ICLRS Student Management Board 2016-2017
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies is pleased to announce the 2016-2017 Student Management Board. Members of the board are chosen based on their interest in law and religion and their skills in writing, research, editing, and languages. These excellent law students speak a variety of languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Korean, French, and Russian. Throughout the school year they will participate in research, writing and editing projects, conferences, and other assignments with the Center. The 2016-2017 Board Members are third-year students Tanner Bean, Jeremy Driggs, Lauren Flores, Raquel Flores-Vera, Michael Goodrich, and McKenna Mills, and second-year students Reed Adlish, Alexander Alton, Sarah Clifford, Jessica Farnsworth, Rebecca Horne, Ryan Hughes, Minji Kim, Thomas Palmer, Joshua Prince, and Benjamin Thornell.
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. He joins the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
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 will serve as a member of the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
Tanner J. Bean
Tanner Bean grew up in South Jordan, Utah. After graduating from Bingham High School in 2009, he attended Snow College to graduate with his associate’s degree in 2010. He then served as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. Upon his return from Brazil, Tanner attended Brigham Young University where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He was married in May of 2014. As a student at the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Tanner was a 2015 ICLRS Research Fellow, spending time in São Paulo, Brazil. He was a member of the 2015-2016 ICLRS Student Management Board and will serve again on the board for 2016-2017. He is actively involved with the law school’s trial advocacy team and law review, enjoys the experiences he has had at both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah and the Utah Attorney General’s Office, and looks forward to clerking for the Honorable Judge Huskey of the Idaho Court of Appeals upon graduation from law school.
Sarah Clifford
Sarah Clifford grew up in Gilbert Arizona. She graduated from BYU with a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she worked with an academic advisor to create her own area of emphasis in comparative religious studies. Sarah enjoys baking bread, refinishing furniture and practicing yoga. She married her husband in June 2013, on what also happened to be her 20th birthday. Sarah was an ICLRS Student Fellow spending part of the summer of 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. She will serve as a member of the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
Jeremy Driggs
Jeremy Driggs is from Highlands Ranch Colorado. Having grown up as the son of an Air Force JAG, he saw the impact of the law from an early age, and always had law school in his sights. He is a third-year law student at BYU and has worked in immigration law and worker’s compensation. He has also researched 19th-century presidential campaigns and the impact of the Internet on religion. Jeremy will serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
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 joins the Master Schedule Team of the Symposium 2016 Student Executive Committee and will serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
Lauren Flores
Lauren M. Flores was born and raised in Compton, California. She graduated from BYU in 2012, with a bachelor’s degree in Communications (Print Journalism: Design & News Media) with minors in Editing, Spanish, and International Development. While at BYU, Lauren participated in the performing group Living Legends, which celebrates Native American, Latin American, and Polynesian cultures. Before beginning law school, she served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Texas Houston East Mission. She is enrolled in the joint JD/MPA program at Brigham Young University. She was selected as an ICLRS Student Fellow in 2015 and spent part of the summer in an externship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was a member of the Center’s Student Management Board for 2015-2016 and will be serving on the board again in 2016-2017. Upon graduation Lauren plans to move to the Southern part of the United States and work with either federal or local governments to help improve the access that children have to excellent education. She is a fan of traveling and has a personal goal to visit every MLB stadium.
Raquel Flores-Vera
Raquel Flores was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and immigrated to the United States at the age of seven. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Latin American Studies and completed an internship in Washington, D.C. working with a non-governmental organization which incorporated religion as part of the solution to resolve identity-based conflicts. This internship piqued an interest to learn more about how governments interact with religious groups, what impact religious groups can have in their communities, and how the law affects the ability to practice religions in different countries. Raquel worked as an extern at Baker & McKenzie in Argentina. She was a member of the Center’s 2015-2016 Student Management Board, and will serve again on the board for 2016-2017.
Michael K. Goodrich
Michael Goodrich grew up in Lindon, Utah and decided to go to law school while attending Pleasant Grove High School. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Baltimore, Maryland, and returned home to study history of religion and philosophy at BYU. He is fascinated by the many religions of the world and loves to learn about other cultures. He was very excited to be accepted to the J. Reuben Clark Law School because of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, and is studying Constitutional law with an emphasis in civil rights and first amendment issues. As a Student Fellow for the Center in summer 2014, Michael worked in Auckland, New Zealand. He was appointed a member of the Center’s Student Management Board in 2015, and he served as a member of the Transportation Team of the Student Executive Committee for the 2015 International Law and Religion Symposium. He returns to the Student Executive Committee in 2016 as Co-Chair of Transportation, and will serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
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 serve on the 2017 Management Board.
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 is a member for the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
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 will serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
McKenna Mills
McKenna Mills grew up in Queen Creek, Arizona. She attended Arizona State University and graduated summa cum laude with degrees in History and Culture, Communications, and Global Studies. She loves to travel and learn about other cultures and recently spent a summer in South Korea teaching English to grade school children. McKenna is currently a law student at the J. Reuben Clark Law School and is interested in religious and human right issues around the world and hopes to pursue a career in International Law. As a Student Fellow with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies McKenna worked in Moscow during part of the summer of 2015. She was appointed to the Center’s Student Management Board in 2015, and joined the Recruitment Team of the Student Executive Committee for the 2015 International Law and Religion Symposium. In 2016, she serves as Co-Chair of Recruitment for the Student Executive Committee and is returning to the Student Management Board for 2016-2017.
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 will serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
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 will serve on the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.
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 joins the 2016-2017 Student Management Board.