Miseon Choi is a Ph.D. student in Practical Theology with an emphasis on Religious Education at Claremont School of Theology. She studied Christian Education at Hanshin University in South Korea and completed a Master of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Her vocational goal is to practice ‘living together’ with the identity of Christ and the daughter of God, whether she becomes an ordained pastor or an educator in the future. She currently serves at Saegil Christian Church in Burbank as Children's Minister.
Tomeka Jacobs is pursuing a PhD in Practical Theology at Claremont School of Theology. In the fall she will begin her term as student trustee on the Board of Trustees at CST. Currently, she works in the Financial Aid Office as a Student Assistant and maintains a Research Fellowship with Dr. Rick Hanson, researching neuroscience and contemplative practices. She attends First Christian Church-Orange (Orange, CA) and calls East Second Street Christian Church (Lexington, KY) her home. Black women's contemplative practice is an academic interest and part of her research and she is interested in understanding how Black women use contemplative practices in their lives and what those practices look like daily. She hosts a Black Women's Contemplative group, started last year.
Rev. Laura Jean Torgerson is a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Studies in Biblical Interpretation and Sociology of Culture at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. Her research on biblical interpretation among Nicaraguan Pentecostals grows out of her time as a Global Ministries (DoC/UCC) mission coworker in Managua, where she worked in theological education. She is currently Director of Education and Mission for Disciples Seminary Foundation in Northern California. She is a member of Mills Grove Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oakland, CA.
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Rev. Nick Green will begin his PhD in Biblical Interpretation at Brite Divinity School this fall. He is interested in the Bible's authority for Christians today, especially taking into account how different people see the Bible in different ways. While he hopes his research, which focuses on the New Testament, will contribute to the academic community, he also hopes it will help everyday Christians better understand how to approach the Bible in a diverse, worldwide church. He first found inspiration in the Bible's teachings at his home congregation, Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Pocatello, Idaho. Later experiences with diverse populations—including a Global Mission Internship in El Salvador, student ministry at a bilingual congregation in Indianapolis, and a seminary environment that encouraged intercultural dialogue—served to foster his interest in diversity and how it relates to the Bible. He received his Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies dual degree from Christian Theological Seminary in 2016. Since seminary, he has served as the Associate Minister of South Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Springfield, Missouri.
Aizaiah Yong has spent the last eight years working in a variety of educational, congregational, and nonprofit leadership roles. His previous roles include adjunct professor, non-profit director, an associate minister for youth and young adult ministries, spiritual retreat leader, and a scholar publishing on the intersection of spirituality and social change. He is a sought-out speaker on issues of race and religion as well as other issues of inclusion and spirituality. He has presented keynotes over one hundred times to audiences both large (over 2,000 people) and small. He currently lives in the bay area with his wife and two small children while he completes a doctoral fellowships with the Hispanic Theological Initiative and the Fetzer Institute.