Cecily graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies. She also has an AS degree in Paralegal Studies. After her undergraduate studies, Cecily served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand. While in Thailand, Cecily gained a deep appreciation for Asian cultures and furthered her interest in the interactions between religion and the state. Cecily's husband, Brenden Scott, also served a mission in Thailand, and they hope to one day live in Thailand. During Summer 2011 Cecily returned to Asia to assist the Church in its affairs there, in her assignment with the Area Legal Counsel in Hong Kong, before returning to Provo to work on the treatise, Religious Organizations and the Law. Also in 2011, after serving as a volunteer for the Center's annual International Law and Religion Symposium, Cecily accepted the heavy assignment as a co-chair of the Master Schedule on the Symposium Student Executive Committee. In 2012 she served as Chair of Master Schedule.