Boyle has dedicated his life to helping Los Angelesā€™ most marginalized individuals find a place in societyā€™s ranks. Having witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence in the 1980s, Boyle founded , the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. He and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings. Each year the organization welcomes 10,000 people through its doors in downtown LA.

Boyle has become a beacon of hope around the world, inspiring others with his work. In 2017, he received the University of Notre Dameā€™s Laetare Medal and published his second book, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship. In 2014, President Barack Obama selected Boyle as one of the Champions of Change, and in 2024, President Joe Biden awarded Boyle the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nationā€™s highest civilian honor.

°µĶųTV the Alice Pope Shade Lecture

Each year, the Department of Religious Studies sponsors a lecture by a nationally and internationally renowned religious scholar or leader. The lectures typically explore the role religion plays in various aspects of public life: civic, social, spiritual, political, moral, environmental, and in terms of the formation of individual character. Lecturers are selected on the basis of their scholarship and their ability to engage students and members of the community meaningfully.

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The event is free and open to the public.

Involved in psychedelic research since 1963, Richards has implemented projects with LSD, DPT, MDA and psilocybin to investigate the promise of psychedelics in the treatment of alcoholism, depression, narcotic addiction and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer, as well as the use of psychedelics in the training of religious and mental-health professionals.

His recent research at Johns Hopkinsā€™ Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, in collaboration with colleagues at New York University, has focused on the potential value of psilocybin in the continuing education of professional religious leaders from different world religions. His book, Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, published by Columbia University Press, has been translated into multiple languages.

Richards, also chief therapist for Sunstone Therapies, earned a Master of Divinity at Yale University before going on to earn his doctorate at Catholic University. He studied with Abraham Maslow at Brandeis University and with Hanscarl Leuner at Georg-August University in Gƶttingen, Germany.

°µĶųTVā€™s annual Shade lecture is made possible by the Alice Pope Shade Fund, established in 1983 by her daughter and °µĶųTV graduate, Rebecca Shade ā€™54 Mignot, to bring nationally and internationally renowned religious scholars and leaders to campus.

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The Class: Book of Revelation/Zombie Apocalypse, RELI-300

The Professor: Thomas Martin, religious studies

Thirty years ago, Thomas Martin, associate professor of religious studies, began teaching what he describes as ā€œthe most dangerous book in the Bible.ā€ For the past decade, he has incorporated zombie media into his curriculum to curate the course Book of Revelation/Zombie Apocalypse so students could understand the biblical apocalypse in a contemporary way.

ā€œStudents are into zombies,ā€ Martin said. ā€œSome students are best friends with zombies.ā€

Martin asserts that his class is a serious biblical studies course ā€” zombie movies are simply a way of getting familiar with interpreting apocalyptic texts. While the course fills the ethics requirement of °µĶųTVā€™s Central Curriculum, it is geared toward students interested in biblical interpretation and what the Bible says about the end of the world.

Throughout the semester-long course, students analyze three zombie movies and similar passages in the Book of Revelation. One movie, Dawn of the Dead, introduces students to the idea of the classic apocalypse and how the Book of Revelation could also be considered classic.

Later in the semester, students watch Shaun of the Dead, a parody of stereotypical zombie media. The class discusses what constitutes a parody, and how making fun of a zombie apocalypse changes its message. Using these ideas, students question whether the Book of Revelation could be considered parody, and how that would change interpretations of it.

The final film, Warm Bodies, explores the idea of ostracization at the end of the world. ā€œThere are places in the Book of Revelation where it appears all the bad people have been sent to hell and are just gone. But then they curiously show up as extras in the story of the New Jerusalem,ā€ Martin said. ā€œAre the damned really damned, or is there hope for them in the Book of Revelation?ā€

Martin, who has published numerous papers on interpreting biblical literature, including The Silence of God and Angels Run Amok, instructs his students to read the Bible responsibly and nonviolently. For many students, this is the real revelation.

ā€œI have the best job in the world, because every day I get to mess around inside 20-year-oldsā€™ brains,ā€ he said. ā€œAnd when that works, and they realize whatā€™s happening, and the lights go on, thatā€™s magic. And I love the magic.ā€

Learn more about °µĶųTVā€™s religious studies major.

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Alexis Jefferson will make her professional directorial debut at the Pablo Center at the Confluenceā€™s Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

After a rigorous application process, she was selected to direct the festivalā€™s New Works: Improbable Fiction Series in the Diverse Perspectives category. The series allows writers and artists from across the region and the country to showcase their talents in the form of original theatrical works.

As director, Jefferson will be able to select the play she wants to direct from approximately 250 submissions and will participate in the casting process as well.

Though it is her first professional staging, her upcoming production in Wisconsin is not her first directing experience. At °µĶųTV, she directed the comedy-drama Benchmarks by Glenn Alterman. She also wrote a play for SUā€™s 24-hour Film Festival.

ā€œI love to be able to see what I have envisioned come to life on stage,ā€ Jefferson said of directing. ā€œAnd I love working with people and pulling things out of people and then putting that on stage.ā€

Jefferson, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre with an emphasis in performance. Her ultimate career goals are to write, direct and act in films. After her experience with the Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival wraps up in July, she hopes to transition into filmmaking.

ā€œI aspire to tell stories that arenā€™t often told and to create art that reflects our world through the representation of various cultures, identities and stories,ā€ Jefferson said. ā€œI believe that art can create change or be used as a catalyst for change, so I hope that through the stories I tell and create, I am effecting positive change.ā€

Taking His Talent to Charm City

Jacob Brenner views graphic design less as an art and more as a problem-solving device.

After earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts, the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, native will join Mission Media, a brand marketing agency in Baltimore. Brenner graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors.

ā€œGraphic design is a good mix of everything I enjoy ā€” creativity, problem-solving and making things for other people,ā€ Brenner said. ā€œGraphic design is everywhere, and everyone needs it.ā€

Brenner credits Amanda Lenig, department chair and assistant professor of graphic design, for alerting him to the opportunity. He said the interview process ā€œjust felt right,ā€ and he secured his employment in early February.

ā€œAmanda Lenig cares so much about the success of her students,ā€ Brenner said. ā€œSheā€™d tell me when work needed to be improved, let me know when I missed the mark. And she celebrated every success to show me how much Iā€™d improved.ā€

Since his first year at °µĶųTV, Brenner worked at the Lore Degenstein Gallery, serving as manager during his junior and senior years. He has also worked as the graphic designer for °µĶųTVā€™s Career Development Center.

ā€œThe graphic design department at SU is tough. But I am so much better for it,ā€ Brenner said. ā€œThe program has pushed me to be the best I can be, taught me how to think critically, take and implement critique, and just be a good human. And I think thatā€™s the most important thing.ā€

Answering the Call at Princeton Theological Seminary

Sydney Mastropasqua said her majors in psychology and religious studies and minor in music were all integral to the call she is answering: pursuing a Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary.

ā€œStudying psychology and religious studies together allowed me to gain a holistic education, which will be beneficial for my calling to the ministry,ā€ Mastropasqua said.

The New Jersey native plans to eventually pursue a doctorate, with the goal of teaching at the undergraduate level or serving as a university chaplain. Mastropasqua said she chose Princeton because the universityā€™s values align with her own.

ā€œAt Princeton, I know I will be able to express my love of learning, love of music and love of Christ with a diverse community equipping me to then go out into the world and serve with an understanding of faith, scholarship, community and service for ministry after seminary,ā€ she said.

A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Mastropasqua, who graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors, said she was called to the ministry while a student at °µĶųTV.

ā€œWhen I first came to °µĶųTV, I was a psychology major only, but as I got more involved in religious and spiritual life both at school and at my home church, I knew getting a bachelorā€™s degree in religious studies was my calling,ā€ she said. ā€œI am so excited to fulfill my calling and am confident God has and will give me the gifts to sustain and carry others throughout their journey with our heavenly Father.ā€

Educating Children at the NY Botanical Garden

Catherine Forman graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors with a Bachelor of Science in biology and ecology, as well as a teaching certification, all of which will support her when she joins the staff at the New York Botanical Garden where she will create educational programming for students ages 9 to 14.

ā€œOver my time at °µĶųTV, one of the biggest challenges I have faced is communication of scientific information to individuals who are not a part of my field. I want to bridge that communication gap,ā€ Forman said. ā€œIf we as scientists cannot communicate information or our findings in an effective way to individuals who are not a part of our field, then what is the purpose of what we do?ā€

During her four years at °µĶųTV, Forman worked under her advisor Jack Holt, professor of biology, as manager for the °µĶųTV Living Collection, teaching assistant, and research and camp counselor for the Stream Ecology Institute. In addition, through Matt Wilson, director of °µĶųTVā€™s Center for Environmental Education and Research, she worked with the Chesapeake Conservancy to create educational signage for the CEER and Freshwater Research Institute to elaborate upon the projects and goals of the facilities.

ā€œThese experiences were gratifying and reaffirmed that I have a passion for teaching,ā€ Forman said. ā€œDr. Holt encouraged me to take an education-based course for one of my electives, which developed into my pursuit of a teaching certification in addition to my degree.ā€

Ultimately, Forman, of Long Valley, New Jersey, wants to pursue this work as a career ā€” creating interactive, educational programing that provides accessible, simplified information regarding a wide variety of topics related to ecology and biology, from botanical gardens, zoos and museums to national parks, conservancies and classrooms.

ā€œThe list is endless,ā€ she said.

A U.S. Army Posting in South Korea

Second Lt. Samantha Marsh will leave the United States for South Korea to serve as a medical services corps officer in the U.S. Army in the 568th Ground Ambulance Company.

ā€œI have always wanted to go overseas, and when the opportunity came to compete for a spot to do so, I made sure to put forth my best effort,ā€ Marsh said. ā€œThis has been a long journey in getting to where I am now and where I am going. I am lucky to be a part of the small percent of newly commissioned officers who are able to go overseas as a first duty station.ā€

Marsh, a native of Danville, Pennsylvania, graduated summa cum laude with a bachelorā€™s degree in psychology. During her four years at °µĶųTV, Marsh has been active in the Reserve Officersā€™ Training Corps, a four-year program designed to prepare college students for Army service as commissioned officers in the active Army, or part-time in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard. She graduated from °µĶųTV as a Distinguished Military Graduate.

Marshā€™s ultimate career goals include becoming a major in the U.S. Army, as well pursuing a doctorate in counseling or clinical psychology.

ā€œI want to reach as many people as possible,ā€ Marsh said, ā€œand get to a place where I can really create change within the mental health world in the Army.ā€

Joining the Big 4 in Las Vegas

On a whim, Thomas Simmers applied for a Las Vegas position with Big 4 accounting firm Deloitte ā€” not expecting to get the job.

Simmers, a New Jersey native, is now headed for Vegas.

ā€œI didnā€™t really expect to get the job,ā€ Simmers said, ā€œbut since I did, Iā€™m more than happy with my decision.ā€

Every student in °µĶųTVā€™s Sigmund Weis School of Business is guaranteed an internship, something Simmers took advantage of by completing not just one but two international internships ā€” the first with Forte Markets, a legal tech firm based in London, and the second with Trashcoin, a recycling startup based in Germany.

Simmers, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, also was awarded his Certified Public Accountant license. In just four years, he earned the necessary 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. As a result, he secured his Deloitte position in November of his senior year.

ā€œDr. Ozlanski, Dr. Liu, Dr. Pomykalski and Professor Lauren Smith have all guided me and allowed me to choose a path that would be better suited to my personal goals,ā€ Simmers said. ā€œI would not be where I am today without all four of them.ā€

More Class of 2023 Placements

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Watts used his experiences playing sports and time spent in Washington, D.C., to explain that history is ā€œmeant to offend so that society can learn from it because history belongs to all of us.ā€

Watts stressed the importance of acknowledging and dealing with dysfunction in oneā€™s own life. Trying to normalize dysfunction, Watts said, is dangerous and leads to confirmation bias and group think.

ā€œGroup identity will get you to the point that you say, as a woman you have to think like every other woman; as a Black person you have to think like every other Black person. Group identity says, donā€™t ask where youā€™re marching, just march,ā€ Watts said. ā€œI think thatā€™s where politics is. Itā€™s not about right, wrong, best practices, what works.ā€

Watts urged students to identify their dysfunction and take steps to address it ā€“ and he used football to get his message across. Watts graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1981. While there, he quarterbacked for the Sooners, leading them to two consecutive Big Eight Championships and Orange Bowl victories. From 1981 to 1986, he started for Ottawa and Toronto in the Canadian Football League.

ā€œAthletics teaches you how to deal with dysfunction,ā€ he said. ā€œIf you throw three interceptions, the coach is going to remove you from the game. He has to. And youā€™ve got to face reality.ā€

The political insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, Watts said, was a symptom of dysfunction, and something he believes the country needs to recognize and address. While it ā€œspeaks to how bad our system has decayed,ā€ Watts is optimistic about the future of the country.

ā€œI donā€™t think God allows crisis or trials in our lifetime to tell us what we are. He allows it to tell us what we are not,ā€ he said. ā€œThis isnā€™t the first time politics has been nasty. America is still the worldā€™s best hope.ā€

°µĶųTVā€™s annual Shade lecture is made possible by the Alice Pope Shade Fund. Established in 1983 by her daughter and °µĶųTV graduate, Rebecca Shade ā€™54 Mignot, the fund supports bringing nationally and internationally renowned religious scholars and leaders to campus. Prior Shade lecturers have included former Irish President Mary Robinson, retired Sen. Joe Lieberman, Liberian Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee and television journalist David Gregory.

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The event is free and open to the public.

Watts was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the fourth district of Oklahoma in 1994, serving through 2002. During this time, he was elected chairman of the House Republican Conference. He also served on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Banking Committee, and led two congressional trade missions to Africa. Watts co-authored the American Community Renewal and New Markets Act, which President Clinton signed into law in 2000, and was the author of President George W. Bushā€™s faith-based initiative, the Community Solutions Act of 2001. Watts also developed legislation with late U.S. Rep. John Lewis to establish the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016.

Born in Eufaula, Oklahoma, Watts graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1981, where he earned a degree in journalism. While at the University of Oklahoma, Watts quarterbacked for the Sooners, leading them to two consecutive Big Eight Championships and Orange Bowl victories. From 1981 to 1986, he started for Ottawa and Toronto in the Canadian Football League.

After returning to Oklahoma, Watts served as a youth minister at Sunnylane Baptist Church in Del City, Oklahoma, eventually becoming associate pastor. He also served as president and CEO of Feed the Children, a global hunger relief organization headquartered in Oklahoma.

Watts is chairman of J.C. Watts Companies, a multi-industry holding company headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Texas and Oklahoma. Watts has built a diverse business organization that includes Mustang Equipment (John Deere dealerships in Texas), J.C. Watts Holdings and Watts Partners, a government and public affairs consulting company.

Watts is a two-time author, with his most recent book, Dig Deep: 7 Truths to Finding the Strength Within, published in 2016.

Watts is a frequent guest on national and international news shows and has been widely quoted in major newspaper articles, both in the United States and abroad. He currently serves as chairman of the Black News Channel, a network that is culturally specific to the African American community, offering up unique perspective on issues from wellness to current affairs.

°µĶųTVā€™s annual Shade lecture is made possible by the Alice Pope Shade Fund. Established in 1983 by her daughter and °µĶųTV graduate, Rebecca Shade ā€™54 Mignot, the fund supports bringing nationally and internationally renowned religious scholars and leaders to campus. Prior Shade lecturers have included former Irish President Mary Robinson, retired Sen. Joe Lieberman, Liberian Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee and television journalist David Gregory.

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Lectures and discussions related to the 2019-20 theme are at the forefront as another academic year is underway at °µĶųTV.

This yearā€™s theme is The Power of Stories. It was nominated by Karla Bohmbach, professor and head of the Department of Religious Studies.

ā€œHumans are story-making and story-telling creatures,ā€ Bohmbach said in her nomination. ā€œStories shape powerfully who we are, what we believe, and how we act ā€” for both good and ill.ā€

The tradition of selecting a year-long university theme began at °µĶųTV in 2003 to give diverse members of the campus community the opportunity to develop dialogue around a central idea or question. Past themes have included resilience, conflict, technology, memory and water.

Throughout the course of the academic year, various lectures and discussions revolve around the theme. Faculty and staff can also apply to the provostā€™s office for funding to support their theme-inspired event.

°µĶųTV is unique in that not only does the student body, faculty and staff select the annual university theme, but they also suggest texts for the like-themed Common Reading Anthology, which is distributed to all incoming, first-year students at Preview Days. Selected stories, poems, essays, reports, scholarly articles and other texts appear alongside introductions written by members of the SU community.

The Power of Stories anthology includes stories, poems, scholarly articles and other texts by 19 authors, demonstrating a broad diversity in age, religion, gender, race, sexual orientation and national origin. Each text in the anthology is prefaced by introductions written by members of the SU community.
First-year students are required to read the anthology over the summer and complete a written assignment before arriving on campus.

This year, incoming students were asked to write their own story ā€” a personal tale ā€” about how a story or storyteller has affected their life. They were asked to draw connections between their story and several of the texts in the Common Reading Anthology.

ā€œIn considering the power of stories, we will examine both the sources of stories and their impacts,ā€ Bohmbach said. ā€œWe will explore what it means to question our stories, and we will analyze the difficulties and challenges involved in letting go of false and hurtful stories and embracing new and helpful ones.ā€

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With $750 in their pockets from °µĶųTVā€™s Alice Pope Shade Fund, the group discussed the best way to invest the money in a way that would support the university theme that year, which was sustainability.

They chose education.

This year, the oldest scholar, Joanna, graduated from college.

ā€œIt fills me with such joy to know that not only will Joannaā€™s life be changed through her hard work in high schoolā€”but I think about all the other lives that will be changed for the good,ā€ said Katherine Sowers ā€™12, religious studies. ā€œHer education gives her the means to provide for herself and those around her.ā€

The group invested their initial $750 to help three Filipino students, and they continue to assist financially to this day, including David Huss ā€™10, business administration communicationselementary educationreligious studies.

The group continues to support another student, Roberto, at between $100 and $200 per year per person.

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ā€œThe University of Kent is very selective when awarding Fulbrights,ā€ said Karen Mura, associate professor of English and faculty coordinator for postgraduate advising. ā€œOnly one Fulbright award is granted each year at this institution.ā€

Herroldā€™s research is a continuation of his senior capstone project, which examined the ways in which Loyalists to the British Crown were treated during the war.

Herrold has spent his four years at °µĶųTV assisting history professors Edward Slavishak and Karol Weaver with their research, while also serving as a teaching assistant and the departmentā€™s Medical Humanities Fellow.

Through his Fulbright research, Herrold hopes to illuminate the ways in which government-created refugee populations are managed by other nations.

ā€œI think there is a perception that this is a new issue,ā€ Herrold said, pointing to the current Middle Eastern and South American refugee crises. ā€œI wanted to look for a historical example and the biggest example to me was when the new American government created a refugee population (of British Loyalists) and Britain and Canada had to absorb those individuals.ā€

He plans to pursue his doctorate to eventually become a history professor.

Herrold is the 11th °µĶųTV student or recent graduate to win a Fulbright since 2000. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of Stateā€™s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program currently operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 380,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, professionals and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 82 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

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