Stephen Thorup is a policy intern with the Madison Liberty Institute (MLI).

A senior majoring in economics at Brigham Young University – Idaho, Stephen currently holds an Associates of Economics from Salt Lake Community College in Utah.

Stephen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to a large and still growing family. “While the ten of us lived on a humble income, we never felt that we were poor. We always had enough food and we never had to worry about where we would live. I was blessed to grow up with many friends and playmates who helped me to develop some of my interests, some of which I still hold to this day. The family in which I was raised was very religious and so I was brought up with and taught good morals and high standards. More than any Sunday school lesson however, I learned from my parents’ examples. They were both hard working and fun-loving individuals in their own respective ways. My father taught me the value of serving others as well as how to take responsibility for my actions. My mother taught me to pursue my goals, but to make sure that my goals are realistic and achievable. While I may not have always agreed with my family, they helped to shape me into who I have become today and influenced many of the life changing decisions I have made.”

Every other male in his family chose the path of an engineer, but not Stephen. “I could see the appeal and there certainly would have been some benefits for me to pursue the same path as those who went before me, but for one reason or another I was led down a different path. Due to my indecisive nature, it took me a while to discover that economics was a field of study that fascinated me. It was more than just simple supply and demand. It was a way of predicting the future based on past and present statistics as well as human nature. It was a way of looking into why and how people react to different incentives. It was the study of economics that helped me to understand that incentives are what drives innovation, entrepreneurship, and progress itself. Economics helped me to clarify some of my world views and form my own opinions of how people can best be helped.”

Stephen is engaged and currently calls Rexburg, Idaho home. He is bilingual, fluent in English and Spanish.