Esra (she/her), 2025 Springtide Ambassador (16 – Vermont) Favorite entertainment: I love spending my free time with a good book, and I would have to say my favorite at the moment is The Girls by Emma Cline. Favorite dessert: Vanilla ice cream with frozen raspberries Place where I feel at rest: In my
Benjamin (he/him), 2025 Springtide Ambassador (16 – Kentucky) Favorite entertainment: My favorite show is “Sherlock,” and my favorite band is half•alive. Favorite dessert: Mango-habanero ice cream Place where I feel at rest: Bethel Camp, a small Mennonite camp I attend during the summer with a few of my close friends. Unique talent or
Astrid (she/her), 2025 Springtide Ambassador (21 – Tennessee) Favorite entertainment: I love watching movies. My favorites are the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Favorite dessert: Flan Place where I feel centered: Being outside in nature. Unique talent or trait: Providing a comforting presence to those around me and engaging in deep conversations that can
Ahimsa (she/her), 2025 Springtide Ambassador (20 – Texas) Favorite entertainment: My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, and my favorite movie is On the Basis of Sex. Favorite dessert: I love desserts so really anything, but I especially love tiramisu. Place where I feel centered: The airport. I travel a
Rev. Devon Matsumoto (he/him/his), Research Advisory Board Reverend Devon Matsumoto is a senior program coordinator at the Asian Law Caucus, where he works to reimagine AAPI community safety by building preventative, restorative, and community-based alternatives to the punitive legal system. Devon is also a Tokudo-ordained Buddhist priest in the Jodo
Dr. Rucha Kaur (she/her), Research Advisory Board Dr. Rucha Kaur is a social justice and public health advocate with nearly 15 years of experience in Sikh community-centered grassroots organizing and leadership building. She currently serves as the community development director at the Sikh Coalition, the nation’s largest Sikh civil rights
Dr. María Del Socorro Castañeda (she/her), Research Advisory Board Dr. María Del Socorro Castañeda is an independent researcher and Chief Education Officer and Co-founder of Becoming Mujeres. Founded with her teenage daughter Lupita Castañeda-Liles, the organization focuses on the mental health of Latina teens and their female caregivers. They provide seminars
Rabbi Julia Appel (she/her), Research Advisory Board Rabbi Julia Appel serves as director of innovation for Clal, creating and leading their Jewish community training programs in innovation and entrepreneurship, including the on-the-ground program Spark and the graduate course for rabbinical and cantorial students Leading through Innovation. She most recently launched
Dr. Jonathan Coley (he/him/his), Research Advisory Board Dr. Jonathan Coley is an associate professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University; his research focuses on religion, student activism, higher education, and gender and sexuality, with a special focus on LGBTQ issues at Christian colleges and universities in the United States. Jonathan
Dr. Melinda Denton (she/her), Research Advisory Board Dr. Melinda Denton is a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she examines the intersection of religion and family life in the United States, with a focus on adolescents and emerging adults. She also studies socioeconomic inequality