Hometown: Dallas
Present City: Houston
University/College: Rice University
Major: Religious Studies
Tell us about your family.
I live with my parents, Britt and Carole, and my younger sisters, Miriam and Ruby. My paternal grandfather and great-grandfather were Southern Baptist pastors, and most of my extended family are Southern Baptist or Church of Christ.
What is your favorite place to travel?
My family tends to take really long road trips around the country, and I’ve come to enjoy exploring all the different hidden corners of America. I really love the mountains, though!
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
I did Pre-K at Wilshire’s Early Childhood Learning Center. My family joined Wilshire in 2011 (when I was a first grader), and I’ve been here ever since.
What do you think God is up to in your life right now?
I have long felt a call to ministry, and right now the details of what that will look like are beginning to take shape. I am considering divinity schools and ordination paths while also thinking critically about my faith and what being a Christian means to me.
Tell us about your faith journey.
I have always been a person with big philosophical and theological questions. There was a period of time while I was in elementary school where I would throw weekly tantrums accusing my parents of brainwashing me by taking me to church. I was very troubled by the idea that if I had been born into a family of another faith, I would probably have adopted that faith without thinking much about it. I was very resistant to the idea of being Christian until I felt like it was by intentional conviction. I didn’t get baptized until I was an eighth grader, and I continued to be somewhat troubled by big questions and gaps in my knowledge about Christianity. I decided that I should study religion academically to gain the factual knowledge to make informed decisions about my faith. Ironically, the facts have made me more confused than ever, but getting to learn about Christianity, as well as lots of other religions, from a secular perspective has really opened my mind to all of the beautiful possibility in the mystery of God. I have found my way to the Episcopal Church while at Rice, and I am really enjoying worshiping in that tradition, but I’m still discerning what denomination feels right to me.
What’s something interesting most people wouldn’t know about you?
I write crossword puzzles for the Rice newspaper, and I’m going to be the crossword editor starting in the fall.