Fall 2025 Interfaith Fellows
Addie Flesch ’26
Addie (she/her) is a senior Religion and Psychology major from Denver, Colorado. Addie loves learning about how people make sense of the world in religious and non-religious practices. She finds the connection between religion, mental health, and nature especially fascinating. She is interested in vocations that combine these interests. Addie identifies as an ELCA Lutheran and is involved with St. Olaf’s student congregation council. In her free time, Addie enjoys being outside, documentaries, and music.
Emery Jansen ’26
Emery (she/her) is a senior Ancient Studies and Religion major originally from Colorado. She loves engaging in dialogue with community members about meaning-making and faith. Emery didn’t grow up in faith but has discovered the joy of interreligious dialogue and religious intersectionality. She is excited to explore possible vocations that will allow her to contribute meaningfully to her community. In her free time, Emery enjoys solving crossword puzzles, reading, dreaming up her next baking project, and learning new skills.
Max Casson ’28
Max is a Sophomore Philosophy major from Northfield, Minnesota. He grew up as an ELCA Lutheran, but spent a lot of time in high school exploring various faiths as well as the implications of observing a faith on one’s way of knowing and considering the world in modernity. More recently, he has been interested in pagan theology (especially the theology of Plato) and how theological ideas from paganism and platonism continued to develop throughout the Christian world.
When he gets free time, Max likes to run, skateboard, or read.
Mauricio Dozal ’27
Mauricio Dozal (he/him) is a first-generation college student here at St Olaf college. He was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He comes from a family of 4 that includes his parents and sister. He is currently pursuing my degree in Nursing, with a Latin American studies concentration. As part of his religion, he practices Catholicism. He is very intrigued to learn more about other cultures and religions that compose the St Olaf community, looking forward to engaging with more diverse groups of people along the way. Some of his hobbies include horseback riding, playing soccer, and going thrifting on weekends.
Amani Iqbal ’26
Amani (she/her) is a senior psychology major from Minnesota. Amani comes from an inter religious background (Muslim, Catholic, Secular, and Agnostic practices). She enjoys learning about people’s cultures and beliefs and looks forward to learning the diversity of different belief systems. She identifies as agnostic who looks at various pagan practices. In her free time she enjoys weaving, embroidery, and learning how to roller skate.”
In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends, and talking about my very cute nephew.
Praptee Sinha ’28
Praptee Sinha is a Sophomore Religion major from India. A question she struggles with is ”Which faith do you belong to?”. Praptee was raised in a very traditional Hindu household and even though incredibly interested in Hinduism, she thinks that since a person cannot veritably know whether they are truly committed to the good, even saying that one walks on the path of God invokes pride in their heart, and she has been trying to tame the lion of pride. Connecting with people from faiths she did not grow up around, makes her recognise love and truth universally. In her free time, Praptee enjoys reading, meeting new people, and consuming chocolates.
David Gardner ’26
David Gardner is a senior Creative Writing, Religion, and Chinese major from Littleton, Colorado. Since childhood, David has been fascinated by the cultures of the world and the many religious traditions that have stemmed from them; after exploring aspects of omnitheism and the Baha’i faith, he ultimately became a Christian in high school and has since devoted much of his time to both critical and confessional readings of the Bible. He is particularly passionate about reclaiming space for queer people within the church, as well as reconciling traditional and modern theological perspectives. Beyond religious studies, David is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a world traveler, as well as an actor and a writer: he is currently working on his first novel.
Campbell Kirtley ’27
Campbell (she/they) is a junior Sociology/Anthropology and French double major from Walla Walla, Washington. She identifies as an agnostic, or “seeker” – hoping to find meaning, purpose and community through many different spiritual avenues. Campbell grew up surrounded by the interreligious community at Whitman College with students and programming of different faiths, and it’s an environment she’s continued to seek out since arriving at St. Olaf. Campbell has spent the last five years doing activism work and is excited by the way the Interfaith Fellows work to hold spiritual life and community needs together.
Soyang Nangsotsang ’26
Soyang is a pre-med senior at St. Olaf College, majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Family Studies. Originally from the Bay Area, she now resides in St. Paul, MN. She is deeply interested in the intersections of mind, body, and spirit and values learning from diverse cultural and religious traditions. On campus, she has served as an Equity Analyst and Lead Researcher, drawing vocational inspiration from her Tibetan Buddhist heritage, which emphasizes grace and compassion. Beyond Interfaith, Soyang mentors Tibetan-American high school students through the LÂMTÖN Program and works at a neurological memory care clinic.
Jhilmil Trivedi ’28
Jhilmil, and I’m a sophomore majoring in Biology. I’m Indian, but I grew up in Muscat, Oman, where I was surrounded by a richly diverse and multicultural community. This upbringing shaped the way I view and engage with the world. I was raised Jain, a faith rooted in non-violence and tolerance, and these values have greatly influenced me to approach people with openness and curiosity. They’ve inspired me to learn about the rituals, customs and traditions of many different communities. At St. Olaf, I was drawn to an environment where I could connect with people from a wide range of belief systems and backgrounds. Becoming an Interfaith Fellow has given me the opportunity to help nurture that environment and to actively build those meaningful connections.
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