SPRINGVILLE, Utah — “This is the central part of the Book of Mormon — the appearance of the Savior,” Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. said, as the film crew was preparing for a day of working on the Book of Mormon Videos on Monday, July 26. “This is a really important season of filming.”
Fairview, Utah native Oneita Sumsion made history in June 2020 as BYU’s oldest-ever graduate when she received her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the School of Communications at 90 years old. According to the Daily Herald, the previous record for the oldest graduate in BYU history was held by Fred Paulson Jr., at age 80 in 2018.
"Among other things, I am inspired by color, by far-fetched metaphors, by the way we glorify childhood, by our relationships with inanimate objects and by the humor of human emotion. And when I'm not inspired, I am most certainly amused. I think some of my favorite things that I've made have been born out of amusement."
Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown is an Assistant Professor of Community Engagement through Dance Pedagogy, at The Ohio State University. Nyama has been an active performer, choreographer, and educator for the past fifteen years. Originally from San Francisco, her love for dance developed at her community recreation center, and later at the School of the Arts High School. This year she was commissioned to collaborate and perform with Bharatanatyam dancer, Tanya Saxena in New Delhi, India, at the American Center. In 2016 she presented new work at the 92nd Street Y, in New York City, mentored by Doug Varone, followed by another work, Twoness, presented in New York in 2017, in collaboration with Gregory King. She has performed for South African President Thabo Mbeki while performing throughout South Africa with singing artist Tu Nokwe. Her first book, Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World: Culturally Relevant Teaching in Research, Theory, and Practice, was released in 2017. The book was greatly informed by her teaching dance in public schools, private studios, universities, and the community. Dr. McCarthy-Brown’s scholarship is interdisciplinary and always relates to a heightened understanding of cultural diversity. She has published work in theJournal of African American Studies, the journal of Dance Education, and Arts Education Policy Review. Additionally, she regularly presents her research in the area of dance education and equity at national conferences. She has conducted research on the experiences of African American ballet dancers and is working on her second book about women of Color in ballet.
