Pursuing multiple passions often feels exciting, daunting and sometimes impossible. With endless support and guidance from faculty and peers at St. Edward’s, those dreams become achievable. Here are four recent alumni who are following their own interdisciplinary paths by exercising their spiritual growth and mastering their crafts at three prestigious graduate schools.
PART 1:
Catholic Studies, Writing & Rhetoric Alumna furthers theological studies at Boston College
A jack of all trades, Calista Robledo ‘22 is merging her theological studies and ministry with her Writing & Rhetoric degree and love for storytelling as she earns her Masters in Divinity at Boston College.
“There's such a long tradition, I've been learning, of writing and theology coming together in different ways—even in an academic sense that's slowly becoming a focus among combining theology with writing.”
PART 2:
How a Mighty Corner on the Hilltop got this Alumna to Yale
Confronting new perspectives, Natalie Hughes '23 is earning her Master of Arts in Religion at Yale Divinity School as she concentrates on the Hebrew Bible.
“I'm challenged to be a better thinker, and I'm also consistently challenged to confront and understand perspectives that are different from my own—whether it be a classmate or somebody who wrote on a scroll 2000 years ago.”
PART 3:
How Theology is Helping this Future Lawyer Strengthen Client Connections
Earning her Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School and preparing for law school, Dafne Villanueva ‘22 is studying religious traditions and doctrine in order to assist immigrants and asylum seekers.
“The environment I grew up in was seeing women stay in marriages because it’s the right thing to do. I want to help women see that they don’t have to stay in a relationship because of their religion. My hope at the end of all this is to have a nonprofit organization that helps immigrant women who have faced religious trauma.”
PART 4:
Equipping an Educational Leader through a Shared Mission
How Sierra Garcia ‘23, a biology major and campus ministry leader, is gaining teaching experience in Texas while earning her M.Ed. through fellow Holy Cross institution, the University of Notre Dame.
“I think I've done a good job of creating this environment where students can ask questions. I want them to feel seen, heard and loved.”
