HAVARD DIVINITY SHOOL

Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is a 3rd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies diasporic Buddhisms and queer spiritualities as they intersect with racial capitalism and end-of-life care and medicine. Matta is also training as a clinical chaplain and practices spiritual counseling for queer/trans undergraduates. Most importantly, Matta is a devoted queer Buddhist whose practice and passion for the religious tradition extends to every corner of the migrant Buddhist diaspora. To that end, they were attracted to the Roothbert Fund because of its standout commitments to spiritual values in social action.

In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology to accomplish their dream of synthesizing psychiatric-palliative medicine, Buddhist chaplaincy, and critical anthropological research.

BROWN UNIVERSITY

Huda Saeed is the fourth child of Pakistani-Kashmiri immigrants and an MSc candidate in Data Science at Brown University. From the skills she learns at Brown, she hopes to ultimately work in a healthcare setting where she can apply data science technologies to improve patient outcomes and diminish health inequities. Her pursuit of the intersection of public health and cutting-edge technology is informed by her faith which values altruism and knowledge; this very intersection of faith and academia is also what drew Huda to the Roothbert Fund. In her free time, you can catch Huda reading, watching movies, or spending time with her family and friends.

BOSTON COLLEGE, SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Maggie Reardon is pursuing a Master of Clinical Social Work degree with a concentration in Mental Health at Boston College’s School of Social Work. Academically, professionally and personally, Maggie seeks to explore how restorative justice and spirituality can be a means by which to attain and sustain healing, meaningful relationships, and holistic wellness. She expresses deep gratitude to the Roothbert Fund for offering her an opportunity to continue to cultivate these interests.

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOIAL WORK

Maddy (they/them pronouns) has worked as a housing case manager, a dating violence prevention educator, and a Quaker camp trip leader since graduating from Clark University. They are excited to explore family therapy to support queer youth and their families, hospice work, and acute trauma recovery through their MSW program at Rutgers University.

Maddy grew up in a mixed religion household which has informed their spiritual beliefs and interest in the Roothbert community. Their ongoing motivation to participate in healing the world through a career in social work and desire to uphold each human as valuable is rooted in this spiritual framework.

Maddy loves being outdoors, especially backpacking, canoeing, and playing ultimate frisbee. They traveled around the U.S. for many months and have visited more than half the country’s national parks before settling in Philly with their partner and cat, Ladybird.

THE NEW SCHOOL

Habeebah is a driven and passionate individual currently pursuing a Masters’ degree in International Affairs at The New School. Combining her academic interests in development and social justice with her career goal in humanitarian work, Habeebah aims to make a positive impact locally and globally. Her deep-rooted spirituality serves as a guiding force in her personal and professional endeavors, influencing her approach to understanding human experiences in relation to the global realities of the world. The alignment of her spiritual beliefs with her academic and professional work empowers Habeebah to cultivate empathy, connection, and holistic approaches in her practice.

Habeebah was drawn to the Roothbert Fund by its commitment to supporting individuals who demonstrate a strong sense of purpose and a desire to contribute to the betterment of society. Outside of her academic pursuits, Habeebah enjoys exploring nature trails, crocheting cute toys and volunteering at educational centers. She also has a keen interest in learning about different cultures, traditions and world perspectives.

PENNSYLVANIA WESTERN UNIVERSITY

Sara has always felt she was destined for work she was meant to live, not just do. After completing her first undergraduate degree at the age of 37, she is continuing to build on her foundational social work education through a trauma-informed care focused Master of Social Work program, with Pennsylvania Western University. Sara was called to the pursuit of social work, specifically to serve the older adult community, and during her undergraduate field practicum, she found the calling within her calling, in hospice care. She hopes, through her graduate studies, to deepen her understanding of trauma and the effects it can have on lifespan development and experiences at end-of-life. Sara has special interests in gerontology, hospice and palliative care, thanatology, neuroscience as it relates to social work, and the intersection of LGBTQ issues with aging and end-of-life care. She was drawn to the Roothbert Fund because of its sense and commitment to community, its openness, and the Hope it represents. She is a maker, who builds, bakes, collages, knits, sews, and creatively constructs in any way she fancies, to integrate art into the everyday. After completion of her MSW degree, Sara plans to dedicate herself to the practice of home-based hospice social work. She will additionally work towards her clinical licensure (LCSW) to best equip herself to serve and support her patients, and their families, as they make their way through the end stages of life.

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY

Jaden (he/him) is a Maryland native and a recent graduate of Prince George’s Community College. As he continues to pursue a career in journalism, Jaden will transfer to Bowie State University to finish his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. Throughout his college career, Jaden has developed a love for storytelling. More specifically, Jaden seeks to bring underrepresented and overlooked ideas and communities to the forefront. As a student journalist, he practices open-mindedness, believing that everyone has a right to be heard, represented, and listened to within the confines of the truth. As a result, Jaden tries to reflect these same values in his work.

Having had many achievements and challenges throughout his academic career, Jaden’s faith has remained consistent. As an Apostolic Christian, Jaden practices his religion’s teachings in his everyday life, including gratitude, kindness, and having faith in God. He carries these values not only in his personal life but in his professional and academic life as well.

For those reasons and more, Jaden was excited to become a Roothbert fellow. Similar to the community he grew up in, the Roothbert Fellowship features a diverse group of individuals who provide open spaces for in-depth dialogue about unique topics. Comparably, Jaden enjoys meeting new people and sharing ideas and perspectives that are different from his own, which further attracts him to the organization. As he strives to become an accomplished multimedia journalist who’ll one day start his own news outlet, Jaden looks forward to continuing both his academic and religious journey alongside his other Roothbert fellows.

(Fun facts about Jaden: He speaks French, enjoys caring for his houseplants, and is a big anime fan!)

BROOKLYN COLLEGE, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

Joseph S.S. Cobourne (he/him) is a dedicated educator currently pursuing a Master of Science in Education with a focus on Students with Disabilities 7-12 Generalist at the City University of New York Brooklyn College, where he is also a New York City Teaching Fellow in Cohort 37. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government with a minor in Urban Studies from Queens College, CUNY. Joseph has demonstrated his leadership skills as President of the Student Association Government and served as a representative in the University of Student Senate. His extracurricular involvement includes being a cohort leader in the Percy E. Sutton SEEK program and participating in the Hillel Israeli-Palestinian Prospective tour. Joseph's professional experience spans several roles within Charter Schools and the NYC Department of Education, where he currently works as a Special Education Teacher, employing innovative instructional strategies to support students' individual learning needs. He is also an active community member, having served as the Chair of Sanitation for Community Board 17 in Brooklyn.

Joseph intends to pursue a PhD in Educational Leadership and aspires to become a principal. Upon retirement, he plans to return to the Percy E. Sutton SEEK program as a tenured professor and to build a cultural school in the heart of Brooklyn to bridge the gap within the African American diaspora community. In his leisure time, Joseph enjoys exploring both artisanal and mainstream films, playing basketball, hiking, and participating in 5K runs. He is also passionate about languages, aspiring to learn French, Spanish, and Swahili. With a strong spiritual background—his father having served as a pastor for ten years and his mother as an evangelist in the Pentecostal faith—Joseph believes that education is the foundation of the human soul. He views the quest for knowledge as a universal endeavor that transcends race, religion, and class, inspired by the idea that the pursuit of education represents humanity's cognitive emergence. Quoting Jesus, he emphasizes the importance of love and aims to create a nurturing environment for his students, hoping to instill in them a lasting impact that shapes their future behavior, thinking and community.

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Taysue Morris, a first-generation Liberian-American and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), embodies a unique blend of cultural heritage and professional dedication that enriches her work in mental health. Her academic journey is marked by a Bachelor's degree in Family Science from Towson University and a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Currently, Morris is advancing her expertise through a Ph.D. in Counseling Education and Supervision at The George Washington University

Beyond her academic endeavors, Morris's commitment to mental health extends to practical initiatives. She is the founder of The Morris Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting mental health services with Liberians affected by the civil war. The foundation focuses on providing culturally responsive therapeutic interventions and dismantling the stigma associated with seeking mental health services. Although in its early stages and without a website, The Morris Foundation exemplifies Morris's dedication to integrating her academic research with actionable community support.

Morris's therapeutic expertise is deeply rooted in her advocacy for destigmatizing mental health services and supporting individuals, especially children and adolescents, in crisis zones. Her holistic therapeutic approach integrates spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional aspects, assisting her clients in developing a deeper understanding of themselves across these dimensions. Her work not only highlights her commitment to professional and academic development but also her dedication to creating meaningful impacts through her nonprofit activities and contributions to the field of mental health.

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUS

Arianna Nelson (she/her) is a freshman at Washington University In St. Louis pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Global Affairs and a research concentration in Artificial Intelligence. She is majorly passionate about robotics, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic bias research. She has a variety of STEAM field experiences including attending New Jersey's Institute of Technology iRobotics program and the National Youth Leadership Engineering Forum at UC Berkley. She has recently expanded on her technology endeavors conducting tech policy AI research, interning for Representative James E. Clyburn in the 117th Congress and has enhanced that research by teaching herself how to build algorithms that check for bias in machine-learning models at her technology start-up internship with Oxiwear. In addition to her technological endeavors, she also has a deep interest in international relations, recently studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea with the National Security Language Initiative For Youth. As an aspiring polyglot with a focus on international relations, she hopes to work with technology around the globe. In the future, she would like to continue her work mitigating artificial intelligence harms and building technological systems that benefit society globally.

Arianna was drawn to the Roothbert Fund for its focus on bringing scholars from different spiritual backgrounds together to discuss spirituality and learn from each other. She is incredibly grateful to be a Roothbert Fellow and cannot wait to see what is next.

University of Buffalo

Ruqayyah is a 3rd year medical student at the University at Buffalo. Ms. Batts holds a baccalaureate degree in Africana Studies from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College. While at Brooklyn College, she also minored in Health and Nutrition Sciences and concentrated in pre-medicine. Ruqayyah also has a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Her concentration was Physiology and Biophysics. Prior to medical school, Ms. Batts completed a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Buffalo. Ruqayyah also taught and did research while on her journey to medical school. Her relationship to spirituality is unconventional. She was raised in a duality of two religions, but appreciates them both for bringing her closer to God. Her spirituality helps her on her difficult road to medicine. The Roothbert fund was the first time Ruqayyah saw academia and spirituality intersect in a public space. A fun fact about Ms. Batts is that she was a pageant winner in college. In her spare time she likes to mentor students and spend time with her friends.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY; WESLEY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Faith Snipes is a dual master’s student at American University and Wesley Theological Seminary. She is studying international peace, conflict resolution, and theology. Her primary interest is exploring how religious leaders and communities can play a pivotal role in peacebuilding and reconciliation in pre- and post-conflict environments. Faith intertwines her academics and spirituality; believing her religion compels her to promote peace for people of every culture, religion, and walk of life.

In the future, Faith aspires to work in an environment that merges her fields of study, hoping to see global communities reconciled and moving toward peace.

Faith believes that intellectual, cultural, and spiritual diversity enriches our world. She is excited to join the Roothbert community and engage with those who share this sentiment.

YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Elaine (she/her) is working towards an MD degree at Yale University and plans to become a physician-educator. She has always been fascinated by invisible things and is constantly seeking to learn from new perspectives. Her love for stories informs her approach to building community in the context of healthcare. These spiritual values of empathy and agency connect Elaine to the mission of the Roothbert Fund. By reading and propagating plants, Elaine practices the art of attention in her daily life and cultivates her sense of wonder.

HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL

Carla is a new Roothbert Fellow and her preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. She is currently studying biology, in completion of a B.A, at the Extension School at Harvard University. After graduating from the program, Carla will pursue an MD/PhD with the focus of neurosurgery as a career. Growing up as a Christian, Carla has always had faith and spiritual beliefs to ground her. One way her spiritual identity intersects with her academic and professional life is the simple act of treating people the way you want to be treated. She is passionate about helping and caring for others in times of celebration and grief. She hopes to find community as a Roothbert Fellow. In her free time, she spends time reading, enjoying a meal with friends and family, and taking long walks with her dog!