Dan Bell

As a way of introducing myself, here’s a bit of a geography lesson! I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, an hour and a half east of New York City. After high school, I moved to another North Shore, this time to attend Gordon College, just above Boston. Afterwards I moved south to Connecticut to pursue a M.A. in Religion at Yale Divinity School. While there I began to discern a call to the Episcopal priesthood. So, after completing my degree and working at a supportive housing provider for a year, I decided to return to Yale for a M.Div. This past year I served as a Micah Fellow at St. Stephen’s Memorial Episcopal Church in Lynn, MA, where I had an amazing and challenging time. I’m now having a blast working as the Faith Formation Director at the Barbara C. Harris Camp in NH! After my time at camp ends, I’ll be heading back to Boston to begin my second year in Life Together as an Emmaus Fellow and will be serving again at St. Stephen’s, which I’m excited about! I know I’m going to have another incredible and Christ-filled year.

Hannah McMeekin

I am thrilled to be starting a second year with Life Together. During my first year living in intentional community at 40P, I learned a lot about how to support people wherever they are on their life journey, and to love and affirm each person and his or her own unique qualities.This year I'm working with the Boston Student Advisory Council and Youth on Board. With these organizations I'll be working to bring young people into the center of conversations around current issues in our society. I'm looking forward to learning from these young people and working with them to create a more equitable and socially just community. 

I grew up in rural Vermont and living in Boston can make me homesick for mountains. I'm often out exploring with friends and looking to discover something unexpected – great music, food, or a new running route. I graduated from Middlebury College as a “Feb” where I studied Geography and Arabic. 

I love maps, beets, making things fun, running, and bluegrass. I'm looking forward to continuing to build the community of Life Together and to laugh and love while doing it!

Justin Rose

Hi y’all! My name is Justin, and I hail from Raleigh, North Carolina. I graduated from N.C. State with a sociology degree in one hand, a French degree in the other, and eyes open for the chance to work as a community organizer with the support of an intentional community. Life Together answered that call, and so I took a little leap of faith and moved up to Boston. Now I practice community organizing with senior citizens who engage with their local power structure to affect structural change. I’m inspired by their wisdom and tenacity in the fight for social justice, and forging friendships with them has been a truly life-giving experience.
It’s been an honor growing into this loving community and discerning my identity as a leader and an activist. The past year has been challenging, but through thick and thin there was always love, and I am so grateful for that. As an Emmaus fellow I welcome the opportunity to continue to learn and share in community, deepen my work as an organizer, and explore my spirituality.

Lydia Strand

My name is Lydia Strand, and I am excited about continuing in the learning and work of Life Together in the coming year. I graduated in the spring of 2013 from a small college in upstate New York where I pursued studies in English, Intercultural Studies, and Theology. I love to spend time reading about the lives of other people, eating new foods, and drinking coffee on my porch. I also love seeing other parts of the world. I spent five years of my childhood living in Honduras with my family, and I recently had the opportunity to spend a semester studying in Tanzania, East Africa. First and foremost, all of these interests stem from my eagerness to learn from others and to explore the varieties available in this life. During my first year with Life Together, I worked on the South Coast at an immigrant workers’ rights center. There, I was stunned by both the vulnerability and the resilience of the immigrant communities. Here’s to more challenges, surprises, and growth in this second year!

Seth Woody

Greetings! My name is Seth Woody and I am very excited to be an Emmaus Fellow for the 2014-15 year. I found myself in the Life Together program through a series of fortunate twists and turns in the road with a good amount of providential guidance and blind luck. I was born into the Episcopal Church and have had the great fortune of living with and in a loving family; dogs included. After growing up in the great state of Texas, I graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s in Theology and minors in Environmental Studies and Faith, Peace, and Justice. While in college, I was blessed with the chance to both study abroad in El Salvador for a semester and spend two of my summers in Rwanda. Both countries (people really) have had an extremely important impact on my heart and soul.   After college, I spent a year serving as a monastic intern at the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge MA. I hope to continue to grow into a faith that does justice, inspired by a deep call into the life of my church. I enjoy bow hunting, backpacking, and Texas A&M football.

Mia Benjamin

My name is Mia Benjamin. I'm from Fairfield, Connecticut, but I really grew up in Greenfield Hill Congregational Church, where I learned to serve, lead, and belong to a community. After studying Islam and Arabic at Middlebury College, I spent the last year in Amman, Jordan exploring the connections between religious leadership and social justice through a Fulbright grant research project on women's rights and a research paper on legal empowerment and Islamic law for a regional think-tank. I was also able to gain firsthand interfaith leadership experience under the mentorship of Father Haddad at the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center. I am looking forward to devoting the next months to reconnecting with spiritual practices and engaged community service at Life Together in Boston. I hope to continue to explore the meaning of interfaith chaplaincy work and to enter into a time of renewed focus on vocational discernment and relationship-building.

Yanil Burgos

Hi! My name is Yani.

Originally from the Bronx and after a lot of moving settling in New Jersey, my path has consistently been informed by a desire to see those around me succeed. That desire has extended into my work in social justice movements while attending Smith College, as well as working with a nonprofit in Costa Rica that focused on human rights for all. 

I enjoy reading, music and nature; the arts and all the moments art manifests itself in our daily lives; the various ways folks interact with faith and spirituality - institutionally, societally, and individually. I am a pop culture junkie and am a firm believer in justice. I believe because we are made in God's image, divinity and love can radiate from everything we do, so I am choosing to learn to live more mindfully and intentionally day by day. I'm incredibly excited and humbled be joining Life Together and am looking forward to a transformative year alongside amazing people!

Megan Crow

Hello! My name is Megan Crow and I am from Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College (a small liberal arts college in St. Peter, MN) with a degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Peace Studies. As a native Minnesotan, I love all things snow, especially Nordic skiing. In the summer you can find me biking, canoeing, perusing the farmers’ market, or camping in the great outdoors. I love cooking and eating new foods, and especially enjoy good conversations shared over meals with family and friends. In spring 2013 I studied abroad in Valparaíso, Chile, where I discovered my love for empanadas and the Spanish language. Additionally, I have spent two summers in a chemistry lab researching pesticide degradation and one doing clinical research in the Emergency Department of a Minneapolis hospital before coming to Life Together. 

The Episcopal Church has long been a home for me, and I have attended St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Roseville, MN since I was young. I am thrilled to begin the adventure of a year with Life Together! 

Matt Gesicki

I hail from Cleveland, Ohio, where I recently graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a BA in English Literature. When I studied in the great cities of Europe for a semester-long arts and humanities seminar, my faith in God transformed, and my awareness of grace deepened. Following that experience, I devoted much of my time as an undergraduate to human rights advocacy, urban community organizing, and the study of world religions. I also led our campus literary journal and was awarded a grant to write a sequence of prose poetry inspired by Pablo Neruda’s One Hundred Love Sonnets. After the twelve years of religious education afforded by my Catholic upbringing, I turn now to Life Together for the opportunity to commit myself to principles of peace and justice in accordance with a vibrant, progressive Christian context. I am thrilled by all the possibilities that the coming year holds! No matter what direction God leads me toward through this year of commitment with Life Together, I aspire to abide by these words of the poet Anne Sexton: “Saints have no moderation, nor do poets—just exuberance.”

William Harron

I grew up in Delaware, graduated from Williams College in 2011, and have spent the time since working on a farm in Western North Carolina, managing projects at a farm/food justice nonprofit on the shores of Lake Champlain, and as an outdoor educator in the Adirondacks.

I am coming to Boston and Life Together hoping to continue learning and growing while being a partner to those around me. Sometimes I call myself a historian, sometimes a naturalist, often a friend, and constantly a student. My goal for this transformative year is to put my skillset to work while growing, to get a sense of my path ahead, and to be an agent of good in the world.

I love (making and listening to) music, reading, writing, hiking, and cooking delicious food.

Dylan Hillerbrand

Hello! My name is Dylan Hillerbrand, and I am excited to be joining Life Together! I was born and raised in Atlanta, moved to Wilmette, Illinois during high school, and then went to Swarthmore College, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where I studied math, history, and interpretation theory.

I am a cook and a baker who loves grocery shopping, and a musician of many flavors...classical choral and voice, bluegrass mandolin and banjo, Balinese gamelan, and shape note singing. Cookies, cakes, and hymn harmonizations are the keys to my heart. Other things I like to do that I don’t spend nearly enough time doing: gardening, camping, reading good books, theorizing, wheel ceramics, contra dancing, running, and swimming.

I hope that the next ten months will bring greater knowledge and experience about what it means to live in community, work for justice, and live out both my skepticism and belief. Thanks to all, both on this page and off, who are supporting me and growing with me this year.

Cicia Lee

Hi, I’m Cicia! I recently graduated from Wellesley College after learning a little bit about economics, political philosophy, social constructions, and contemplative interfaith action. But more importantly, I began to learn how to be vulnerable, how to have deep friendships, how to listen to my true self, and how to live in the uncertainty of things (not that the two lists I just made are actually particularly separate). I also un-learned how to sleep at an appropriate hour, but I think that actually helped with everything else, so oh well. I look forward to growing in all of these areas and more with Life Together in the coming year, though I have no expectations for improving my sleep habits.

I’m an only child of Chinese immigrant parents, I grew up in Ontario and then Michigan, I began attending church in seventh grade, I spent a lot of my time in college with InterVarsity, and I’ve met a lot of wonderful people in the course of my small life. Some of the other things I like most are great ideas (particularly via Radiolab and TED), having all my favorite people in one room, thoughtful conversations, typography & geometry, playing boardgames, kindness, and making music with friends at any hour of the day.

Sara Lowery

My name is Sara Lowery, and I was raised near Birmingham, Alabama. I graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South  in Tennessee in 2013 where I studied International and Global Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies. 

After graduation, I joined the Young Adult Service Corps of the Episcopal Church (which is sort of like the Peace Corps, but through the Episcopal Church) and was placed in Hong Kong. There, I worked as a case officer at the Mission for Migrant Workers and served foreign domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia. This placement fit perfectly with my passions for women’s advocacy, social justice, and intersecting cultures, and has been one of the most life-altering experiences I’ve ever had. There, I learned how oppression and discrimination operate in our daily lives and saw how critical community organizing is to combating injustice. I will carry these lessons from Hong Kong with me in my future work back home, and I’m excited to bring them to the Life Together Community. 

I tend to listen more than I speak, but I strive to make the words I do say count.  I love baking, traveling, rock climbing, adventure-making, good coffee, anthropology, and gender studies. 

Zachary Maher

Hi, my name is Zach, and I'm looking forward to coming back to the northeastern US for Life Together! I grew up in Montague, the northernmost town in New Jersey, and I attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, graduating in 2013 with a B.A. and M.A. in Linguistics.  I've spent the past year living in Berlin, Germany working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at a Sonderschule für Verhaltensauffällige Schüler (a special school for students with conduct disorders).

I've been blessed with the opportunity to experience God in many different ways throughout my life, starting at home but more poignantly during college, including a Christian fellowship and a cappella group, and a trip to Israel with Yale's Jewish/Christian Bible study. I look forward to a year of deepening the social justice roots of my faith while discerning my future calling in the context of a community of new and interesting people! I enjoy playing the cello, singing (I'm a bass), playing with technology, reading interesting articles, and chatting about, as the Germans say, "God and the world.”

Mark Mancini

Howdy! My name’s Mark and I hail from fabulous Rochester, NY (go Red Wings!). After earning an associate’s degree in paleontology from Mesalands Community College in 2010, I transferred to Long Island’s Stony Brook University to study religion & theatre.

Having been involved with scouting since childhood, I was taught the merits of cheerful service at a very young age. As a Life Together fellow, I hope to enhance my work ethic while growing in an environment of reflection, faith, and friendship.

For those interested, my hobbies include camping, acting, rooting for assorted sports teams, & listening to Weird Al Yankovic (I’m also a big fan of puns… consider yourself warned).

Liz Marshall

"If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.” - Mother Teresa

I was raised in an Episcopal household in Lincoln, Massachusetts and recently graduated from Gettysburg College, where I studied Religion, Education, and Peace & Justice Studies.  While at Gettysburg, I found my home in the Center for Public Service, where I worked closely with mentoring programs for local students and actively participated in dialogues surrounding gender and race inequality.  

My interest in religion and its impact on cultures led me to study abroad in Nepal.  While there, I grew very close with my host family, who inspired my research regarding the role that religion plays on educational decisions for girls.  My passion for education also took me on an exciting journey to Kisumu, Kenya, where I worked with education advocacy for teen moms.

In my free time, I love to bake, act, sing, and play board games.  I am always ready for new adventures, getting lost, quality time with wonderful people, and at the end of the day, writing about it all.  I am very excited to be joining Life Together and cannot wait to see what this year brings!

Kathleen "Lucy" McGlasson

Hi all! My name is Kathleen McGlasson, but I’ve gone by Lucy for as long as I remember. I hail from the Texas--Houston, Texas to be exact. Being a cradle Episcopalian and growing up in a liberal city in a conservative state, my life has been a mix of traditional and contemporary ideas. I’ve always tried to live by the idea that God is Love. I graduated from Hendrix College, in Arkansas, in 2013 with a B.A. in Allied Health and Spanish and a desire to help people. I am entering a time of discernment as I try to find where I am called. I am excited to get a chance to get to know a new city and to meet new people to help me with my journey during my Life Together year . 

The short version: Name’s Lucy. I hail from Texas. I’ve been an Episcopalian my whole life My favorite things are reading, taking photos and meaningful conversations. 

Monique Meeks

Hey y’all! My name is Monique Meeks. I am from the beautiful state of Virginia. In 2013, I graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a major in Sociology and minors in Black Studies, Ethics, and Religious Studies.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 is one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament; this passage helps me to remember that I must not be so focused on self; Rather, I must keep my eyes on the Lord in spite of the circumstances.
I love autumn days when there is a light breeze and the leaves are slowly falling from the trees. In my free time I enjoy reading, playing board games, trying a new recipe, and occasionally practicing my violin.
I am incredibly excited for this upcoming year as a Lifetogether fellow. I believe that this year will be a time in which I further realize and press into my God-given gifts.

Mercy Hernandez

Mercy was a global studies major at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While attending UCSB she got confirmed as Catholic and nurtured her love for cultures there. She has worked in the past as volunteer and a social justice coordinator for youth ministry at Sacred Heart in Lancaster, Ca. While working as private writing tutor and youth ministry volunteer, she decided to follow God’s call to embark on the calling to the East Coast to pursue teaching with the roots in social justice. Mercy is a foodie, avid tea drinker, lover of live music, runner, and reader of fascinating investigative books. Being God centered and serving others has been a theme lately in Mercy’s life.  She looks forward to being part of a holy spirit-filled community that believes in love of community and God.

Hillary Sugg

Hilary Sugg is a currently a math and science teacher at Esperanza Academy in Lawrence. She has recently graduated from the School of Education at Boston University and is especially interested with working with urban student populations. Hilary completed her teacher training in Quito, Ecuador and the Boston Public Schools. She hopes that this year at Esperanza will give her a challenging yet meaningful start to her teaching career. As a proud Episcopalian from the Diocese of MA, Hilary is looking forward to joining the Life Together community and working with her colleagues in a year of spiritual growth. She enjoys talking to anyone about anything, especially if the conversation involves food. 

Karlee Popken

Hi, I'm Karlee Popken. I was born and raised right outside of Boston Massachusetts in Somerville. I recently graduated College of the Holy Cross with a degree in Political Science, and Women and Gender Studies. I have worked in the Massachusetts State House and on local grassroot political campaigns, while also volunteering with young girls as a basketball coach. However, I am excited about the opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to work on the ground level with the young women at Esperanza Academy. I look forward to growing in my own personal spiritual life with the other life together fellows. 

Chloe Williams

I grew up in Saratoga Springs NY where I attended a Waldorf School through 8th grade and then transferred to public high school. I graduated from Vassar College in the spring of 2014 where I majored in Sociology. From my unique and diverse educational experiences, I believe my appreciation of and excitement for education has grown and led me to Esperanza, where I am looking forward to sharing my love for learning with other girls. My spiritual life has also had an immense impact on my journey in helping me to discover my passions and find meaning in my life through social justice work. I am so excited for the opportunity to explore how my work and spirituality can be even more meaningfully connected through Life Together.

I love the outdoors, running, hiking, skiing, rock climbing, and camping. Spending time with my incredible family and friends, reading a good book and creating handcrafts are also among my favorite activities. 

Deanna Roberts

Hello! My name is Deanna Roberts and I most recently hail from Louisville, Kentucky where I just completed my MA in Religion at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  I went to Miami University (OH) for my undergraduate studies and graduated in May 2010 with a BA in Comparative Religion.  Though I spent most of my primary school years in Oxford, OH, I am originally from Londonderry, NH and was born in Hartford, CT.  I am so excited to move back to the New England region!   My family has a lake house on Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountain Park Reserve and I have always considered the northeast to be my home.  I am a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), however, my passion lies in ecumenical and interfaith relations and cooperation.  My most recent travels to the Holy Land in January 2014 solidified my desire to continue working in multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious settings.   Besides perusing the plethora of academic books that I never had time to read during graduate school, I thoroughly enjoy cooking, social dancing, ice skating, cheering on my Miami Redhawks hockey team, making espresso coffee drinks, and curling up on the couch watching T.V.  I am adopted and I have a rescue dog named Bella who is three years old.  I am also a sister of the international music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota and look forward to continuing my involvement in the organization with the Boston Alumnae Chapter.  I am tremendously excited to join Life Together-South Coast and look forward to a rewarding year!

Adrian Paulino

Hi, my name is Adrian. I was born and raised in northeast Ohio. I have a degree in middle school math and English teaching. I spend most of my summers working at summer camps on their ropes courses. I enjoy the time I spend playing games with kids. I like to read, play video games, and I dabble in dancing.
As for my Christian walk, I've been a Christian for 11 years. I've spent most of that time in Assembly of God churches. I've learned a lot about focusing on loving others, and I've had my eyes opened to many areas of need in the world. I hope in the future that I can help to meet some of those needs.
I heard about Life Together through the AmeriCorps website, and I look forward to growing both professionally and personally during my time in the Fall River area.

Victoria Laskey

My name is Victoria and I am a Hoosier hailing from Westfield, IN, and a recent graduate of Indiana University, where I majored in Linguistics with minors in Spanish and Gender Studies. I spent my first year of college at Wellesley College, where I discovered a passion for feminism and social justice. At Indiana University I discovered a new spiritual home in the Episcopal Church after being raised in the Roman Catholic tradition. There, I was the first student engagement intern for Episcopal Campus Ministry at IU, where I discovered a passion for ministry. I love hiking, going on adventures, and watching Tom Hanks movies. I look forward to using my Life Together year to discern what I should be doing in the next stage of my life, as well as developing leadership and advocacy skills.