Year 1
2018-2019 Cohort
We were delighted to host four fellows in our inaugural cohort (GY1). They hailed from Afganistan, Hawai'i, Miami, and Russia, and each represented a different faith tradition.
We were delighted to host four fellows in our inaugural cohort (GY1). They hailed from Afganistan, Hawai'i, Miami, and Russia, and each represented a different faith tradition.
Jorge GruberJorge Gruber graduated in 2018 from Vassar College with a degree in International Studies. Included among the places most dear to him are his hometown of Miami, Florida and his birthplace of Caracas, Venezuela. Raised in a predominantly Catholic immigrant community, he admires the role of faith-based outreach in the development of intercultural solidarity. Aspiring toward a career in law, Jorge aims at applying his policy-driven focus and investigative skills to the pursuit of migrant rights advocacy within a rural context impacted by major demographic and cultural shifts. His call to Grace Year was influenced by his desire for spiritual renewal and self-exploration in the company of purpose-driven and conscientious young adults. He has a deep interest in legal education, history, political philosophy, and baseball. Jorge served in a Praxis Position with two Grace Church ministries, EPIC for immigrant high school students and GLO (Grace Latino Outreach).
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MaiMai originally from Afghanistan but moved to the United States in 2011. She has her BA in political science and served in a Praxis Position with the Cardinal Hayes Home for Children in Millbrook.
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Marcella GalloMarcella Gallo is a graduate of Vassar College with a degree in Religion. She has a strong interest in the arts, especially creative writing and performing. Her highest commitment is to personal and collective spiritual development—understanding our spiritual identities as expressions of divine love, creativity and intelligence so that we may more consciously and confidently move forward in manifesting our lives and world. She was an intern this past summer with the International Service Department at The Christian Science Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts. In her internship, she saw what it can look like to actively practice approaching work through an empowered spiritual perspective: that any challenge can be transcended by turning to God, Love, Divine Mind, through prayer/meditation/open communication with ourselves and others. Marcella served in a Praxis Position with the New Generation Ministries at Grace Episcopal Church in Millbrook.
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Nastia KhlopinaAnastasiya (Nastia) Khlopina is a Russian native and a graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she studied International Business, French, and Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. At Dickinson, Nastia worked at the Center for Service, Spirituality and Social Justice to increase interfaith understanding on campus, promoted inclusive residential experience as Resident Advisor, mentored fellow students in the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and competed on the Dickinson Volleyball team. Nastia studied abroad in Toulouse, France. She is most proud of co-founding W.I.N.D. (We Introduce Nations at Dickinson) – the first student organization to bridge social and cultural gaps between international and domestic students. Nastia’s Mom Tamara still lives and works in Saint-Petersburg, ceaselessly cheering her on. Nastia is serving in a Praxis Position at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lithgow.
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