Profiles of Roothbert: Eli Blood-Patterson

"For me, the goal of my spiritual practice is to have a sense of groundedness in the world," commented Eli Blood-Patterson. "What is our purpose? How do we build a better world that we can pursue? Is the energy that I'm investing in my life yielding something that I am looking for?"

Born just outside of Philadelphia, Eli first heard of the Roothbert Fellowship through his family. "Both of my parents had an active spiritual life and connection to advocacy. They encountered the Roothbert fellowship a few years earlier, and encouraged me to apply." Eli grew up in the Quaker tradition. "One thing really helpful about spiritual communities is that it gives you a framework to test or think about someone other than yourself." 

"I grew up in Quaker education since elementary school, and I ended up going to Haverford College." However, Eli's pathway toward higher education was by no means linear. In high school, Eli was hit by a car while biking. "I honestly didn't think I would go to college. It was very hard after that. I took time off and went to massage school, thinking that would be my path." After working in massage  for a year, Eli had recovered enough to pursue higher education.

"I was always interested in learning and feeling engaged. After experiencing a time in my life when my future was uncertain, I wanted to develop myself and find a professional path." At Haverford, Eli studied English Literature and Chinese language. After graduation, Eli pursued law. "I was interested in law because that path allows you to use a liberal arts education in a very practical way. I think a liberal arts education is ultimately about understanding subjective meaning. Through close reading and argumentation, you develop a stronger understanding of the subject. What should we understand the significance of a document to be, one way or another? With the law, you perform the same task, but in the context of actions in the world and social values. You make an argument about the meaning of a certain rule and why you should pursue it or not."

Eli's background in Chinese led him to the field of international law. In particular, he studied maritime claims in the South China Sea. "When I was in law school, China built a number of artificial islands and defensive outposts in the South China Sea, within areas claimed by other countries in the region and contrary to applicable treaty commitments. " After law school, through his work with the US-Asia Law Institute at NYU, Eli led a program that culminated in bringing representatives from affected countries together to discuss competing legal claims and bring clarity. "Law can be a tool to resolve conflict and lower the risk of war." 

In time, Eli's career transitioned from international law to criminal justice and nonprofit operations. "After several years working on programs on international law and human rights abroad, I became more involved in maintaining grants and budgets in support of this work. In time, my career shifted from what law accomplishes at a general level to how a nonprofit forms itself as a tool to fight for causes. I recently started working for The Vera Institute of Justice as Assistant General Counsel." 

Law serves as the meeting point between Eli's professional aspirations and his desire to do work that has meaning in the world. "Being drawn to law, it was a very self-conscious desire to do work that I thought would be practical but also sits at an intersection. Thinking about problems has a spiritual aspect. You come to an understanding and a deeper sense of what a right course might be or how to have a positive impact." 

Eli maintains a strong integration of spirituality into his professional and personal development, and for this reason he finds such value in the Roothbert Fund. "It's a wonderful group of people to get to know, and it's been very grounding in my own life. The real value of the fellowship is being connected to this group of people."