Alumni
Herbert Clah
Graduating in 1975 with a Bachelors in Sociology, Herbert went on to receive his MPA from BYU in 1981 and even attended two years of Law School at BYU. Herbert is currently employed by the Navajo Nation Department of Personnel, managing the Background Investigations Office. Prior to his current employment, Herbert worked as the Executive Director of the Navajo Division of Public Safety and as the Dean of Academic Instructions at the Navajo Community College, also chairing the Business Department. He also served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaking Navajo, taught seminary for the LDS church, worked as a full time police officer, and worked construction every summer of his younger years while attending BYU in order to pay for his schooling.
Ryan Bell
Ryan Bell is an associate with the Ray, Quinney & Nebeker law firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ryan received his law training at the Georgetown University Law Center in 2003. He graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1999. His practice areas include commercial litigation, with an emphasis on intellectual property.
"My major in sociology helped me most by making me grow up intellectually. It challenged my assumptions about people, gave me broader information for understanding them, and provided a range of tools for interpreting social experience. In short, sociology did exactly what a college degree should do by expanding one's framework for understanding the world. But it was unique in that its focus was the most important topic of all- humanity. In my own specific field of law, I have applied that knowledge countless times. The basic understanding I gained from the sociology program about human interactions, systems, and organizations is exactly the framework one needs to understand an institution that is as thoroughly social as the law. That background has been invaluable to me in my career as a lawyer."
Dallan Flake
Dallan received both his BS and MS degrees in sociology at BYU. He received his law degree at the University of Michigan, where he was able to pay his way through law school by teaching undergraduate sociology courses. He has practiced business law with a firm in Dallas, Texas for several years and is now transitioning to a career as a law professor.
Heath Nelson
Heath graduated from BYU in 2002, and then moved to Portland, Oregon. Heath currently works as a Deputy Sheriff in the enforcement division of the Marion County Sheriff's Office. While working as a Deputy Sheriff, Heath also received a Masters degree from Portland State University in Public Administration with an emphasis in Community Development.
Elizabeth Osborn
Elizabeth thanks the sociology department for "spectacular life preparation," and went on from her bachelors to get a J.D. from the University of Colorado. In 2010 she became a solo practitioner, assisting low-income disabled persons. Elizabeth raised four children and has been published in the Friend.
Rudy Resendez
Rudy continued his education at BYU after graduating from the sociology program, attending the BYU Law School and graduating in 1995. Rudy passed the bar in Arizona, and has worked for Intel for a number of years, when we last heard from him he was working in Supply Chain Management with a focus in transportation.
Joseph Vance
Joe Vance is a partner with the law firm of Miller Nash and is the chair of Miller Nash's Vancouver litigation team. He represents clients in a wide variety of complex litigation in both state and federal court in Washington and Oregon. He received his law degree from the University of Washington following his undergraduate degree in sociology at BYU.