Jubilee Consortium

2011-12 Interns

My name is Reid Anderson and I’m from a town outside of Cleveland called Avon Lake. I originally left high school to go play basketball in New York at the University at Albany but an injury sidelined me and I ended up refocusing my life and graduating from Case Western Reserve in the spring of 2011 with a degree in Marketing. While looking for jobs I realized that I might want something outside of the world of business and the EUIP program seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a year to give back, figure things out, and at the same time grow spiritually. I’ve been truly blessed throughout my life and having the opportunity to give back in this way seems like a once in a lifetime experience. I’m looking forward to the challenges, growth, and experience that this year is sure to bring and cannot wait to see in what direction I’ll end up going. I’m very interested in seeing if teaching is a path that I would like to go down and this year I’ll be able to get a little firsthand experience living in Hollywood and working with the Excel Charter Academy.

Hi! My name is Sarah Rogers, and I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. For the last four years, I have attended Rhodes College and called Memphis, Tennessee home. I graduated with a double major in Economics and Classical Studies and no clear idea of what I want to do with my life. Thanks to my parents, community service has been a large part of my life since I was very young. In looking at what Iwanted to do straight out of college, I decided to dedicate a year (at least) to service. I was introduced to the Episcopal Service Corps by a good friend from college and was immediately drawn to it. I am very excited to be serving alongside other members of my community as well as exploring my faith in depth over the next year. I never thought I would live on the West Coast, but I am looking forward to this new adventure! I will be interning at Triumph Middle School learning about the world of education and charter schools.

My name is Valerie Lamour. I grew up in Brockton, MA and recently graduated from New York University with a degree in Anthropology, a minor in Public Health Policy, and a Pre-medicine concentration. I plan to go to medical school in a couple years and hope to have a career working domestically and overseas practicing emergency medicine with Doctors without Borders and other programs. First, however, I want to take a year off to refocus and grow as a person while doing some good and making a difference. I have always loved traveling, living in new places, and experiencing other cultures (I spent a semester in London and travelled a bit through Europe). So, coming to Los Angeles for a year seemed like a great idea and EUIP turned out to be the perfect program for me. This year I will be working at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s LifeWorks program as a case manager. I hope to make a great difference in the lives of youth in the LGBT community and am excited for the challenges that lay before me. I am really excited to explore LA and experience everything the city has to offer. In my free time, I love listening to music, playing my guitar, going to concerts, reading, watching movies, exploring new places and things, and hopefully I will be able to spend more time outdoors and on the beach!

Hi my name is Hannah Lock. I am a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, and have a major in sociology and a minor in psychology. Since I was born in England, and moved to the U.S. at the age of seven, I have done quite a bit of travelling, and have developed a love for it. Some of my other favorite pastimes include horse riding, spending time with family and friends, and of course volunteering! I have had the opportunity to partake in a number of different volunteer positions throughout my life, including a trip to install computer labs in Cameroon, Africa, and an internship at a therapeutic horse riding center. I am really looking forward to my upcoming year with the Episcopalian Urban Intern Program. Whilst helping others less fortunate than myself has been a passion of mine since I was young, I am excited to spend a year of service in an intense community setting. I know that this experience will bring personal growth and development, as well as providing me with the opportunity to give back to neighborhood which I am sure will remain close to my heart.

Hey! I’m Brandon Lee Stuart, born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and a 2010 graduate of the Johns Hopkins University where I double majored in Behavioral Biology and East Asian Studies. My plan once I completed my undergraduate studies was to attend medical school and study psychiatry, but I became heavily involved in the performing arts (dance, theatre, and music) and knew that the stage was where I belonged. After I made this important decision, I decided to apply to a number of Masters of Fine Arts programs in hopes of actually being able to study each art form intimately. However, due to the fact that my concentrations at Hopkins were solely academic, I wasn’t admitted into any programs. So, while taking the next year off to focus on my artistic voice and better understand myself, I received information from my youth ministry director about the Episcopal Service Corps. I applied to EUIP because it’s an opportunity to grow spiritually and humanely, and will equip me with the necessary skills to transition into my profession in the future. A year of service to others is exactly what I need to strengthen my faith and make a difference in the lives of others.

I’m anxious to see how my work at Partnerships Uniting Communities – Taylor Yard High School will make a difference over the next year. When I’m not choreographing a dance, writing a song, or playing around with dialects and different voices, I might be playing video games, working out, or just having a deep conversation with anyone who wants to have it.

My name is Allison Bost and I am from Raleigh North Carolina. I graduated in 2008 from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work. After graduation I spent 6 months living and volunteering at a Children’s Home in Khayelitsha, South Africa (a township outside of South Africa).  Upon returning home I worked for a year at a mental health agency. Last year I went back to graduate school at the University of Chapel Hill to get my masters in social work. I was hoping that graduate school would give me the answers I wanted to what exact path in the social work field I should take. While school gave me some exciting new options, I have not figured out exactly what I want to do next. I am excited about a year with the EUIP because I am hoping it will provide a lot of discernment personally, professionally and spiritually.

My name is Christina Frazier. My hometown is Monterey Bay Area, and I recently graduated from California State University Long Beach with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in French. With Communication being so broad I tried out a lot of things in college from wedding planning, business, marketing etc. and in my spare time play my clarinet “clari” in an Orchestra, play volleyball, read, watch basketball and hula dance. I want to take this year to serve and continue to learn about myself.

I decided to join EUIP after a recommendation from a previous internship and I found out that it was the perfect opportunity for me. I knew that I wanted to work with non-profits and do something meaningful to me as well as explore where my faith is taking me.

My name is Katy Cashman. I grew up in the forests northern Minnesota, twelve miles away from Lake Superior. We were the last house on the electric line with no central heating or septic system to this day. My mother has spent her life working with the homeless population in Duluth, Minnesota and my father was a homemaker and self-employed artist. The community of Clover Valley has left a very strong impression on me. My neighbors have been there my whole life, spending Saturday nights playing cards, carving pumpkins from our gardens every year and dancing in the town hall to fiddle and banjo music together. Since graduating from the MN arts high school where I studied writing, I went to school at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where I studied Global Studies and Social Justice.  I am drawn to service work for several reasons. I was first exposed to service work when I was 14 years old and volunteered in an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. The contradictions I was forced to see in the world during this experience started my journey of interest in social justice issues. Since then I have studied the inequalities in our society and worked at several different community organizing and change organizations. I am a writer first and foremost and therefore I am deeply interested in people’s stories. Having empathy is extremely important to me. We did not have money to spare growing up, but I never felt lacking and I recognize my privilege in our society. The EUIP program’s focus on community as well as the opportunity to have a year of experience working in the field I have studied is so exciting and what had drawn me to this program.

My name is Hannah Spiro. I grew up in Northampton, MA. I love to read and cook and watch geeky/sci-fi TV and movies. I recently graduated from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, with a degree in Psychology and Religion. I loved school but I’m in the process of figuring out what I want to go back for before I commit to more years of homework. This program seemed like a great opportunity to explore my interest in psychology, social services, and religion. I have been working in a museum for the past three years, which I love, being a huge history nerd. I decided that it was time to try something that would allow me to work more closely in a service capacity with different kinds of people. After helping care for my adorable foster brother, I am even more committed to fighting the factors and environment that contributed to the hardship in his life. I’m very excited to be working as a housing case manager at the St. Joseph Center and to be helping people find and keep affordable housing. I went to college very close to home and am looking forward to living somewhere completely new and different, despite how much I’m going to miss my dog.

My name is Joey Courtney. Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, my developmental years centered around a close family and church. As a cradle Episcopalian, I learned the importance of a faith based community and spending my time helping others. From an early age, I was active in my church’s FISH ministry where I bagged groceries to give to hungry families in my area. These experiences influenced me to become a Bonner Scholar when I attended Maryville College, a small liberal arts school just 30 minutes south of Knoxville. As a Bonner, I volunteered 40 hours a month with homeless families through “Family Promise” and tutoring incarcerated women to help them get their GED. I graduated Maryville with a major in religion and a minor in chemistry. I applied for EUIP because I wanted a chance to dedicate this time in my life to helping other people. I am excited about being able to do this with the support of the intentional community and spiritual development the program offers. Hopefully this year will help me further explore my vocation so that I can leave with a renewed since of purpose and a stronger motivation to strive for justice and peace for all people.

Hi! My name is Jazmin Trammell but most people call me Jaz. I’ve moved and lived all over the United States since I was 9 but Columbia, South Carolina is what I consider home. I am a 2011 graduate from Columbia International University in Columbia South Carolina with a Bachelors in Inter-Cultural Studies. I just spent 10 weeks this past summer in the Philippines helping to start a brand new college ministry at a local University. I love traveling and doing ministry abroad. My long term goal is to live overseas doing non-traditional ministries-whatever that entails!  I came across EUIP while looking into post college opportunities on the Americorps website & it had two of my favorite things: service & community! I love serving as well as the idea of living in community with others so the program seemed like a good fit. I also thought this would be a great opportunity to live and work in an urban environment, while gaining new skills & seeing if this is something I would like to do long-term. I couldn’t be more excited about this new season of life that will be filled with adventure & growth as well as new friends, new places and new experiences!

Hello! My name is Sally Kiss (yes that is my real last name!). I grew up in Holbrook, MA and attended college at Framingham State University where I just graduated with a degree in Sociology. I plan to eventually become a clinical social worker. I feel that we feel God the most when we are “getting our hands dirty” and reaching out to others which is why I am doing EUIP. I believe it will be a wonderful opportunity to be able to live in an environment that encourages and nourishes our spirituality as well as gives us the opportunity to grow through service to others. I am very excited or my worksite and to meet all the new people in the program!

Hi. I am Harvey Hunt. It’s easy to sit back in the comfort of your own environment and unmistakably be blind to all of the hurt, suffering and pain that truly exist in this world. Some people go through life never knowing nor caring that their neighbor has to live his life worrying where he will lay his head at night, or where his next meal is going to come from. Growing up in the suburbs of Baton Rouge, LA, I was one of those innocently naïve to this type of suffering. I am thankful that I am at a point in my life where I could consciously work to alleviate my neighbor’s suffering. I am honored that I was chosen to be apart of EUIP and to be working to find solutions to some of society’s deepest ills. It will be a privilege to serve as a Case Worker at Catholic Charities of Long Beach.  I graduated from Tulane University with a major in African and African Diaspora Studies. I’m hoping to bring a little Southern hospitality and a lot of Louisiana flair to Southern California.

I’m Casey Robinson from Glens Falls; a small city on the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. Growing up in a town nicknamed Hometown, USA you are comfortable and secure, you can leave your doors unlocked at night and still feel safe. As I aged, I realized that even when you’re surrounded by immense beauty you can endure hardships which at times seem overwhelming or unbearable. When I entered college at the University at Albany to pursue a major in Business Admininstration in Marketing and a minor in Philosophy, I was exposed to a diverse group of individuals who shared with me their own misfortunes and injustices. I realized that human pain is universal, to overcome it we must share our struggles and empower those whom you are close to so they may empower others.  I decided pursue a year of service after being inspired by friends with great character and integrity, people who introduced me to honesty, love, and understanding. I wanted a productive year to give myself a different perspective on life outside the comfort zone, to pursue something bigger than myself. I know no greater joy than the happiness which comes from helping others succeed and push their boundaries. I know that EUIP will provide me with a wealth of experience and a new understanding of what this life is truly about. The choices you make create the life you live and I’m on the pursuit of happiness.

I am Ryan Guinan. I am proud to say I hail from the greatest expanse of land God blessed our planet with. Texas. I am originally from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex but I ventured out to West Texas to attend Hardin-Simmons University, located in a little city called Abilene. I just graduated in May 2011 with a degree in Social Work. I do believe I am fairly driven to serve people but that drive is drastically overshadowed by my simple curiosity of people who approach life from different angles and who do things that are opposite of my way. I think its so neat. Outside of that, I enjoy playing and watching basketball; listening to music, specifically Texas Country (*there is a difference); eating thai food, and doing anything spontaneous.  As I approached graduation this past spring, I was presented with the overwhelming uncertainty of, “What I wanted to do with my life?” I desired a new adventure. I craved diversity. I didn’t want to go straight to graduate school for my MSW. So, when I stumbled across EUIP online last December, I was left with the same elation one feels after finding that piece of the puzzle you had struggled to find for some time. I could not have dreamt of a better scenario following graduation and I am so excited to embark on the journey God has blessed me with through EUIP in Los Angeles. I am so thankful that I get to intern with Chrysalis and that I will live with a new, intimate community in Korea Town.

My name is Holly Borroff and I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA in January 2011 with a double major in Music and Hispanic Studies and a minor in Global Studies. My studies and love of music, lead me to travel far from my hometown of Snoqualmie, WA across three continents and to eleven countries. I decided to join EUIP because I wanted to spend a year exploring what it was like to live a life of faith in community.

Eventually I would like to work with a youth symphony program which provides music education for low income students, and am hopeful that my time in L.A. will help prepare me for that.

My name is Sashi Youngs and I was born in Orissa, India. At the age of seven I was adopted and I never imagined that I would be living in the United States. One of the greatest blessings from God I have received is being placed into a wonderful Christian family that has always taught me that every human being is made in God’s image and therefore has intrinsic worth.  I grew up in a very small town, New Era, MI and graduated in May 2011 from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI. I graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. My Fall 2010 semester I had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica where I learned about the many economic injustices in Latin America. The program got me thinking a lot about social justice and how as Christians fighting for poverty should not be just a mere aspiration but a responsibility. In Costa Rica I also interned at World Vision where I took surveys of many poor communities in Costa Rica in order to help determine future aid programs. My internship at World Vision interested me in working for a Non- Profit in the future especially one that has a micro financing program. I am very excited to begin my internship this year at The Children’s Clinic through EUIP and see how God will use my skills/talents to further His Kingdom and to help bring justice in a world where there is so much injustice. I hope not only to gain experience in non-profit but also to show the oppressed that they too are made in God’s image and have value.

Hi! My name is Christy Goulet. I am from Newbury Park, a small suburb in southern California. I am a 2011 graduate from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in biology. A friend of mine encouraged me to look into different AmeriCorps programs, which is how I came across EUIP. I was especially drawn to this program because of its focus on community and serving God. I am excited to be able to learn from and with my fellow interns and co-workers. I think this program will allow me to have a year to re-focus before going back to school. After EUIP, I plan to go to graduate school to receive a Masters in Public Health. This year, I will be working at Excel Charter Academy and will be living at the Koreatown house. (My friends are very excited about this and can’t wait to visit me so they can get some good Korean bbq!)

“Hi! I’m Gerard Miller, from Baltimore, MD. After making 3-credit course, I will receive my B.A. in Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communications with a concentration in French. An East Coast boy through-and-through, I’m excited to spend my first time on the Left Coast being part of such an amazing project. I applied to EUIP because I needed an opportunity to get away from the routine at home and discern my next steps, leaving the world of undergrad education and pursuing graduate and career goals. One of the things that draws me about this program is the chance to explore intentional community in a faith-oriented setting and seek the heart of God as we journey together. Another thing that appeals to me is being able to make a direct impact in the lives of people. Few programs of this sort offer such a hands-on model of service, and the social justice agitator in me couldn’t resist.

I look forward to getting to know the other interns and program directors, getting involved in my job site, Health Services Academy High School, and in the local parish church. Trips to the beach, hiking through the high country, and riding up the Pacific Coast Highway are also high on my list… I’m excited for an enriching year!”

My name is Cyrus Allen and I am from New Hope Minnesota. I graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Minnesota in ay 2011 with a BA in Philosophy. During my senior year of college I was struggling to figure out what my next step was going to be. A philosophy major alone didn’t seem to provide a clear path into the job market. It was when I really reflected on why I became a philosophy major that my next step became very clear. I wanted to major in something where I would not only develop skills for the job market but develop skills to become a better person. Discussing issues of high moral and ethical weight everyday in class taught me how to think ogically and critically and also developed further a sense of empathy, care, and service within me.

I was drawn to EUIP specifically because of its approach to service in a religious setting. EUIP appeals to and assists people of all different faiths and backgrounds without judgment and I believe it is with these types of efforts that the most benefit is received by both those who are being served and those who serve. I look forward to working at St. Stephen’s & Delaney Wright and beginning a year’s worth of service and learning. In my free time I enjoy any type of sport and exercise, singing, cooking, and reading.