Hi, I’m Stephanie

My name is Stephanie Goodman-Chica, and I am an intern for Utah Common Values. I am truly grateful to be a part of UCV. I jumped at the opportunity back in August of 2011 when UCV was recruiting. This is a great organization with so much potential — I am excited for what the future will bring!

I was blessed to be born in Washington, D.C., spending my childhood in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, after part of my family moved here. I have lived a life full of financial and family strife, but I am thankful for the strength and resilience it has given me.

Last August I graduated from Brigham Young University in History. Towards the latter part of my stay at BYU, I (re)discovered much about myself. I have many interests in various fields of study, some of which include: politics (of course), international relations and development, music, veterinary science/medicine, animal rights and welfare, journalism, environmental biology, and the list goes on! Another passion is my love for languages; I’ve studied Spanish and Hebrew and would love to learn several more.

Another vital part of my life is my ethnic and religious background: I have deeply reconnected with my (paternal) Ashkenazi background as a result of my Jewish studies. Additionally, in the summer of 2010 I lived in Bogotá, Colombia, where I gained a better understanding of my (maternal) cultural heritage, and most importantly, where I met my awesome husband. I love traveling and wish to spend a lifetime doing so.

I am both humbled and proud to declare that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I admire doctrines of other religions, but it is my testimony as a Latter-day Saint that reaffirms my political views. As I have matured I have learned to be more open-minded, considerate, and compassionate towards my fellow men. My beliefs are best summed up by a refreshing article published in The Salt Lake Tribune last year: “The Book of Mormon narrative, regardless of its historicity, admonishes contemporary Latter-day Saints to reject riches and to care for the poor and needy.”

Posted on January 11, 2012 in News, UCV News.

Hi, I’m Annelise

Hello! I’m Annelise White and I’m a student intern for Utah Common Values. I am thrilled to be a member of this organization. I came across UCV in August of 2011 and was intrigued by what the group stood for. I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to be a part of the organization and I’m excited to watch Utah Common Values grow!

Now here’s a little bit about me:

  • I was born in Kansas to two university professors. My parents are wonderful, educated, and loving people who have made me the person that I am. They raised me to be open-minded, non-judgmental, and to appreciate education.
  • My family has university hopped from Alabama, back to Kansas, and most recently, to North Carolina. I love living on the East Coast with all of this country’s history and being so close to our nation’s capitol.
  • I am a sophomore at Brigham Young University studying Political Science. I love the environment at BYU and feel blessed to be at this wonderful university. After graduation, I’m planning on attending either law school or graduate school in public policy or public administration. I want to end up working for the government or for a non-profit organization.
  • I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church has taught me much about life and has helped shape my political beliefs. I look forward to getting married and having a family of my own some day!
  • As a college student, it’s hard to have time for hobbies but photography is my passion and I love music. I play the violin and piano for fun. I enjoy traveling, and along with that, photographing the world.

Thanks for taking some time to get to know me, and I look forward to getting meet all of you!

Posted on January 5, 2012 in News, UCV News.

Hi, I’m Craig

We’re very excited to be rolling out our new blog, and as part of that roll out, we will be introducing ourselves to you!

I’m Craig Janis, and I’m the Executive Director of Utah Common Values. I love working for UCV because it gives me the opportunity to get to know so many of the wonderful politically moderate and progressive members of the LDS Church throughout the state. Take a look at some of the profiles that we’ve posted so far — these people are incredible, and getting to know them is absolutely the best part of my job.

Here are a few things to know about me:

  • I was born in Utah, but spent most of my youth in California and Texas. I’ve been a Utah resident again since I started my undergraduate studies at BYU in 2002. I finished my degree in Political Science in 2008, and then graduated with my law degree from BYU in April of 2011.
  • I was a missionary in João Pessoa, Brazil, from 2003-2005. Like any good missionary should be, I’m convinced that my mission was full of the most kind-hearted, spiritually-blessed, and generally amazing people in the world.
  • I’m married to Kaity, who will be profiled here soon since she does all of UCV’s photography, and we have two wonderful sons, Mason and Charlie.
  • When I’m not doing work for UCV, I’m the owner of Fubeca Studio and Creatv.ly, the CTO/CPO of Kanon Foundation, the Chair of the Outreach Committee for the LDS Democrats Caucus, and the co-author  of a book about Brazil (what else?).
  • Back when I used to have free time, I enjoyed reading, running, traveling, cooking, and crafting with Kaity.

Thanks for taking the time to meet me! Watch the blog for upcoming profiles of the rest of the UCV crew.

Posted on December 13, 2011 in News, UCV News.

Our New Blog

Today Utah Common Values launched a major update to our website. We gave our design a facelift, optimized our backend, and most importantly, launched our new blog! You can find it at http://utahcommonvalues.org/news. We’ll be using this space to keep you informed about what we’re up to and who we’ve recently profiled, and to let you know about items of interest in the news. We’ll also be posting issue analysis from a politically moderate and progressive LDS viewpoint, so be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or via RSS so that you won’t miss any posts!

Posted on December 8, 2011 in News, UCV News.