They're coming from Atlanta and Boston, Alaska and Texas, Wisconsin, Iowa, and New York State. One speaks both Mandarin and Arabic; another is a musician; yet another is discerning a possible call to ordained ministry. One has done mission work in Chile, another in South Africa. Starting August 23, they will spend the next 11 months working for social change and personal transformation as interns in NEWARK ACTS, the Young Adult Urban Internship Program of the Diocese of Newark.
Clare Boyd comes to Newark from St. David's Church Episcopal Church in Austin, TX, where she has lived since 2003. A recent graduate of the University of Texas, Arlington with a bachelor of fine arts in acting, Clare grew up in the Episcopal Church and says she's excited to get to know the Diocese of Newark and the national church. She is interested in exploring the spiritual nature of the arts and arts ministry, and after completing her internship with NEWARK ACTS plans to attend graduate school to study theater and women's history.
Alma Gast is from the small town of Cresco in the northeast corner of Iowa, and holds a BA in Social Work from Luther College in Decorah, IA. She hopes to combine her degree in Social Work with her passion for working for religious pluralism into a career focusing on interfaith-based crisis intervention and disaster relief work. Alma eventually plans to attend the University of Chicago and the Lutheran School of Theology Chicago to pursue dual master's degrees in Social Work and Theology. She says she is honored to work with Newark Acts and excited for a year of challenges, joys, and growth.
Richard Hogue grew up in rural northern Wisconsin, where he and his younger sister both graduated from a small charismatic Christian school. He attended all-male Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN, majoring in Religion with a minor in English. He became involved in the Episcopal Church in 2002 and attended General Convention in 2003, 2006 and 2009. After graduating from college last year, Richard worked in Mthatha, South Africa as a member of the Episcopal Church's Young Adult Service Corps. He is discerning a possible call to the ordained ministry. Richard says that living in an urban setting will be a completely new experience for him, which he looks forward to with great anticipation.
Alex McCartin was raised in a small suburb of Boston with his three older sisters. A recent graduate of Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree as a double major in International Relations and Asian Languages and Cultures with a Religious Studies minor. While in college he founded a student-led club to initiate dialogue and greater understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. A speaker of both Mandarin Chinese and Modern Standard Arabic, Alex plans to forge a career in the field of international human rights, and says he was drawn to NEWARK ACTS out of a desire to become immersed in a program that blends spirituality and social activism.
Anna Mellace grew up in Rome, NY with her younger sister. Raised Roman Catholic, she sang with her church choir for many years. She attended the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she majored in English Literature and minored in environmental studies, and was a member of the Edgar Fellows Honors Program and Phi Beta Kappa. Throughout college Anna indulged her love of music by performing with the college symphony orchestra, string band, and string quartets. She was also a member of the campus environmental organization and a tutor for the Writing Learning Center. Anna plans to attend graduate school and hopes that her year with NEWARK ACTS will help her discern the direction of her career.
Teresse Myers was born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in Atlanta, GA. After receiving her bachelor's degree in Audio Production from Howard University in Washington, DC, she worked for Christal Radio as a sales assistant. She is currently working with the Baltimore Urban Debate League as the College Access Coordinator. Teresse plans on pursuing a master's degree in social work and going into the nonprofit sector.
Alyssum Roe grew up as the third of six children in the rural community of Kenny Lake, Alaska where, she says, “moose hunting, salmon fishing, and snowmobiling to school were a normal part of life, and it was easy to become involved in the small high school of 45 students." She attended Bethel University in St. Paul, MN where she pursued a degree in Athletic training. However, the insights she gained serving as a Resident Assistant during her junior year caused her to re-think her career choice, and she's currently planning on attending graduate school for either social work or counseling.
Mark Sharrow was born in Colombia and raised in Southwest Texas. He grew up enjoying the outdoors, earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University - Kingsville last year, and plans a career in teaching and coaching. He recently spent six months in Chile taking part in Youth with a Mission's discipleship training school. A week and a half before his departure, he woke up at 3:30 am to find his room shaking – Chile was experiencing a magnitude 8.8 earthquake. Mark spent his remaining time in Chile helping people repair their damaged and destroyed houses and businesses.
