Today we’re introducing the final member of the BTFO 2017 Leadership Team—Ed Watson, who is running communications. We’ll be getting quite a bit of information out to you over the next few months through this blog, so be sure to watch this space. For now, we hope you’re already looking forward to getting to YDS.Ed (Communications)
What’s your name and what program are you in?
My name is Ed Watson, and I’m starting my second year of the concentrated MAR in Theology.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Scotland, did my undergrad in England, and have spent the last four years in the U.S. So, all over the place.
What did you do before arriving at YDS?
When I first arrived in America, I taught 5th Grade and worked with graduates at Saint Martin de Porres Academy in New Haven. In 2015-16, I then worked to develop community based justice ministries at Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Denver, before giving in to the itch to go back to school.
What have you enjoyed most about your time at YDS?
The incredible diversity of voices, and the fact so many different people are able to flourish exploring different things. I’ve learnt so much from my classmates that I didn’t even know I didn’t know.
One of you favorite ways to rest and relax through the semester?
I find pipe-smoking one of the best ways to decompress. I can step out of normal time, situate myself for a couple of hours, and just let the world flow by while I think and reflect.
One piece of advice you would give to incoming students?
Don’t come in feeling like you have to measure up to anyone or anything. As above, one of the most amazing things about YDS is the diversity of interests—and this is grounded in the fact that people are able to explore what they’re passionate about, not the fact that they meet some abstract standard of evaluation.