my path to Ministry
I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. I felt a call to ministry from a young age, but I also considered a career in music and/or theater arts. Ordination was not an option for me in the denomination in which I was raised, so I decided in my early 20s that I would pursue social work instead. I have a BA from the University of Houston, where I studied sociology and nonprofit management. From there, I went to the University of Texas at Austin, where I earned an MSSW focused on community and administrative leadership, with additional coursework in management of nonprofit and human service organizations and women's and gender studies. After about 10 years working in various human service and workforce development programs, I decided it was time to answer the call to ministry that I'd felt since childhood. I graduated with honors from Andover Newton Theological School in 2016 having also earned a certificate in pastoral care and counseling.
My entry into Unitarian Universalism was as non-traditional as my entry into the ministry. When I was at UT-Austin, I saw an ad that First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin had placed looking for a nursery worker. I had experience working with children and youth in the denomination in which I was raised, so I decided to apply. After a few years of working in the nursery, I was promoted to working with the youth group. Working with the youth gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about Unitarian Universalism, and I realized that this was my true spiritual home.
My call to ministry has been with me from my earliest days, but it took the winding path of my life journey to help me understand how that call can only be answered in the Unitarian Universalist Association. As I've grown, so has my understanding of the tools that humans have developed for spiritual growth and theological reflection. It's important to me to have the freedom to use these tools in the way that I think makes the most sense, and to have a community help me reflect on the process. In some ways, my path to UU ministry may have been unusual. At the same time, I can see how each of my life experiences has made me who I am and prepared me for professional ministry.
Photography by David Elmes.