Natasha Huang ’16 M.A.R. studied at YDS and the Institute of Sacred Music in the comprehensive M.A.R. program, while playing for the YDS intramural soccer team—the Paracleats—and dancing at Yale Swing & Blues. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California—a double major in music (violin) and East Asian languages and cultures—and earned her Ph.D. at Claremont School of Theology. She also spent time in the work world before YDS, predominantly in music therapy.
Today, Natasha is back in her home state of California and serves as one of five chaplains at a USC hospital in Arcadia. A third of the hospital’s patient population speaks Mandarin, making her language fluency as crucial to her work as her background in lay ministry and service. Natasha has hung up her cleats, but she continues to teach violin on the weekends and enjoys dancing as a hobby. She consistently supports her alma mater through the YDS Annual Fund.
You were a scholarship student at YDS. Does that impact your giving to YDS today?
Yes. I had an amazing experience at YDS. I was 28 when I enrolled, so I knew enough of who I was to absorb Yale’s offerings. I had also already done field work through music therapy, so I approached seminary seeking an experience in the basics of theology.
I realize the potential of what a YDS student can absorb in a few years, and I enjoy investing in future leaders. There are issues that YDS contributes towards that are wider than any one church or ministry. One person who benefits from the resources at YDS could lead an LGBTQ effort in the Northeast or be a Lutheran pastor in the Midwest. Those people will invest themselves in causes I may not directly intersect with, but I can support their work through YDS. I trust YDS as an institution to steward their formation.
What part of the Divinity School’s work most appeals to you?
Justice and inclusion are part of the YDS culture, classroom, and worship, and that’s important for me. When I was at YDS, Bill Goettler taught transformational leadership. I benefited from conversations around racial justice, especially when we had leaders from the Black Lives Matters movement visit. That work continues to be an unspoken part of my core values and everyday life.
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I loved the ecumenism of YDS. Learning alongside different generations of people meant I made friends with recent college grads and people in their late 40s, and I have not before or after YDS experienced as wonderful a place as Marquand Chapel.
How has giving has been meaningful to you?
Giving to YDS really does bring me joy. I am from a Christian background and tithing is part of who I am. I’m intentional about giving back.
The size of the YDS community allows me to feel connected when I read the news or learn about new students. As an alum, I enjoy that community and still feel at home in Marquand when I visit. I was part of the community then, and I am now.