Megan Anderson

Ayushi Upadhyay

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.

Gabby Prado

Gabby Prado is a student at Seattle University studying Criminal Justice and Political Science. She is incredibly interested in making representation easier for Mexican Immigrants who may struggle to find it within the justice system, as well as in general immigration and border issues, and the way our current politicians radically misrepresent these individuals. In her free time, she loves to read, watch reality TV, hang out with her friends and family, and shop.

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.