Ayushi Upadhyay is a first year student at Seattle University double-majoring in Business Economics and Marketing. She is also in the SPC track of the University Honors program. Ever since she was in middle school, Ayushi has been extremely passionate about using writing as a medium to express her thoughts, and never misses an opportunity to participate in spoken word poetry events, or submitting her work to be published in poetry journals. She comes from East India, and believes being outspoken about her culture and where she grew up helps make for a more open minded, curious, and accepting community around her.
Camila Torres
Camila Torres is an English major at Seattle University and a Student Affiliate at the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement.
Sebrina Somers
Sebrina Somers' career as an environmental health scientist led her to China, and China led her to writing. While researching the built environments of ethnic minorities in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, she began blogging about the unique history and diversity of that region. The Baha'i teachings on justice, equity, and unity have guided her along the way. Now she divides her time between community building work and writing about the richness of the human experience.
Kathy Sharp
Kathryn Sharp retired from professional ministry in Community of Christ in 2015. She was formerly the mission center president (judicatory head) for the Greater Pacific Northwest, including congregations in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Since 2007, she has served in ecumenical and interfaith groups, such as The Church Council of Greater Seattle, the University Immigration Justice Hub, the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University, the Community of Christ World Church Ecumenical and Interfaith Team, and recently joined a table for Jewish and Christian clergy dialogue with The National Council of Christian Churches in the USA. Her other passion is advocating with others for progressive and compassionate policies in local, state, and federal government.
Prior to being employed by Community of Christ, she was a communications and change-management consultant for non-profits and government agencies.
She and her husband live in Bothell, WA, near their three adult children and six grandchildren. She continues as a lay minister in her local congregation.
Frank DiGirolamo
Deacon Frank DiGirolamo is the executive director for Operation Nightwatch in Seattle, a privately-funded non-profit, started in 1967. Nightwatch serves the homeless community daily in the name of Christ, with Food, Shelter, Housing, and Hope. In a typical year, they provide services through 66,000 interactions with more than 6,500 individuals.
Deacon Frank’s constant objective is to respond to how God calls him. So far, those calls have been marriage, fatherhood, ordained ministry, and some rewarding corporate roles. He’s worked in “people development” for companies like Walt Disney and Starbucks, and since 2007 has focused on full-time ministry. He “got the call” to join the Operation Nightwatch staff in 2022.
He has served as a volunteer nighttime street chaplain with Nightwatch since 2012, and has had thousands of meaningful connections with folks living in the margins. These relationships aid him in working with the multitude of staff, volunteers, board of directors, and donors. He is drawn to accompany those who are marginalized by broken relationships, homelessness, addictions, and the sex trade. It is all “sacred ground.”
Deacon Frank and his wife recently celebrated 30 years of marriage. They are blessed with one adult daughter, and have two dogs in the house. He enjoys family time, backpacking, and writing about his experiences meeting new friends in the margins.
Terry Kyllo
The Rev. Terry Kyllo is the executive director of Paths to Understanding: Bridging Bias and Building Unity. Terry works to counter Islamophobia, Antisemitism, white Christian supremacy, and other forms of dehumanization. Terry is an ordained Lutheran pastor. Terry has learned that when we forget how to recognize other humans we lose touch with a part of our own humanity. Terry believes we do not have to live this way. Terry’s leadership has been recognized by Faith Action Network, The Muslim Association of Puget Sound and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. His most recent book is Go and Do Likewise: Following Jesus into our Common Humanity.
Amina Malkin
Amina Malkin is currently a sophomore nursing student, as well as a coxswain and captain on the Women's Rowing Team here at SeattleU. She is a Seattle native who grew up in the south end of Seattle. She loves reading all types of books and her favorite book is "The Hearts Invisible Furies" by John Boyne. In her free time, she enjoys getting dinner with friends and finding parks and bookshops around Seattle where she can sit and talk to her friends, or just stay and people watch.
Gabriella Joy Donaldson
Gabriella Joy Donaldson (She/her) is currently a first-year student attending Seattle University for English and History. Throughout her life she has had a passion for writing and advocacy whether it be through song, poem, or storytelling. As a life-long learner and creative, she has sought inspiration and guidance from the classroom to the outside world. She hopes to expand her skills in writing and use her voice to make positive change.
Cassandra Lawrence
Rev. Cassandra Lawrence has worked in interfaith spaces for over ten years as a researcher, community organizer, trainer, and writer. She is currently the Director of Strategic Communications with the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a multifaith coalition addressing anti-Muslim discrimination through engaging faith communities. She is a commissioned Deacon in the United Methodist Church, serving as the Gender Equity Co-Chair for the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. Cassandra teaches negotiation and conflict resilience as a mediator, community trust builder, and interfaith and racial justice community organizer.
Previously, she worked with the diplomatic community to identify and address training gaps to improve engagement with religious and community peacebuilders. She has a BA in Religious Studies from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in comparative ethnic conflict from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has a master of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary with honors and received the Excellence in Public Theology Award.
Sparrow Etter Carlson
Sparrow Etter Carlson (she/her) has spent 24 years alongside her unhoused neighbors. She is the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sacred Streets. Prior to that, she Co-founded Aurora Commons, the Safe, Healthy, Empowered (SHE) Clinic and the Green Bean Coffeehouse (a non-profit cafe). She is perpetually learning alongside her good teachers at the Poor People's Campaign , is a member of the Democracy and Belonging Forum and remains deeply committed to the discipline of hope and the practice of moral imagination. She resides with her family outside Seattle, WA in the foothills of Mount Rainer.
Maurice A. Bloem
Maurice A. Bloem is the interim President/CEO of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI), a learning network of researchers and practitioners. JLI builds fair and equitable spaces to create and share evidence on religions in development and community work and it aims to strengthen partnerships between and amongst faith and non faith actors, internationally and locally.
In 2011, Bloem started the 100-mile Walk, to raise awareness of issues around hunger and poverty. As part of the annual effort, Bloem Walks 100 miles in a single week, visiting programs supported and funded by CWS. More recently, as he needed to walk alone during the 2020 100-mile campaign, he started a podcast called Walk Talk Listen, so that he could still walk virtually with a number of guests. Now, he speaks on a weekly basis with leaders, including young and emerging ones, from different walks of life. The objective is to connect people around the world and to show that everyone’s perspective is true, albeit partial. Connecting might lead to listening and talking and even to walking and/or taking actions to make this world a bit better.
Justin Almeida
Rev. Justin Almeida is a Unitarian Universalist minister and hospital chaplain who lives and works on the unceded land of the Duwamish and Coast Salish peoples (Seattle, WA). They hold a Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy from Seattle University and is affiliated with University Unitarian Church. Rev. Justin serves with the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement, and is on the board for End of Life Washington.
Marium Mohiuddin
Marium F. Mohiuddin has been a community organizer and communications expert for more than 25 years. From working at the Muslim Public Affairs Council to founding CAIR-Austin to leading the Communications team at the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, she has devoted her career to education, crisis response and the Muslim American identity.
As former Director of Communications at American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, Marium led a team of talented writers and designers to create and implement effective marketing and communication strategies for one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. With more than 20 years of experience in the communications field, Marium has a passion for serving people and telling stories that inspire action and change.
Marium is an accredited public relations professional and a MBA graduate with a specialization in nonprofit management. She have a proven track record of developing compelling and clear content for diverse audiences and platforms, including websites, blogs, social media, and publications. She has also won multiple awards for my design and headline-writing skills and successfully handled media relations and crisis communication during emergencies. Marium is always looking for new ways to enhance the organization's online presence and reputation and to engage with its stakeholders and supporters.
Zack Ritter
Dr. Zack Ritter has spent more than 16 years in higher education across Southern California with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusivity. He is currently a Lecturer at UCLA and Cal State Dominguez Hills, teaching courses on Equity in Higher Education and Civic Engagement Service Learning Capstone courses. He was Associate Dean of Students at CSU-Dominguez Hills, helping run the Office of Community Standards restorative justice department and Basic Needs housing and food insecurity program. He was also the Associate Dean of the Office of Institutional Diversity at Harvey Mudd College and University of Redlands. He also was Vice President of Leadership Development at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and Vice President of Advancement at Jewish World Watch. He has co-edited three books with titles such as Whiteness, Power, and Resistance to Change in Higher Education and and Emancipatory Change in Higher Education. He also runs a consulting business with Marium Mohiuddin, called Isma-Shema Consulting, focusing on Islamophobia and Antisemitism in the workplace. Dr. Ritter received his PhD from UCLA, focusing on East Asian international students, racial stereotypes, and American media promulgation of globalized race/class/gender hierarchies.
Mohammed Jibriel
Mohammed Jibriel is a 4th-year PhD student in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His research explores the intersections of minority stress, religion/spirituality, and mental health outcomes. He also investigates how religion, gender, and the environment function as determinants of public health. In addition to his academic pursuits, Mohammed is an active interfaith leader. He co-founded the Belk Chapel Muslim-Jewish Interfaith Initiative and serves as co-chair of the Charlotte Black/Jewish Alliance. Mohammed just completed an Interfaith Innovation Fellowship with Interfaith America, where he led efforts to build bridges and understanding among diverse communities. Mohammed holds an M.Sc. in Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from Queens University of Charlotte. He was recognized as a North Carolina Scholar of Global Distinction by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his globally focused academic work and intercultural experiences.
Zachary Dar
As a student who was brought up Jewish, Zachary Dar has always found spirituality and the arguments of theology to be incredibly fascinating! While he never pursued an education in ministry or theology, he appreciates the culture and history of spirituality and religion. Zachary chose to work as a Student Affiliate to help students at Seattle University become more engaged in campus-life and interreligious cultures.
"Everyone is just as important as the person next to them. We all deserve to have our own opinions and distinct views of the world."
Devin Barney
Devin Barney (they/he) is a queer, Indonesian/Papuan American from Missouri now living in Southern California. They are a scholar, an advocate, and consultant living with bipolar on a continuous learning journey of self-discovery and compassion. He cares very deeply about science and inquiry as well as equity and access.
Devin has a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and is currently a PhD candidate in Community, Cultural, and Developmental Psychology at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Their work spans topics such as: alignment in cross-cultural communication, the development of immigrant children, digital community-building and healing from loneliness and social isolation, and cultural change management in communities and institutions.
Hannah Hochkeppel
Hannah Hochkeppel has more than 10 years of experience in a variety of education and program development spaces and is deeply invested in the work of youth empowerment, advocacy, and peacebuilding. Most important to her is centering youth voices and youth leadership as an integral piece of this work. As a non-profit and education professional, she has a passion for interfaith partnership, supporting social justice movements, and developing strategy for conflict resolution and peacebuilding around the world.
In addition to her non-profit work, she has also previously worked in the fields of mental health counseling and religious education. She holds a B.S in Psychology from Virginia Tech, a M.A in Religion and Theology from Seattle University.
Hannah currently serves as the Director of Youth Engagement for Paths to Understanding. In the past, she has served as the Global Programs Director for Kids4Peace International and the United States Country Director for Seeds of Peace. Her work has focused specifically on creating interfaith and intercultural peacebuilding programs for K-12 students. She has worked with youth in the United States, along with youth globally in Western Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East (with a special focus on Israel and Palestine).
Hannah implicitly trusts the power that youth hold to change the world and hopes that even amidst the messiness of navigating conflict and injustice, upholding the gifts and wisdom that youth bring to this work of building peace is integral to moving our communities forward.
Kara Markell
Rev. Dr. Kara Markell is a gifted educator and public teaching theologian dedicated to creating spiritually grounded and academically enriching opportunities within the many stages of faith formation. Kara earned her Doctor of Ministry degree steeped in the Ignatian tradition from Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry with a focus on discerning the linkages between congregational identity and the capacity for communities to adapt in a quickly changing religious world. Her theological roots are nourished by feminist and liberation studies, ecumenical and inter-spiritual exploration, Celtic Christianity and Eco-Spirituality. She seeks opportunities to learn from wisdom traditions, gaining new fluencies in religious literacy and interreligious connections.
Today, Kara’s research and writing in adaptive leadership explore the wild edges of religious expression and the intersectional nature of adaptive change. Kara earned her Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School and is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She leaves a position as senior pastor in her community and continues to serve on several regional and national boards and committees. Kara is a life-long educator, earning her BS in Teaching from Minnesota State University and a Master of Music from the Conservatory of Music at University of Missouri – Kansas City.
As an educator, Kara excels in curriculum development and implementation. She is a gifted mentor who delights in nurturing future leaders. As a systems-thinker she brings creativity, curiosity and skill to developing and implementing learning opportunities, spiritual gatherings, liturgical resources, retreats and academic programs. Kara is a regular consultant and coach for religious communities seeking new ways to adapt to today’s religious landscape.
Suraj Arshanapally
Suraj Arshanapally, MPH, is an Indian-American storyteller and public health advocate. He started The Multicultural Man to celebrate cultural diversity and healthy masculinity through storytelling. He is also the Managing Editor for the CDC Yellow Book, an international travel medicine publication at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suraj received his MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Yale University. He believes multiculturalism and interfaith cooperation are crucial to building a healthy and peaceful society.