About the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team
The World Student Christian Federation-US (WSCF-US) invites undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. to join the movement of progressive Christian students and young people around the world who are committed to living out their faith as agents for justice and peace.
We are currently seeking 5-6 new students to join the 2023 WSCF-US Student Leadership Team. Over the course of the next year, the team will:
The WSCF-US will provide travel, meals, and accommodations for all in-person events.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student studying in the U.S. who is interested in being part of the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team, please follow the link below to complete the application. We strongly encourage undergraduate students, international students, and BIPOC students to apply. Students graduating within the next year are also welcome to apply.
We are currently seeking 5-6 new students to join the 2023 WSCF-US Student Leadership Team. Over the course of the next year, the team will:
- Build a community with one another that reflects the core WSCF-US values of radical inclusivity, global engagement, and a rootedness in the prophetic Biblical and theological traditions
- Develop partnerships with Student Christian Movements in other countries
- Attend monthly Student Leadership Team meetings via Zoom
- Attend the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team Orientation & Commissioning (January 2023 via Zoom)
- Attend the Spring 2023 Student Leadership Team Retreat (dates and location TBA)
- Plan, organize, and lead the Fall 2023 WSCF-US National Student Conference (dates and location TBA)
- Participate in and help spread the word about WSCF-US online programs including monthly global prayer gatherings and Engaging a Prophetic Christianity conversations
The WSCF-US will provide travel, meals, and accommodations for all in-person events.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student studying in the U.S. who is interested in being part of the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team, please follow the link below to complete the application. We strongly encourage undergraduate students, international students, and BIPOC students to apply. Students graduating within the next year are also welcome to apply.
The application deadline is Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at midnight.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Erin Hancock, WSCF-US National Organizer, at wscftrustees@gmail.com.
Meet the 2022 Student Leadership Team!
Emily Carle (she/they) is a first year Master of Divinity student at Louisville Seminary in Louisville, KY, but she calls Central CT and Western MA home. They are also a Member in Discernment with the United Church of Christ (UCC), Hampshire Association as well as the Youth Director at Center Church UCC in South Hadley, MA. As part of the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team, Emily is looking forward to doing collaborative work with other justice-driven Christians in the global context, as this is work she has not done before. For fun, they like to watch comedies on Netflix, find the best local spots for good food, and crochet scarves for friends and family.
My name is Grace Dearhamer (she/her). I am currently living in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and attend Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois. I am studying psychology/sociology with a minor in philosophy/religion. I am looking forward to meeting the other members of the WSCF leadership team and sharing what we are all passionate about. I love spending time with my family and our four pets! I am currently a Starbucks barista, youth ministry intern, and tutor for the college. In my free time I love to watch holiday movies and stand up comedy.
I'm the Rev. Jonathan Favors-Grimes and my pronouns are He/Him/His. I currently live in Atlanta, GA with my family, but during the summer months, you can find me in Chicago which is where I lived also. During the Spring I enrolled back in school where I attend Full Sail University, I am currently studying Media Communications & Creative Writing. As a part of the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team, I am looking forward to making Ecumenical connections with like-minded student peers. I'm also looking forward to creating genuine friendships & networking partnerships for building intentional communities. When I'm not preaching, teaching, or taking care of my family, you might find me watching a good movie or tv show "particularly a Comedy", working in my garden, sewing quilts, drawing or doing some kind of art, traveling, and trying to find something sweet... "I have a sweet tooth".
Immanuel Karunakaran (he/him) is an ordained minister in the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tamilnadu, India, and has served as the Communications Secretary and Coordinator of the Dalit and Adivasi Concerns Desk of the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India. With degrees in theology from Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India; and McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL, Immanuel is currently a Ph.D. student at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in the field of Ethics, Church and Society. An Activist Scholar and Pastor, local to Chicago, and married to Cynthiya Esther Varghese, Immanuel is blessed with two daughters, Sheryl & Meryl.
Hello! My name is Claire Kim (she/hers), and I am a part of Church of All Nations in Minneapolis, MN, where I grew up and now lead our young adults ministry. I am currently a Masters of Divinity student at our affiliate seminary Underground Seminary, where we are trying to decolonize our minds and bodies. I am excited to be a part of the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team to connect with and encourage other students passionate about their faith, discerning their vocation, and finding ways to advocate for the people and earth around them. My whole life is fun, but when I'm not eating, laughing, or singing with people, I like to write songs on my guitar and play Dungeons and Dragons!
Hi everyone! I’m Jon Ort, I use he/him/his pronouns, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of this team! I’ve just begun a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School, which sits on land occupied from the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, and other peoples. I’m trying to discern what my faith calls of me. For that reason, I’m most excited to cultivate beloved community with all those whose paths the WSCF-US crosses, to join the Student Leadership Team in articulating our shared vision(s) of justice, and to put our theological convictions into practice. Among my interests are journalism (I was editor of my college’s student newspaper), backpacking, and photography. I grew up near Denver, Colorado — occupied Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho land — and previously studied history, especially anticolonial resistance in the Caribbean and across Africa.
Irene Preetha Prasannakumar is a theologian and her pronouns are she/her/hers. She is currently living in New York City and is pursuing her Master of Sacred Theology at Union Theological Seminary. Irene has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Theology from United Theological College, Bangalore, India. She has also completed her Montessori training and has enjoyed working with little children. She has served the Student Christian Movement of India as a Program Secretary for Karnataka region. She has also volunteered to work with IJM, CMC- Vellore Chaplaincy, and Clergy assistance. She enjoys pastoral ministry. Irene is excited to be a part of the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team to join in envisioning and articulating a world that is more just and beautiful. She has a quest for justice, peace, love, beauty and art so much so that everyone will experience fullness of life, regardless.
Nathan Samayo (he/him/his) is located in Cambridge, MA. and is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School while also seeking ordination in the United Church of Christ. He was born in Guam, and grew up in Tacoma, WA. Nathan studies how postcolonial and postmodern theologies influence contemporary pastoral care and counseling practices. He centers the narratives, memory, and modern experiences of Pacific Islanders under the legacy of US imperialism, militarism, and environmental catastrophe. He is excited to be on the WSCF-US Student Leadership Team because he values cross-cultural and intergenerational dialogue in order to work towards a more diverse, inclusive, and affirming world that reflects the bounty of God. He likes dancing, islander BBQ food, and brainless television shows.