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Record Number of Millennials Join FLI in the Fight for America’s First Freedom

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July 19, 2019
The Biggest Class | First Liberty

by Jared Besse • 4 min read

As we celebrate a historic year of legal victories for religious freedom, we’re also breaking records in the number of young, bright and driven millennials who continue to “ride to the sound of the guns” in the fight for our nation’s first freedom.

In fact, right now, we have 19 young advocates interning with us, making this our biggest class of summer interns ever.

As you can imagine, being that this is my second summer interning here at First Liberty Institute, I’m more than just personally invested in the great work of our firm. Speaking from my own experience, I believe that fighting for religious liberty, and developing a new generation of religious freedom advocates, is the most worthwhile and necessary investment for the future of America.

That’s how First Liberty Institute will continue winning not just in the courtroom, but in our culture as well.
Millennials like myself will one day inherit the leadership of our country, and we’ll be responsible for preserving the heritage of religious liberty.

That’s precisely why it’s critical to ensure that America’s future lawyers, teachers, CEOs, politicians, and influencers have the same opportunity I did—to learn first-hand the value of religious freedom, and be equipped to defend it.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of introducing you to a few of First Liberty Institute’s interns. So now, let me introduce to you another passionate group of ambitious defenders who’ve joined our team this summer.


Holly Randall | First Liberty Holly Randall

Holly Randall is a rising second year student at the Oklahoma City University School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. This summer, she is serving as a legal intern at First Liberty Institute. She is thankful to be working a firm that combines her passion for the law with the convictions of her faith and is excited to be learning from a team that just made Supreme Court history.

Mark Dong | First Liberty Mark Dong

Mark Dong is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. He is a marketing and communications intern at First Liberty this summer and is working on various data analytics projects. He is inspired by the emphasis on how faith is the foundation of First Liberty’s work and especially how the results are a testimony to this belief. After graduating he wishes to pursue a career in politics.

Lukas Swenson | First Liberty Lukas Swenson

Lukas Swenson is a rising senior at Hillsdale College where he is pursuing a major in Economics and a minor in German. After participating in the First Liberty Fellowship this past November, Lukas now interns in the First Liberty marketing department. This summer, he is looking forward to having a part in the mission of the organization while learning more about the ways in which First Liberty preserves religious freedom for all.

Hadiah Ritchey | First Liberty Hadiah Ritchey

Hadiah Ritchey will be a senior at Hillsdale College where she is currently pursuing a B.A. in History, with a special emphasis on Philosophy and Religion. After attending the First Liberty Fellowship Program in November, Hadiah wanted to invest more deeply in First Liberty’s educational vision, so this summer she has been working as a Policy Intern to develop academic resources on religious liberty. If all goes according to plan, Hadiah will be applying to law school this coming school year.


Religious liberty can only advance as far as those who carry it. And with these rights under increasing attack in our society, it is vital that our future leaders understand the importance of our foundational freedoms, and are properly equipped to defend them.

First Liberty Institute is leading the charge to raise up a new generation of bold and passionate religious freedom advocates. Give today.

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