Brigham Young University students from Provo, Utah and Laie, Hawaii, helped delegates at this year's International Law and Religion Symposium at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU Provo this week.
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Student Fellows from the Human Dignity and Religious Freedom Initiative pose in front of the BYU Law School. © 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.This was the 32nd annual symposium, which, every year, brings together government, academic, and religious leaders from around the world to discuss the principles of religious liberty and to explore mechanisms for better implementing those principles.
But it’s not just the delegates that make the symposium a success, it’s also the students putting in the effort behind the scenes.
BYU-Hawaii student fellows from the Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Initiative came to make the symposium impactful and memorable for students and delegates alike.
To visually set themselves apart from BYU Provo students, BYU-H students wore Kukui leis. These leis are symbols of knowledge and growth, something the students hope to achieve while at the event. In Hawaii, kukui nuts were burned as candles, providing a source of light in dark times, another significant symbol of the Kukui lei.
According to many delegates, the university student volunteers are one of the highlights of the symposium. They are the visiting delegates’ main point of contact, helping answer questions, guiding them, and supporting many aspects of the event. Over the years, many delegates have approached students at the end of the symposium to thank them for their kindness and the light they bring.
“That’s what we’re trying to be, the light of Christ,” said Kala Haverly, a student fellow from Hawaii.
BYU Law student, Elle McConkie, served as the Master Scheduler for the Symposium. She said that while spreading the light of Christ was not explicitly a focus during the event planning and preparation, it came naturally while working at the symposium.
"I think that through our interactions with the delegates – when we assisted them, answered their questions, engaged in conversations, and facilitated a positive experience for them – we helped to spread Christ's love and light," McConkie said.
At the end of the conference, BYU-H students gave Kukui Lei to delegates with whom they had connected with in hopes of furthering their relationships. They invited delegates from BYU’s International Law and Religious Symposium to attend The Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Initiative, on their own campus in April, where the focus is on a specific religion.
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Student Fellows from the Human Dignity and Religious Freedom Initiative visited Provo, Utah to take part in BYU Law School’s International Law and Religion Symposium. © 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Riji Levaci is from Fiji, and is the student lead for the Centre for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity. He said that creating relationships and keeping them alive for years to come is a focus for the event.
Last year, BYU-H’s symposium focused on the Pacific region. Students also play a significant role in this event. The Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Initiative invites students and delegates alike from a specific region to participate. During last year's Pacific Region Symposium, a record number of over one hundred students voluntarily participated, all from the Pacific area.
“Not only is it building their relationships with other delegates, it’s motivating them to move in this direction, being a lawyer or being involved in religious freedom and human dignity,” Levaci said.
The Pacific area also contributed significantly to the ILRS symposium, building relationships with students and other delegates while sharing their perspectives.
"It's important to have voices from the Pacific at the table where these important issues of human dignity are discussed," McConkie said.
During such a polarised time, McConkie felt that the most meaningful part of the symposium for herself, and others, was developing relationships.
"The conference was a breath of fresh air because there was no ‘us vs. them.’ The human connection at the symposium was stunning," McConkie said.
People from different backgrounds, viewpoints, and life experiences come together and all add value to the discussion. People work to understand perspectives that may not be widely represented and share their views to foster greater understanding and respect.
“We want to let everyone know that no matter what their religion or what their beliefs are, they all are important, and they all have this great worth and light with them,” Neelima Mungamur, a student fellow for The Religious Freedom and Human Dignity Initiative from India said.