interViews

Previous interViews

Dr. Mustafa Ali, Rabbi Justus Baird, Rabbi Dr. Alan Brill, Imam Khalid Latif, Dr. Lucinda Mosher, Peace and Justice Education Conference, Rev. Paul Raushenbush, Ms. Barbara Rick, Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Dr. Thomas Uthup, Rabbi Dr. Burton Visotzky,

Emerging Leader Panelists

Jen Bailey is currently a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow at the Congressional Hunger Center.  Born and raised in the Historically Black Tradition of the Christian Church, her interest lie at the intersection of faith and social policy. A 2009 graduate of Tufts University, Jen is an alum of the Interfaith Youth Core's 2005 Chicago Youth Council and proud advocate for religious pluralism.

Liane Carlson graduated from Washington and Lee University in 2007 with a B.A. in Religion. She then spent a year in Bayreuth, Germany on a Fulbright Fellowship for research. Upon completion of her fellowship, she decided to pursue a Ph.D in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University. She has since been named recipient of the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship.

Michael VanZandt Collins is a native of western Massachusetts where he was raised in a traditional Catholic environment. At Boston College, Michael received his B.A. and M.A. in theology, while registered in the Faith, Peace and Justice Studies program. For several years, he taught religion at a urban Catholic high school to a pluralistic student body and has used those experiences as a community organizer in Boston.

Anna DeWeese is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary, where she received an M.A. in 2009. Her work focused largely on interfaith relations, affording her the opportunity to study under Dr. Paul Knitter. She currently works for the Garrison Institute and is exploring the intersection of contemplative practices and engaged action in the world.

Hafsa Kanjwal is a recent graduate from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she studied Regional Studies of the Muslim World and International Development. She was previously a Leadership Associate with the Interfaith Youth Core and is a co-founder of Kashmircorps, an organization that provides volunteer and internship opportunities in Kashmir.

Jess Kent graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Psychology in May 2009. She served as an Interfaith Youth Core Fellow in the program’s inaugural year and as Campus Relations Coordinator for Hillel at Brandeis. Jess recently spent several months in Jackson, Mississippi working with Jewish congregations in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia to improve their religious school set-up and congregational cohesion.

Stephanie Lin is a candidate for a Ph.D from the Department of Religion at Columbia University. Her area of specialization within the field of religious studies is that of Chinese Buddhism, for which much of her research focuses on Buddhist beliefs and ritual practices in contemporary mainland China and Taiwan. Her personal interests include music, meditation, and traveling.

Anthony Paz is a candidate for a Masters in Theological Studies at the University of Notre Dame. While an undergraduate, he helped lead the Newman Club at Amherst College and was an active participant in the Multifaith Council. As a Catholic, he is a particular fan Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement.  He grew up between the redwoods and the ocean in Eureka, California.

Nathan Render is a graduate of Tufts University and now serves as the Bronfman Fellow at Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life in Washington, D.C., working in the Office of the President and for the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience. During his time on campus, he was a co-founder of the Pathways Interfaith Initiative as well as a summer intern and Fellow at the Interfaith Youth Core.

Leigh Rogers is a Public Relations Executive for United Methodist Women. Always interested in inter-religious dialogue and practice, she is co-organizer of the Inter-Seminary Network and a contributor to AJGita.com. While attending graduate school at Union Theological Seminary, she co-facilitated “Dialogue in Action” at the Temple of Understanding.

C. Nikole Saulsberry is a recent graduate of Syracuse University where she received a B.S. in Communications and Rhetorical Studies with minors in Religion and Strategic Management. At SU, Nikole was a Peer Minister for the Protestant Campus Ministry and a member of the Hendricks Chapel Choir. She was also a Fellow of the Interfaith Youth Core and is currently serving as a member of AmeriCorps.

Freeman Trebilcock is a 21 year old Tibetan Buddhist monk studying at FPMT's Chenrezig Institute in Australia.  He is actively involved in interfaith work in Melbourne and recently became a URI Youth Ambassador for the region. Freeman is Chair of "InterAction: multifaith youth network" a youth led interfaith organisation that promotes interfaith cooperation and service.