BYU Kennedy Center students extend learning through academic research, service

Students and faculty gathered in the Harman Building on Wednesday, April 15 for a Kennedy Center lecture highlighting student research on Sport and Society, a semester-long theme examining the role of athletics in local and global contexts.

The event featured presentations by Student Research Fellows selected through a competitive process to complete faculty-mentored projects. Their work ranged from youth development in Utah to political strategy abroad.

Kaleb Feland, a sophomore in exercise science, presented a project focused on improving youth sports experiences for underserved children in Spanish Fork.

Working with the BYU Strong Youth Project, Feland helped organize a soccer league for elementary school students while studying its effects on both physical and emotional health.

The main goal is to fix youth sports by improving both physical health and mental well-being, Feland said.

The program includes three weekly practices and additional lessons on nutrition, sleep and emotional regulation. Feland said the approach is designed to focus on the whole child rather than just athletic performance.

We use a holistic approach that looks at the whole child, Feland said.

The project also collects data on behavior and physical fitness, tracking changes over time. Feland said early observations have already shown meaningful impact.

Its been extremely humbling to see kids open up, he said. They get to play soccer, but also learn important life lessons.

In contrast to the local focus of Felands work, political science student Luke Eliason examined how sports function on an international stage. His research explores how Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in sports as part of a broader effort to strengthen political legitimacy.

Eliason said his project focuses on how governments maintain authority, especially during periods of change.

If you take away this religious legitimacy that you based your whole history on, what are you relying on now? Eliason said.

He analyzed media coverage and found that sports-related investments are often paired with messaging that promotes loyalty and national pride.

Sports are a very public way that the regime legitimizes itself because sports are popular, Eliason said.

According to Eliason, these investments serve multiple purposes, including attracting foreign investors and shaping how citizens view their country.

If this is a good enough place for these big sports stars to come, that must mean its probably a safe enough place to invest in, he said.

Students attending the lecture said the event helped connect complex global issues to everyday life. Miya Nishida, who is involved with the Kennedy Center, said the lecture series encourages students to think about how international issues apply to students.

Were focusing a lot on international ideas and how they relate to us personally, Nishida said.

Nishida said the Sport and Society theme highlighted how athletics influence culture, identity and even diplomacy.

Sports impact countries and groups of people and play a big role in their pride in their country, she said.

As the semester continues, these projects reflect how BYU students are going beyond the classroom to make a meaningful impact.

I think its inspiring, Nishida said. Theres a lot of change that can happen.

Through research that serves both local communities and global audiences, students like Feland and Eliason are using their work to uplift others and share knowledge in thoughtful ways.

Their efforts show a commitment to learning that is not just academic, but service-oriented rooted in a desire to improve lives and inform understanding.