Laura Ellis (she/her/hers)
Laura grew up in the liminal space between the conservative culture of west Texas and a faith tradition formed in dissent of a fundamentalist shift. Cultivated from a young age, Laura’s love for creative writing led to a wider fascination with humanity’s innate love for stories and the way sacred stories can birth cultures, dictate morality, and connect us to one another and to the divine in inexplicable ways. After college Laura moved to Bali, Indonesia where she worked in an arts community of locals, international students, and prisoners who celebrated Bali’s artistic culture. Here she fell in love with the beauty of diversity and the way expressions of art and storytelling so often reveal the divine. Laura is excited to invest in the ways The Prophet shares sacred stories and promotes the diversity within our STH community.
Alexander Solomon (he/they)
Hailing from the big little town of Omaha, Nebraska, Alex made his way to the Northeast in pursuit of a Master’s degree in classical vocal performance (which didn’t happen). As a student of music, Alex cultivated a love for poetry, and the power of writing to convey meaning and emotion, especially when it’s accompanied by the right tunes. As a student of theology, however, Alex recognizes the finicky and troublesome nature of language, its limits in making meaning, and the difficulty of communication, especially when speaking and writing across potentially vast differences. Sustained engagement, empathic witness, and truth-in-narrative drives Alex’s love for the oftentimes faulty expression of language we call the written word.
Chasity S. Jones (she/her/hers)
Chasity is a 2nd year MDiv at the School of Theology studying the intersection of faith and race. Inspired to come to theology school by Black Liberation Theology and Womanist theology, Chasity has fallen in love with Post Colonial Theology and dismantling systems of unjust and corrupt power. She was born and raised in the Evangelical, Conservative Bible Belt of Louisiana. She served as a young adult missionary with the United Methodist Church in Seattle, WA as an interfaith-based community organizer. She is a poet, artist, yoga instructor, creative, intercultural facilitator apprentice, and her favorite color is sunset. She has experience with social media & communications for social/racial justice organizations as well as event planning and organizing. Chasity is also a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University in her home state of Hammond, Louisiana with a Bachelors in Psychology-History minor.
Haley Hansen (she/her/hers)
Haley grew up in a little house on the prairie and is still salty that she never got to play Laura Ingalls in a community theater production. Born and raised in rural South Dakota, Haley spent her formative years attending small town churches, memorizing Shania Twain lyrics, and learning how to ride a bike down gravel roads. Haley has worked at newspapers throughout the Midwest, covering everything from pig shows at the Wisconsin State Fair to Aretha Franklin’s funeral procession. As a theologian and former journalist, Haley is passionate about storytelling and the ways narratives shape and inform lives. She is a first-year Master of Divinity student on the pastoral ministry track and a certified candidate with the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church. In her free time, Haley enjoys crocheting, working on her impressions, and discussing Midwest culture.
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