Symposium 2012: Student Executive Committee

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies is pleased to recognize the Student Executive Committee for the Nineteenth Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. The success of the Symposium each year is due in large part to the planning and performance of these outstanding students from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, under the direction of Center Associate Director Elizabeth Clark and Coordinator Deborah Wrigh.

The committee members were divided into five teams: Cecily Couture and Michelle Jeffs coordinated and oversaw the Master Schedule of all Symposium events…

Symposium 2012: Student Volunteers

Every year in early October the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School welcomes student volunteers from the Law School and from the wider University community to assist in the management of the International Law and Religion Symposium. Recruited and organized by the Symposium Executive Committee Recruitment Team, approximately 50 students provide transportation, interpretation, and other assistance for delegates during the Symposium and the two days before and after, as delegates travel to and…

Cecily Elizabeth Couture

Chair, Master Schedule

Cecily graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies. After her undergraduate studies, Cecily served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand, where she grew to love and appreciate Asian languages and cultures. Cecily was a fellow with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies in 2011. She has interned at the LDS Area Legal Counsel Office in Hong Kong as well as the Office of the United States Attorneys in Salt Lake City….

Michelle Jeffs

Co-Chair, Master Schedule

A native of Pleasant View, Utah, Michelle graduated from Weber State University in 2009, double majoring in English and Political Science. Upon graduating, Michelle served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in São Paulo, Brazil and then came to BYU to pursue her lifelong dream of studying law. Michelle loves law school and enjoys being involved with Moot Court, Trial Advocacy, and Jail Outreach. She spent summer 2012 working with the International Center for Law and Religion, spending time back in São Paulo and then doing research…

Joshua Bishop

Chair, Recruitment

Josh grew up in Orem, Utah and served a full-time, Spanish-speaking mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Mesa, Arizona. He finished his degree in Psychology in 2009 and then worked as a domestic court clerk in the 4th District court in Provo before starting law school. He is involved with the Immigration Law Forum, Family Law Society, and Law School Choir. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and two children. Josh sang in choirs during his undergraduate years and played the guitar as well as other instruments. Now he loves to sing and…

Chris Pieper

Recruitment

Chris Pieper received a degree in Government from the College of William and Mary in 2008. After his undergraduate studies, Chris lived in Kazakhstan for one year as a Fulbright scholar and researched state attitudes towards civil society. He subsequently interned at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and worked as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega in Washington, DC. Chris recently returned from Moscow, Russia where he interned at Baker & McKenzie and VimpelCom (NYSE: VIP). He speaks Russian and Turkish and lives with his wife and…

Cherise Bacalski

Recruitment

A published poet, Cherise Bacalski received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, emphasis in poetry, from Brigham Young University, where she is currently finishing an M.A. in English, emphasis in rhetoric, as well as enjoying her second year of law school. As a graduate instructor at BYU, Cherise has taught courses in first-year writing and rhetoric, creative writing, and advanced persuasive writing over the last three years.  As a 2012 student Research Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Cherise worked for the Area Legal Counsel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and contributed to several…

Kia Hohaia

Recruitment

Kia Hohaia is a native of Lacey, Washington and comes from a heritage that spans from the isles of Hawaii to New Zealand. He graduated from BYU in 2009 with a BA in Latin American Studies, an interest that developed from serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Veracruz, Mexico. As an undergraduate, Kia completed an internship with Centro Hispano in Provo, UT to help enhance the quality of life for the local Hispanic community. During law school, he has worked as an extern for Judge David Mortensen and Judge Fred Howard in the Utah State Fourth District Court. Kia also participated as a volunteer at the 2011 International…

Justin Caplin

Chair, Transportation

Justin grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas and Santa Clara, Utah and served a mission for the LDS Church in Tampico, Mexico. He received an AA from Dixie State College, and attended Utah State University where he graduated with a BA in Sociology. The focus of his study and work over the last few years has been children who suffer from abuse and/or social/behavioral problems. Justin and his wife, Haylee, both enjoy playing basketball and other sports and hiking/camping in the mountains of southern Utah. Justin loved his opportunity to volunteer at the Symposium in 2010 and was fascinated by the respect and unity that he saw…

James Egan

Transportation

Apart from brief stints in Palo Alto and London, James Egan spent most of his childhood in Salt Lake City. He earned honors degrees in both English Literature and Political Science from the University of Utah before enrolling at J. Reuben Clark Law School. His thesis in literature analyzed how faith and freedom are represented in the novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and his thesis in Political Science compared the style and character of public reason in India with public reason in the United States. Before beginning work for the International Center for Law and Religion, James…

Jorge Gavilanes

Transportation

Jorge Gavilanes grew up in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He served a Spanish-speaking mission in Richmond, Virginia for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After graduating from Brigham Young University in 2009 with a BS in Business Management, Jorge worked for multinational corporation as a Financial Analyst. During the summer of 2012, Jorge was a Research Fellow for the International Center of Law and Religion Studies. His assignment was to work with the Area Legal Counsel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lima, Peru, and revise the Bankruptcy chapter of…

Brandon Bastian

Chair, Concierge/Hosting

Brandon Bastian is excited to return to his position on the Concierge/Hosting team, this year as Chair, for the 2012 International Law and Religion Symposium. Brandon grew up in Binghamton, NY and Manassas, VA, and served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaking Mandarin Chinese in San Jose and Carlsbad, CA. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 2009 with degree in psychology and minors in English and music. He is actively involved in his interests, singing with the BYU Singers and guest lecturing for Sociology classes on…

Erica Berrett

Concierge/Hosting

Erica Berrett grew up in Laguna Hills, CA and Henderson, NV. She graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University in 2010 with a degree in linguistics. While at BYU, Erica studied Spanish, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Italian, and Classical Latin, and attended study abroad programs in Paris and São Paulo. Before beginning law school, Erica spent two years working as an editor for Western Governors University in Salt Lake City. During the summer of 2012, she worked with the public law team at PLMJ in Lisbon, Portugal. Erica loved volunteering in a variety…

Rachel Snow

Co-Chair, Documents

Rachel Snow graduated summa cum Laude from BYU-Idaho, with a BA in art history and minor in English. Upon graduation she furthered her love of international culture by teaching English in China. Prior to enrolling in law school, she served a mission in Columbus, Ohio for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rachel’s work with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies has included serving as a 2011 Student Research Fellow, with the assignment to work with the New Zealand Area Legal Counsel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and co-chair…

Carly Castle

Co-Chair, Documents

Carly Castle graduated cum laude from the University of Utah with B.A.s in political science and anthropology. During her undergraduate studies, she was an intern at the Utah State Legislature and worked on several political campaigns, while working as an editor for a polling company and serving as an inner-city service missionary in Salt Lake City. Before starting law school, Carly worked for the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office as a consultant for a bond election campaign, and then joined the mayor’s staff as a writer and content manager in the mayor’s Department of Communications….

Natalia Peterson

Documents

Natalia Peterson is from Bluffdale, Utah. She earned her BS in Early Childhood Education from Brigham Young University. Prior to entering law school she worked as an elementary school teacher, teaching both kindergarten and second grade. She was an ICLRS Student Research Fellow for the summer of 2012 and spent part of the summer working for the South Africa Area Legal Counsel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When not busy studying, Natalia loves reading any good book, cooking Italian food, scuba diving, and traveling around the world. She is serving as a part of the…

Eimi Priddis

Documents

Eimi Priddis grew up in a small town in Wyoming. She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fukuoka, Japan, then graduated from BYU in 2009 with a BA in English Language. She also completed a Masters degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in April 2012. While completing her Masters, she worked as an ESL teacher at BYU’s English Language Center. She also spent two summers as an intern teaching English in Japan. During summer 2012, after completing her first year of law school, Eimi worked as an extern for the International Center for…