Prior to attending Yale Divinity School, I was a student at Sacred Heart University, studying English and Religious Studies in order to be a teacher. I felt a call to work with youth during my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, when I would watch children and teens struggle to not only survive in the midst of war, but to learn, grow, and play surrounded by trauma and pain. Instead of pursuing a career in education, I decided to follow this call to the Master of Divinity program at YDS.
Yale has afforded me the platform to seek justice for the most vulnerable in our communities. I’ve had the opportunity at the municipal, state, and federal level to speak truth to power for those who have no voice in the halls of power. During my first year I was able to give a TED talk about the need to reintegrate veterans into society through the classroom and education. Through these efforts I established a nonprofit that trains veterans to find their own voice and become advocates of their own. Yale has given me the tools to effect real change in a world that needs a ministry of justice.
These skills and the spiritual development that I received while at Yale Divinity School will help not only me, but all who I come into contact with during my ministry. I have met some of the most brilliant people in my life here, leaving me confident in the health of the global church. Together we will build the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus has led us into. Yale has filled me with the Holy Spirit that is needed to bring justice and joy into this world.