Meet your Small Group Leaders

Greetings! I am JaQuan Beachem, a second-year M.Div candidate. Though born in New Jersey, I identify as a Georgia peach, as I was raised in the suburb of Atlanta. I attended Bard College in the Hudson Valley where I studied Theater & Performance. Prior to moving to New Haven, I balanced working in Admission with creating new theatrical works across the nation. At YDS, I’m interested in exploring the question of how theology and the arts can change hearts and minds, cultivate community, and be utilized for social change + political reform. Recently, I have been investigating the implications of mass incarceration while exploring what it takes to see the humanity in all, to see ourselves and each how God sees us: in love. You can find me practicing yoga, attending an opening or catching a happy hour with friends in my leisure. 

 

I am a Second Year MDiv candidate from Washington, DC, and I am (cautiously) on the ordination track in the Presbyterian Church (pcusa). Prior to starting at YDS I was interning on Wall Street and preparing to start a career in finance. I am looking forward to spending this upcoming year interning at a boys youth prison here in Connecticut. I am not sure where YDS will ultimately lead me, but I am fascinated by questions of Christian social ethics and political theology broadly. I’ll talk depressing geopolitics over a glass of wine anytime. 

 

I am a second-year MDiv candidate from Vancouver, BC with a background in tech and startups. I am curious about the Global South and emerging models for economic and community development. Through a theological lens, I hope to engage with new ways of doing church, business, and development work. I’m looking forward to going deeper in my second year and to exploring creative cross-campus relationships. In my spare time, you will find me practicing the guitar (still a beginner!), looking for ways to crash other parts of campus, staring at the blue blue sky, or just enjoying fellowship with good friends.

 

I am a second-year MDiv student from Ohio, and I came to Yale directly after college at Miami University (Oxford, OH). I’m still finding my path, but my lifelong goals are to build welcoming communities, do faith-inspired social justice work, and pursue values of authenticity, courage, and joy. Here at YDS, I’m interested in exploring asexual and aromantic-inclusive queer theologies and theologies emerging from decolonizing/reclaiming efforts by Christians of color. I’m one of this year’s co-leaders of DivOut at YDS, and I work with the new student groups Progressive Christian Student Meetup and Aro/Ace Space downtown. In my spare time, I love knitting, having friends over for tea, and playing the cello.

 

I am a second-year M.Div. candidate from the farmlands of central New Jersey. I am primarily interested in questions related to cross-cultural theology. How do different religions offer guiding principles for what constitutes a wholesome existence? How do different traditions conceive of the spiritual and psychological factors that hinder human flourishing? I am particularly interested in how Buddhism and Christianity converge and diverge in their respective imaginations of the good life. I also enjoy reading religious poetry and thinking about the role of form in communicating spiritual insight. After YDS, I would like to teach religious studies and lead artistic enrichment at a secondary school. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, dancing, and hanging out with friends.

 

I am a second year MAR with a concentration in Religion and Ecology from Denver, Colorado. I am interested in the ways in which religion informs attitudes toward the other- be it non-human creatures, God, or other humans. I am passionate about cultivating community in order respond to the structural problems of this world, and spent last summer growing food with an urban garden ministry. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, running, and eating good food with friends.

 

Jathan A. W-Martin grew up in the seaport town of Apalachicola, Florida. Over the last few years, he has distinguished himself as a civically engaged scholar as a Political Science graduate of Florida A&M University.  While there, Martin served his campus community as the Sophomore Class President, a Junior Senator, and an official university recruiter. Through these experiences, Jathan has exposed himself to a delicate, yet vital interplay of politics, the arts, and the field of education. At the tender age of twenty Martin became a 5th and 6th Reading teacher at Brownsville Collegiate, in Brooklyn, New York, where he taught 100 percent Black and Brown students. Martin believes education and spirituality are the most effective spaces for social change. The combination of these deeply held beliefs was the catalyst for Martin’s matriculation to the Master of Divinity program at Yale University. Martin’s studies lie at the intersection of African American Religious History with interests covering the history of the Black Church, social movements in Black interfaith communities, and Black Pentecostalism.

 

My name is Joshua R.J. Garcia and I am from Portland, OR. I studied Psychology and Biblical Studies at George Fox University near my hometown and I earned a M.T.S. at Boston University. At YDS, I am a 3rd year M.A.R. concentrating on Hebrew Bible and I am interested in studying the intersections of gender and empire in biblical literature. I play for YDS’ intramural soccer team, the Paracleats, serve as a graduate affiliate for Benjamin Franklin College downtown, and can be found at St. Thomas More Catholic Center all times in-between. I will be applying to Ph.D. programs for the next academic year but if that doesn’t work out, I would like to teach religion and scripture in a private high school.

 

I am a third year MDiv at YDS. I am interested in the intersection of arts and ministry, potentially in the form of chaplaincy, and I love to write. I am a Canadian Midwesterner at heart with roots in Ontario and Wisconsin. I also did my undergrad in Minnesota, which means that yes, I’m pretty familiar with the cold. I like watching hockey at The Whale, gardening, and exploring New Haven - a truly very awesome city! So if you’re looking for ideas on engaging with the community beyond Yale, exploring the city’s many green spaces, or where to grab a bite to eat (food carts, food carts, food carts! And breakfast sandwiches at Four Flours!), feel free to say hi. I am very excited to meet the incoming class and can’t wait for another year spent learning in community. 

 

I am a second year MAR c.WGSS candidate. I was born in Playas de Rosarito, B.C., Mexico, and raised in Southern California. I have traveled to 20+ countries doing social justice advocacy among leading world peace makers. My work uses music as a vehicle for social change and defense of human rights (foci: mental health, race, immigration law, and LGBTQ+ issues). Recently, I have been delving into conflict resolution, as it pertains to Muslim - Christian relations, as well as effective practices of dialogue.

 

I am a second year MDiv candidate from Vallejo, CA (YAY AREA!). My wife (Koritha) and I have two bright, energetic boys (ages 3 and 6). I completed my undergraduate work at the University of California in Berkeley, and have served in university and college ministry for the last decade as a campus minister, and currently lead a summer immersion program that engages with global urban poverty at the intersection of faith. A child of Pilipinx immigrants, I write, teach, reflect, and research on Pilipinx American ethnic identity, history, culture and theology. I bake sourdough bread.

 

I am a second year M.A.R candidate in Philosophy of Religion from Delhi, India. I grew up wondering what Shakesphere meant when he said, “Shall I compare thee to a summer day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” Summers in Delhi were intolerable. I have been working with the education team at Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven through this past summer. I might do a Ph.D or I might figure out a more creative way to use my degrees.

 

I am a third-gen Korean-American, inquiring as a fourth-generation minister. I went to school in Ohio and the UK and grew up in Austin, Texas. In my spare time, you can find me taking portraits, studying at Fussy, or working downtown at Dwight Hall. Before coming to Divinity School, I spent my summers in economic policy at the Urban Institute attending Congressional Hearings and at a healthcare law firm. My study spot on campus is in the courtyard at Sterling.

 

I am a second year M.Div. candidate seeking ordination in PCUSA and hoping to earn a PhD in Philosophy of Religion or Theology. I grew up in Simi Valley, California just outside of Los Angeles, and I am recently married in December of last year to my wife, Sarah. I graduated from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA in 2016 where I became a youth director and served the First Presbyterian church for two years in addition to working at a non-profit free coffee shop called Front Porch. I love everything about baseball and LA sports, camping and outdoor activities, and learning new ways to think about some of the oldest questions we have as a species!

 

Hello. I am a second year MAR candidate and native of New Haven, CT. My core heart and passion is to help others. I am very interested particularly in the intersectionality between law and religion focusing extensively on the association between trauma, faith, and healing. I am the president of Black Graduate Network at Yale and enjoy helping cultivate a culture where everyone flourishes. After graduation I plan to obtain my Juris Doctorate degree and be a healer of the courtroom.