Brigham Young University
David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies Convocation
April 25, 2024
2:00 p.m.
Music Building Concert Hall
ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINTH
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—
That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.
—Doctrine and Covenants 88:78–80
University Representative
Organist
Welcome
Invocation
Student Address
Program
Renata A. Forste International Vice President
Sheri L. Peterson
V. Stanley Benfell Director of the Kennedy Center
Zachary Dee Stevenson
Benediction
Tyler Nathan Brown
Performance BYU Celtic Music
Dance
Ally Huffmire Performance BYU Celtic Music and Irish Dance Ensembles Alumni Address Denika L. Torres, Class of 2006
and Irish
Ensembles
Presentation of Diplomas Administration and Faculty Coordinators
Convocation Program Notes
Zachary Dee Stevenson is the valedictorian in American Studies, graduating with a secondary major in French Studies. He is from Purcellville, Virginia, and is the son of Chris and Shanadee Stevenson. He served in the France Lyon Mission and is married to Emily Richael. Stevenson has worked as a teaching assistant in French and as a research assistant at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. He is a regular contributor to the Utah Monthly. After graduation, Stevenson plans to attend Indiana University to pursue a PhD in English, focusing on the intersections between contemporary American and French literatures.
Ally Huffmire is the valedictorian in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, graduating with a minor in history. She is from Huntington Beach, California, and is the daughter of Curtis and Jillyn Huffmire. She served in the Germany Frankfurt Mission. She has received significant awards for her research, including the student paper award from the Rocky Mountain-Great Plains region of the Religion & Bible Society, and has published two articles while at BYU. She worked as a research assistant and participated twice in the Huqoq excavation project in Israel. Huffmire is the editor-in-chief of Studia Antiqua, a student journal of ancient studies. After graduation, Huffmire plans to pursue an interdisciplinary degree at Yale Divinity School and Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, focusing on second temple Judaism.
BYU Celtic Music Ensemble gives BYU students an opportunity to learn the music of the Celtic regions of the world. Those regions include the British Isles, eastern Canada, and parts of France and Spain. The BYU Celtic Music Ensemble performs music primarily from Ireland, Scotland, and Nova Scotia, Canada. The typical types of tunes (instrumental music) and songs (vocal music) performed by the ensemble include airs (slow tunes); ballads (slow songs); dance tunes such as reels, hornpipes, jigs, waltzes, and strathspeys; and some contemporary pieces. The ensemble includes fiddle, flute, mandolin, octave mandolin, pennywhistle, guitar, bass, piano, accordion, cello, and voice.
BYU Irish Dance Ensemble is a student club that has its roots in English country dancing, French quadrilles, and native Irish dance. The style was taught by traveling dance masters throughout Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries and was popularized in the 19th century, when it became a significant part of Irish culture. Irish dance can be performed individually or in groups ranging from two to sixteen, traditionally known as a céilí. Dancers learn to dance in both soft shoes, known as ghillies, and percussive hard shoes. Irish dance is traditionally performed to jigs and reels.
Denika Torres is currently the global head of business and market management and the global environmental, social, and governance lead for Citi Commercial Cards, where she leads a team of professionals who deliver innovative and impactful solutions for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 clients across the globe. Throughout her 16-year career, Torres has held strategy and product management roles within Citi’s treasury and trade solutions, securities and fund services, and private equity groups. Prior to joining Citi in 2011, she supported innovation and private sector competitiveness initiatives at the World Bank Group. She received graduate degrees in economics and international finance and banking from Columbia University and the National University of Singapore and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a Global Management Certificate from BYU. She leads diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across Citi and is a board member of the Gantry Group Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting first-generation college students. She resides in New York City with her husband, Middoni, and their three children.
Tyler Nathan Brown is the valedictorian in European Studies, graduating with a minor in global business and literacy. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the son of Alissa and Nathan Brown. He served in the Denmark Copenhagen Mission and is married to Hayley Port. Brown was the Scandinavian Studies student of the year and served as vice president of the BYU Artificial Intelligence Association. He was a member of the intramural volleyball championship team and enjoys basketball, water polo, golfing, and skiing. After graduation, Brown plans to attend the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law as a recipient of the distinguished scholars award.
Graduates
BACCALAUREATE DEGREES
American Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
DECEMBER 2023
Matthew Favero
Emma Dale Montague
Joshua McArthur Topham
APRIL 2024
Lauren Elizabeth Barney
Bowen Todd Paul Fuller
Addison Louis Graham
Jacob David Petersen
Zachary Dee Stevenson*
Ethan Porter Walton
JUNE 2024
Gabrielle A. Clay
AUGUST 202
Kendall Alison Isom
Holly Anne Stirling
BACHELOR OF GENERAL STUDIES
APRIL 2024
Brandon Caplin
Rachyl Devenport
Madeline Dorothy Murdock
Ancient Near Eastern Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
DECEMBER 2023
Matthew Brian Fowers
APRIL 2024
Michael James Fisher
Jared K. Gaskill
Peter Scott Geigle
Ally Huffmire*
Gerardo Andres Juarez
Warren Howard Park
Aaron Ferguson Richards
Heidyn Elizabeth von Bose
JUNE 2024
Adam Tom LaMont
AUGUST 2024
Jacob Helaman Bellows
Calan Lake Christensen
Michael William Abel Ryan
Asian Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
DECEMBER 2023
Madison B. Buckles
Loreen Natsumi Hi’ilani Keliiliki
Kira Beth Myers
Alette Shumway Walker
APRIL 2024
Madeline Grace Arvanitas
Annika Beverly Burgoyne
JUNE 2024
William Jack ( ) Martindale*
European Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
DECEMBER 2023
Leslie Ann Timmins
APRIL 2024
Abigail Mary Bradford
Tyler Nathan Brown*
Annalisa Cleveland
Daphne Elise Edwards
Maggie Kargis
Nathan D. Pace
Chloé Marie-Catherine Peck
Joseph Michael Smith
Rose Marie Thornburg
Grace Elisabeth Wilson
JUNE 2024
Lindsay Farnsworth Varvel
International Relations
BACHELOR OF ARTS
DECEMBER 2023
Brandon Joseph Anderton
Ralph Patraic Archbold
Grace Luisa Domine
Nathan Richael Hamm
Bretton Edward Haug
Davis Ezekiel Lane
William Luke Murdoch
Alia A. Pedersen
Jonah
Daniel Phillips
Joseph Daniel Young
APRIL 2024
Chandler David Anderson
Thomas Connor Austin
Natalie Elizabeth Bria
Grace C. Burns
Katelyn E. Cannon
Bailey Chase Christensen
Kira Karen Freestone
Joshua Thomas Gardner
Amelia Watterson Heap
Braeden Mark Jensen
Angela Lois Larsen Mamani
Erin Marie Manly
Benjamin Jon Marr
John Thomas Junior McGuire
Megan Myres McMillan
Avery Burton Nusbaum
Robert Tate Peterson
Giada Estefania Pol
Danielle Jayne Saunders
Emily Jeanette Scholes
Rachel ArDella Scott
AnneMarie Ackerman Speers
Noah Talbot
Cecilia Grace Winegar
Samuel Kwabena Yeboah
JUNE 2024
Garyn Elizabeth Anderton
Andrew Darrell Bacon
Charlotte Rolfs Halterman*
International Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
APRIL 2024
Albert L Kemp III
Latin American Studies
BACHELOR OF ARTS
APRIL 2024
Natalie Jean Bradshaw*
Maren Alexandra Charlotte
Dyer Cooper
Nathaniel Perry May
Celeste Sinai Tsosie
JUNE 2024
Chase Noel Blakemore
Middle East Studies / Arabic
BACHELOR OF ARTS
DECEMBER 2023
Rachel Ariel Doffermyre
Margaret Patricia Dye
Asia Kawehi Gillette
Lindsay Hafen
Emma Israelsen
Caroline Christine Keel
*Program Valedictorian
Garrett Royal Maxwell*
Stefani Amorel Mohrman
Elizabeth Mae Thomas
Patrick James Vogel
Benjamin G. Whatcott
APRIL 2024
Austin Jeffrey Ball
Lia Elane Halvas
Ashley Marie Perry
Noah Brian Petty
William Rohan Sugden
Isaac Walter Theobald
Carly Ann Wasserlein
JUNE 2024
Rachel Dunford
Kennedy Anne Lister Goodwin
Nicholas Arthur Heil
Elisabeth Brynn Morse
AUGUST 2024
Haley Ann Bishop
Candidates listed for graduation will be awarded degrees subject to the successful completion of program requirements.
