Laura is an undergraduate student of Latin American Studies at BYU. Fjerstad has traveled to Israel twice on religious trips, where she familiarized herself with major religious beliefs surrounding Islam and Judaism. In addition, she volunteered in Mexico as an English teacher and speaks fluent Spanish. Fjerstad hopes to join the Peace Corps post-graduation [...]
Brian is currently preparing for a governor-led trade mission to Saudi Arabia. For three years, McCoy worked in Panama as a military intelligence officer and Special Forces team leader. He also served as a member of the U.S. delegation of lawyers and jurists to Cuba on two occasions. Additionally, McCoy was delegated to serve [...]
Ryan is currently pursuing an MS in wildlife and wildlands conservation, as part of The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Blue Bonds initiative, having completed a BS in geography in April, both at Brigham Young University. Shields has also worked with TNC on projects in Kenya, Benin, Dominica, Grenada, and the Dominican Republic. Additionally, he and [...]
Shane Jacobs is a global business advisor for Global Upside, which helps U.S. companies expand into foreign countries. Their professional services help them set up and incorporate in foreign countries, provide ongoing HR, payroll, and accounting services, and help them comply with all local labor, employment, tax, and accounting laws in over 150 countries [...]
Hongmeng Cheng is an assistant professor from the Shanghai Institute of Socialism, where he teaches classes on the religious theory and policy of the Communist Party of China. Cheng was a visiting scholar for the Mormon Studies Program at the University of Virginia during the 2018–19 academic year. While at UVA, he researched the [...]
Marren Haneberg is the public relations head at Global Education Philanthropists, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit. Haneberg also regularly contributes articles on Russia and the former Soviet Union to Praemon, a student organization analyzing international security. As an undergraduate, she interned at U.S. Embassy Moscow for a semester and worked as a European history research [...]
Carly Beesley's first international experience was as a BYU freshman. Beesley won a trip to Denmark to participate in a family history reality TV show and worked there during the summer, learning about Danish culture and an alternative way of living. During a semester at the Jerusalem Center in her junior year at BYU, [...]
Geography, history, and cultures ignited Heather Child Benson's interests at a very young age, and she went on to graduate with a degree in international relations from BYU. Benson and her husband Todd formed a connection with Hong Kong, while he clerked there during law school and have returned twice during his career with [...]
David McIllece was the first U.S. Air Force officer sent to India as an Olmsted Scholar (www.olmstedfoundation.org), where he graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University with a master’s degree in politics (international affairs). McIllece applied the perspectives and insights gained from his studies in India as a founding member of the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) India [...]
I am a husband and father of two and a creative business engineer with a passion for technology innovation and music. Since the age of twelve, I have been traveling regularly to the UK or U.S. to learn the English language. After my my bachelor’s degree, I served a mission in London and then [...]