By Hank McIntire
Evan Prokopiw, Wood research assistant and Quill team lead at the UVU Center for Constututional
Studies.
Evan Prokopiw, a Quill Project team lead and Wood research assistant in the Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS) at Utah Valley University (UVU), isn’t afraid to dive into new adventures.
A native of Vail, Colo., at the age of 2 his snowboard-instructor parents put Evan on skis for the first time. Since then, he has spent every spare moment on the slopes and has been a ski instructor at Deer Valley for the last three years.
“I learned early on you don’t let the snow or the obstacles dictate the turns you make,” he said. “You have enough control to take the path you want. I don’t let the mountain decide that for me.”
As an elementary-education major at UVU and set to graduate in December 2025, Evan is applying that same logic to his teaching internship this fall at J.R. Smith Elementary in Heber, Utah, unexpectedly assigned to a class of second-graders.
“I didn’t choose the grade, thinking I would be teaching kids a bit older,” he explained. “It’s a monumental task to teach seven-year-olds how to start being independent. I get to teach them basic values about being a good citizen. As they learn to participate in class, they’re also learning to participate in the community and interact with each other in healthy, productive ways. As my start date draws nearer, I’m getting more excited about it.”
Evan is preparing for the school year in a unique way. This writer interviewed him by phone from Mexico City, where he is living briefly the experience of his immigrant students. “I wanted to dive deep into a new culture and immerse myself in a world familiar to many of the kids I’ll be teaching.”
His dream of being a teacher began when Evan was a sophomore in high school. He needed an elective credit and found an Introduction to Teaching class that fit into his schedule.
“My mom also pressured me a little to take the class, but I found that teaching is one of the simplest paths to making a positive difference in the world. It was like a light went on for me: I can leave a mark, and teaching is the way to do it.”
One of the twists and turns of his educational ski run was taking American Foundations, a required general-education course at UVU. He loved how Dr. Robert Burton taught the course, and Burton mentioned a study-abroad course, Foundations of Constitutionalism, at Oxford.
“I signed up for the Oxford course, and while there I worked with students who were researchers at CCS,” Evan said. “I became interested in the Quill Project. It was another way to work for something that really mattered.”
Evan started at CCS in August 2023 and was assigned to the Illinois project, researching and modeling its state constitutional convention of 1970. He was later assigned to Minnesota and Indiana projects from the 1800s. He became fascinated with the process of negotiation and political posturing as state constitutions were being created.
“We talk about heated rivalries in politics today, but it’s been that way for a long, long time,” observed Evan. “In Minnesota, the two parties wouldn’t meet in the same room, holding separate conventions, and one of the Democratic delegates beat a Republican counterpart with his cane.”
Working on the Quill Project not only provided employment for Evan, but it changed his view of what it means to be a citizen of our nation.
“I thought I was already aware of my civic duties, but I’ve learned from my CCS peers that everyone is under the same flag as we we participate in our country’s elections,” he said. “It opened my eyes to how much of the participation of the people matters. It’s critical that people reach out to their political leaders at every level.”
Civics and citizenship also became personal when Evan's mom Maureen—with his help—became an American citizen herself in December 2024 after 32 years of living in the U.S.
"Evan helped me study for the civics test, and he explained some of the more confusing concepts," said Maureen. "I was fortunate to have him accompany me to the swearing-in ceremony, which made the experience even more meaningful. It was a special moment to share with him."
Evan hopes to instill the passion he has gained for civic engagement in his second-graders, putting on his ski-instructor hat to teach them not to let the “snow” of disagreement or the “mountain” of politics dictate the turns they make. “They have enough control to take a productive path,” he said. “By helping to shape them, I’m helping to shape society.”
