Graduate Journeys

Many Starr King graduates regard their years of schooling in Berkeley as among the most profound experiences of their lives. Starr King becomes a Pole Star, a reliable compass for a life committed to liberal religious leadership.

Whether their work takes the form of parish ministry, religious education ministry, community ministry, scholarship and teaching, or chaplaincy, Starr King graduates are changing the world.

Starr King Grads Making a Difference

Here are just a few of Starr King's grads making news and making a difference:

Rev. Benjamin Maucere, M.Div. 1991
Rev. Holly Horn, M.Div. 1984

Presided at the wedding of 17 same-sex couples who traveled together by bus from Missouri to be married at the UU Society of Iowa City, IA.

Read the full story in UU World.

Rev. Marilyn Sewell, M.Div. 1987

Rev. Sewell is the subject of a documentary film "Raw Faith" which had its world premiere at the Nashville Film Festival in 2010.

"We had listened to Marilyn Sewell preach at First Unitarian Church in Portland for years", said the producers of the film, "and had always asked ourselves, Why aren't there more voices like Marilyn's out there?"

Read about the film and Marilyn's life on www.rawfaith.com.

Rev. Peter Morales, M.Div. 1999

Elected President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, June 2009.

Morales campaigned on a promise to make Unitarian Universalism “the religion for our time.”

Read more about Peter's election in
UU World magazine.

Rev. Barbara F. Meyers, M.Div. 2004

Rev. Barbara F. Meyers originated and manages a community ministry specializing in mental health at the Mission Peak UU congregation in Fremont, CA. Rev. Meyers' entry into ministry marked a career change after working as a computer software engineer at IBM for 25 years.

The goals of her mental health ministry are to seek to understand, improve, and uplift the lives of people with mental health difficulties and their families. The scope of her ministry is the congregation, the denomination and the larger community.

Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, M.Div. 2008

Rev. Kalendae joined the staff of First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco in 2010 as the congregation's first Beyond Sunday minister (see Jeremiah's bio).

He is responsible for helping members nourish their spiritual growth by utilizing their gifts to provide for the world through volunteer service.

Rev. Lilia Cuervo, M.Div. 1998

Rev. Cuervo was called as the Associate Minister by the historic First Parish Unitarian Church in Cambridge, MA. Rev. Cuervo is the first Latina minister in the congregation's 400 year history.

Read the Boston Globe article about Rev. Cuervo's installation.

Rev. Dr. William G. Sinkford , M.Div. 1995

Rev. Bill Sinkford was called as Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon in May 2010.

Rev. Sinkford served as President of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 2001 to 2009.

Rev. Sofia Betancourt, M.Div. 2003

Past minister of the First UU Church of Stockton, CA, and former Director of Racial and Ethnic Concerns for the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Sofia is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Yale in Religious Studies and African American Studies.

Amir Kia, MA (Islamic Studies) 2005

Founded AgeSong residences (www.agesong.com), an inclusive, multicultural and multi-religious community for elders dedicated to a holistic and integrative approcah to elder care.

Amir serves on the Board of Trustees of Starr King School.


Some of our graduates share their views on life and the theological education that has sustained them:

 


Copyright © 1998- 2010 Starr King School for the Ministry. All rights reserved.