There is not a day in my present vocation where I do not use something I learned—or something that was inspired—while I was at PSR. I have served as Associate Pastor at Danville (CA) Congregational Church UCC since March 2019. My work here is centered around companioning our children, youth, and families specifically, and more broadly, companioning members of our congregation in their faith journeys and as we work toward becoming anti-racists, individually, and an anti-racist church, corporately. As a PSR student from 2015–18, I was very involved in the life of PSR—even briefly serving as a student rep on the Alumnx Council and one year as the student trustee—eager then as now to find ways to enhance engagement among members of our community.
As I understand it, the Alumnx Council taps into the collective and individual wisdom of the alums to support the mission of PSR; spotlights agents of transformation and social change in churches and communities; and works to influence folks to choose PSR to inform their own transformative vocation. As a white, male-identified, cisgender, able-bodied, queer person in an interracial same-gender-loving relationship, I have had some time to contemplate whether I should apply to be a part of the AC. Ultimately I am choosing to do so, because I understand that one of my roles in groups I am invited to be a part of is to ensure the experiences of people not like me—many of whom are often not invited to the table—are prioritized, celebrated, and heard into voice. These voices form a rich and significant component of the education I received at PSR and such is the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion I aspire to live out.
