the personal version:

I love trees, I love music, I love dancing, I love friends. The closer I get to each of these, the more excited I am about life. I have been blessed to have access to a fair amount of joy in my life, and in more recent years of been acquainted with it’s dear relative: grief.  After losing my father and a meaningful relationship in 2022, as well as, completing the aforementioned chaplain residency, I have been traversing the pathways of grief, joy, anxiety, gratitude, and the like.

Most recently, I feel drawn to the direct experiences and expressions of life. Enough with “talking about,” and more of “being with.”  I have been doing this by hosting meditations, rituals, and opportunities for sharing songs.  The heart is a powerful vessel for transforming love, and that is my intention in this next phase of life—which means, hopefully, the rest of my life.

the “Professional” version:

Prior to being a chaplain, I worked with runaway and homeless youth, various communities affected by incarceration, as well as with folks with disabilities. I started moving more deeply towards a spiritual path in my late 20s, which would bring me to New York City, where I studied Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement at Union Theological Seminary.  I had the opportunity to study ritual in the context of grief and climate change, as well as interning as a chaplain at Rikers Island.  As part of my seminary experience, I wrote my thesis titled “Transforming Ritual Through Music and Sound.” Through my own practice of using sound and mantra, I experimented in guiding others through various ritual experiences involving sound and sometimes movement.  I still rely on these lessons in my spirituality and in working with others.

After graduating, I entered into a year-long chaplain residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, a deep, challenging, and experiential training.  I now have four units of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), which means I have sat with plenty of suffering (mine and others, if there’s a difference) and have proven myself able to sit with more!