It’s that time of year, again, when Meadville welcomes a new class of students who bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge as Unitarian Universalists entrenched and engaged in home congregations, and as people with a wealth of life and work experiences.  We are pleased to have these students in our midst this year. 

In addition to the following students, India McCanse has transferred from our Modified Residency Program into our Residential program. In order to do so, India left her position as President and CEO of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee.  (Listen to India talk about Big Brothers and Big Sisters and her call to ministry.)

Joe Cherry is originally from Metro Detroit, but moved to Chicago in 1995.  He has been a member of the First Unitarian Society of Chicago since April, 1996, where he has been the chair of Interweave, a Small Group Ministry facilitator, and has served on the Membership, Worship and Music committees, the Religious Education Counsel, and as a Member of the Board of Trustees.  Joe says, “after college, I was the Project Coordinator for an HIV/AIDS program at the University of Illinois at Chicago where we served Ryan White Care Act recipients. My plan for my ministry involves parish ministry.”

Scott Rudolph left his position as the Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations at Colorado State University to become a full-time student at Meadville. His home church is the Foothills Unitarian Church, in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he served as a Worship Associate and as a Young Adult Group leader. Scott is planning on pursuing parish ministry and says he chose Meadville because “after talking with several graduates, the balance of rigorous academics and community life seemed to match what I was looking for in a seminary experience.”

Greg Dubow is from Atlanta where he attended Northwest UU until he left for college. “I have been involved in YRUU in various capacities; youth group member, MSD (mid-south district) Youth Adult Council, Youth Council delegate for the MSD, YRUU Steering Committee member,” says Greg. Greg attended Antioch in Yellow Springs Ohio where he got a philosophy degree,  focusing in existential phenomenology. “While at Antioch I worked as a wolf rancher, student at a zen monastery, graphic designer, teaching computer literacy to homeless and at risk youth, and doing interfaith environmental work.  As for future plans, I am interested in chaplaincy.  I came to Meadville because it struck me as a place where I would be challenged to serve, and given the tools to do so well.”

Susan Frances is a member of Second Unitarian Church of Chicago, where she is the chair of the Lifespan Faith Development Council and sings in the choir. “I just finished 3 semesters of teaching the 3-6 year olds,” she says. Susan came to Unitarian Universalism through the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship. She is currently attending Meadville part-time and while working full-time at a law firm in north Chicago. “I am interested in faith formation,” she says, “which may lead me to be a parish minister of religious education or lifespan faith development or may lead me into community ministry. I feel I was called to the ministry when I was sixteen, but until I found the Unitarian Universalist movement I didn't feel I was in the right movement to act upon that call.”

Kali Hayslett comes to Chicago from Ames, Iowa, where she has attended the UU Fellowship of Ames for most of her life.  She was the Student Representative to the Board of Trustees at the school.  She studied journalism and religion at the University of Iowa, and, since graduation, has been working in an organization dedicated to helping persons with disabilities live full and independent life.  She looks forward to a ministry that encompasses all of her strengths and interests: social activism, writing, and community participation.

William Judd comes to Meadville from First Unitarian Universalist of Nashville, where he has served as an advisor to the Youth Group for the past four years. “I have also served on Teen Staff at SUUSI (Southeastern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute) for the past two years.” Prior to coming to Meadville Lombard, William received his Masters of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2003. “In the interim between Vanderbilt and Meadville Lombard, I wrestled with my vocational calling, and have come to see my place in chaplaincy either on a college campus or in a hospital. I chose to come to Meadville Lombard because it is academically vigorous, but also because I wanted to form lifelong bonds with others who were called to serve Unitarian Universalism.”

Elka Cartmell Ladd is a member of the Steering Committee of the Church of the Younger Fellowship, a spiritual community without walls for UU Young Adults. She leaves behind BUUYA, Boston area UU Young Adults. As a youth, she was very involved in YRUU leadership, culminating in her experience as Youth Observer to the UUA Board of Trustees. She is deeply committed to Social Justice work, particularly Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression. She has a BA from Hampshire College in Theatre and Film.

Christina "Stina" Leone is originally from Ft. Worth, Texas, but has recently moved from Memphis, Tennessee, where she was active at Neshoba UU Church. While at Neshoba, she served as a 3rd-5th grade RE teacher, OWLs teacher, RE committee member and chair, interim DRE for a few months, senior high youth group advisor, and Girl Scout troop leader. In addition to the roles with the children and youth of Neshoba, she also assisted with canvass this year and served briefly on the worship committee. She was involved as a worship associate in several services and led one "solo" before coming to Meadville Lombard. She has also recently completed her M.S. in clinical psychology and feels called to ministry in either the parish or in hospital chaplaincy. Stina is not partnered, but she is the proud "mommy" of a little dachshund/Chihuahua mutt, Zoe.

Kyohei Mikawa has come to Meadville from Tokyo, Japan.  “My hometown is Sapporo, which is very famous for beer,” he says. Kyohei is on the staff of Rissho Kosei-Kai, a Buddhist Organization and he plans on becoming a Buddhist priest. He has worked, in the past, as a tutor, as well. Kyohei says that he chose to come to Chicago after Lee Barker “came to our seminary in Tokyo last year and gave us wonderful lecture. His lecture impressed me a lot and I decided to ask my seminary to let me study at Meadville Lombard.”  Kyohei looks forward to working on World Peace activities with Unitarian Universalist ministers in the near future.”

James Parish is a member of the UU Church of Rockford, Illinois, where he has served on the Board of Trustees, the Finance, Religious Education, Ministerial Relations, and Ministeral Internship committees, as well as supported the work of the church in many other ways. He has worked as a Mechanical Engineer for aircraft electrical systems for many years. He and his wife have relocated to Hyde Park while Jim studies at Meadville Lombard, as their children have all grown and left their house.

Pam Rumancik came from the Cleveland, Ohio area and was a member of West Shore UU Church in Rocky River, where she served as a worship associate, pastoral associate, Connection Circle facilitator and mentor for the COA program. “I also coordinated our Coffeehouse Concert series which was called Uncle Waldo's (which, incidentally, had been initiated by a previous ML graduate, Tamara Lebak, when she served as Intern and Interim Minister.)” For the past year, Pam worked part time in the office of the church as well as working for Home Depot and running a small painting and wallpapering business on the side. Pam has three children who are mostly grown--a son 25 in California and two daughters attending Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. “I came to Unitarian Universalism by way of Sufism and still love to participate in the practice of Zikr and the Dances of Universal Peace. I'm very interested in parish ministry and also love the ideals of a group called Network for Spiritual Progressives. I'm hoping to bring the energy of interfaith work to my ministry.”

James P. White is originally from Sherrill, New York but now hails from Stillwater, Oklahoma. He graduated from VVS Central High school in 1991.  He served in the US Army for five years before getting out and staying in Oklahoma.  James then attended Oklahoma State and graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing in May of 2004.  In 2000 James married Kristin Terrill. They now have three daughters.  He has been a Unitarian Universalist for three years and has been a member at both the UU Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma and the UU Fellowship of Waco, Texas.  He went back in the Army in January of 2005 and recently got out in order to become a chaplain candidate.  James served in Iraq from December of 2005 to November of 2006.