nairobi, Kenya. Emmanuel is a fine and deserving LLM student at BYU Law School who will graduate in April. As a Stirling Fellow, Emmanuel also becomes a member of the Center’s Student Management Board and will participate in projects and conferences of the Center.
The Stirling Fellowship is a new award made possible by the Stirling Family Foundation to support exceptional international students in BYU’s LLM program. Students accepted to the LLM program are already lawyers or judges in their home countries. Over time, Stirling Fellowships will help develop these promising young professionals into leading lawyers, legal scholars, and judges. Additionally, Stirling Fellows will remain a part of the Center’s international…
Student Management Board 2018-2019
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies is pleased to announce the Student Management Board for 2018-2019. 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 2018-2019 Board Members are More …
Austin Atkinson
Austin Atkinson grew up in West Jordan, Utah and served as a Russian-speaking missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Baltic Mission, living in Latvia and Lithuania for two years. He graduated magna cum laude from BYU with a double major in Geography and Russian. His passion for the culture and language led to an internship with the Slavic Center for Law and Justice in Moscow, Russia in 2016. The Yarovaya laws restricting foreign proselyting in Russia were passed during his time there. This experience renewed his interest in the complex dynamic that is religious freedom in the former Soviet Union. The son of a banker and a calculus teacher, he made the logical decision after graduation to continue his education and attend BYU Law School. Austin was a 2018 Student Fellow for the ICLRS, and spent the summer working with the Church’s Office of General Counsel in Moscow, learning more about the different aspects affecting religious freedom in Russia, and around the world. He currently serves on the Management Board for the Center, and worked on the Concierge team as a part of the 2018 Symposium Executive Committee.
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 and was reappointed for 2018-2019.
Miranda Cherkas
An authentic Georgia Peach, Miranda is from a small town north of Atlanta, Georgia. She attended the University of Chicago and majored in political science. While she was there, she took Mandarin classes and studied Chinese political history and religion at Renmin University in Beijing, China. She was also a fellow in the Chicago Mayor’s Office before graduating in 2015. She then served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Australia Sydney North Mission speaking Mandarin. As a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies for she served an externship in Hong Kong during summer 2018. She was appointed to the Center’s Student Management Board for 2018-2019.
Erin Cranor
Erin Cranor and her husband Bud raised their four children in Las Vegas, Nevada. Just prior to law school, Erin was a trustee of the Clark County School District for 6½ years. As an elected official, Erin deeply enjoyed social justice policy development, including immigration, disproportionality, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religious freedom. She looks forward to a career in the law around these issues. Prior to serving on the school board, Erin was a technical writer for Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth development organizations….
Diana Flores
Diana Flores is from Salt Lake City, Utah. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in art history and curatorial studies and a minor in editing. Before graduating, she served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Albania. Diana loves hiking, learning new languages, and traveling. Through her travels she has developed a deep love of world religions and cultures. She was selected as a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and worked in both Provo and Hong Kong during summer 2018 following her first year in law school. She was appointed a member of the Student Management Board for 2018-2019.
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 and reappointed for 2018-2019. Kyle enjoys dirt-biking, hiking, playing sports, and spending time with his wife and young son.
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…
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 and again in 2018-2019. He joined the Recruitment Team of the Executive Committee for the 2018 International Law and Religion Symposium. Taylor and his wife, Malorie, have toddler son also named Taylor.
Rachel Mabey Whipple
Rachel Mabey Whipple was raised in Daingerfield, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in geology and a masters of comparative studies with a focus on environmental humanities at Brigham Young University. Between degrees, she married, had three kids, and lived in San Diego and Long Island. Since returning to Provo, she’s been active in the local community, serving as acting neighborhood chair and as a member of both the Provo Sustainability Committee and the Provo Bicycle Committee. She also served on the board of LDS Earth Stewardship and is now on the board of directors for the Utah Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. As a Student Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies she completed an externship in Brussels, Belgium. She has been appointed to the Center’s Student Management Board for 2018-2019.