Alyssa grew up in what used to be a small town, Culpeper, Virginia. She attended Bridgewater College, where she studied sociology and culture studies. She also had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Accra, Ghana, where she continued to study sociology through a new cultural lens, and experience community in new radical ways.
After graduation, she interned with On Earth Peace as their Racial Justice Organizer. Her work included mobilizing and engaging their online cohort who are passionate about racial justice work both within their local communities and the larger state and national level.
She was again called into faith and justice work through a year of service at First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As that year of service progressed into a full-time position as the executive director of their outreach ministry, bcmPEACE; she was fully intertwined in the community and its pursuit of justice ranging from education equity and racial justice work to voter engagement and conflict resolution. It was here that her faith and calling for social justice were fully woven together.
While she was serving, her pastor made sure to share with her a Sojourners magazine every time it came into the office, and she remembers thinking how important it was that a publication like this exists. She sees it as a space to radically engage with the theology of Jesus and the call for Beloved Community. She expresses great honor to be a part of something so special and necessary.
Outside of calling and vocation, she loves to travel and do anything creative! Her current “favorite things” are her journal ecosystem, art museums, second-hand shopping, planning events, and spending time with her family.