“All I have seen teaches me to trust in the creator for all that I have not seen.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
This quote certainly rings true to Elisabeth. She was born and raised in Upstate New York, the youngest of the three children of an ELCA pastor and a college teacher. While growing up in Upstate NY, Elisabeth developed a deep appreciation for nature, spending much of her childhood camping, hiking, swimming and exploring Upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountain Park and local beaches with her family and friends. She has always greatly enjoyed traveling and exploring new places. In high school she participated in a student exchange program to Germany, as well as a mission trip with her church to Guatemala. These opportunities were important for her in the development of her faith journey, exposing her to many new perspectives and challenging her paradigms.
After high school, she went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree of social work at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, bringing to her awareness the wide array of social justice issues that our country and world currently face and stirring within her a passion to address these concerns. Her social work education taught her the practical implications of the quote of Virginia Satir, “In our differences we grow, in our sameness we connect.” This led her to the decision to study abroad for a semester in Namibia and South Africa, to further understand the disparities in the world, as well as develop cross-cultural relationships. This was a very pivotal experience in her life.
After graduating from St. Olaf in May, Elisabeth is very excited to integrate her passions for social justice with her faith background during her year-long internship at Sojourners. She is excited for the opportunities of community living, social outreach and sustainable living that this year will offer.