Welcome to Yale Divinity School!
Claire Repsholdt, here. I am the head of hospitality for the 2018 Yale Divinity School Before the Fall Orientation. That means that alongside magnificent Coordinator Emily Bruce and marvelous Chief of Staff Cate Anthony, it is my pleasure to help you feel at home during your time at Yale Divinity School.
Most importantly during these fast first days before the fall from grace, that means I am who ensures everyone has a seat at the table. Quite literally, in this case. As head of hospitality, I plan and order all of our food.
Please come to me with any suggestions about how to make divinity school feel more comfortable—whether that means making sure your dietary restrictions are deliciously spoken for or that you always know where to go for air conditioning or that you can be sure there is a church on Sunday morning that is ready to welcome you.
If we are at all alike, you might be reading every inch of BTFO coverage seeking details that will allow you to take your brand-new adventure at Yale by well-educated storm. If we are a little less alike, you might be skimming BTFO coverage for non-negotiable information, just to make sure you just aren’t missing any requirements. But no matter how you prepare, you are figuring out how your story will fit into the story of Yale Divinity School – a noble path.
And with the authority vested in me as head of hospitality, I can say with confidence that the best meals tend to be springboards into great stories.
There are a lot of stories about Yale, about seminary, about graduate school, and about life in New England to sift through as you prepare to start classes in August. No matter which story has most captured your attention and summoned you here in New Haven, I hope that at some point through the course of BTFO you get a chance to share a little bit of your own and make our own meals together much better.
So, to get the ball rolling on story-sharing, here’s a piece of my road-to-YDS story:
I am a proud graduate of Indiana University. While I was a student there just a short time ago, I studied English and History. A fierce love of language and a desire to preserve the past eventually crashed into my inner Lutheran spiritual life, and I discerned a call to be a Lutheran minister witnessing a time of great creativity and preservation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. My constant prayer is that wherever I am called to be, there are people around me who create, and windows nearby that bask things in light.
I look forward to sharing more about me and learning about you at meal time. Just as at childhood dinners my parents – much to my chagrin then! – asked me how my day had been as I pushed vegetables around my plate, I will almost certainly ask you, as you lift your slice of pizza, what it was that brought you to this big old table we call Yale Divinity School. I can’t wait to hear your dazzling answers.
Bon voyage, bon appetit, c’est bon—
Claire