Student Insights into 2025 Religious Liberty Fellowship

Students participating in the 2025 J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s Religious Freedom Fellowship gathered near Valley Forge from June 2 - 6, 2025, for hands-on training about religious freedom issues and initiatives. During the program, they explored the foundations of religious liberty with leaders in the field—including judges, scholars, policymakers, and litigators. Stephanie Athanas, a J.D. a candidate at Notre Dame who attended the fellowship, shared that highlights included “learning about the beliefs of other faiths from my co-fellows, as well as hearing from lobbyists and members of Congress about the process and intricacies of policy and lawmaking.” Athanas also stated that “spending the day in Philly and seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall for the first time was an unexpected treat!”

For many, the experience was both intellectually grounding and personally motivating. “This fellowship was extremely helpful for me as a way to better assess the landscape of religious liberties both domestically and internationally,” said Riley Revilla, a Political Economy and Theology student at Georgetown who attended the fellowship. “Hearing from experts on the legal, legislative, and sociological contours of religious liberties deepened my understanding of the biggest threats currently out there.” She added, “The kindness, empathy, and energy of the other fellows inspired me to make a difference in my own community.” 

Drawing upon the training and inspiration received during the Fellowship, each of the fellows
will carry out an action project to promote religious freedom in their sphere of influence.

For more information about the Religious Freedom Fellowship program, contact Amy Parker at amy.parker@law.byu.edu