Meet our Graduate Assistants!
Adam, Kelly & Ryan
Adam Dahl
Adam Dahl is a life-long Seattle-ite, born and raised in Ballard. Prior to enrolling in Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry's Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MAPC) program, Adam had tried his hand at a few different career paths ranging from residential and commercial real estate sales, auto repair and finally a few years in meeting management and group sales in luxury hotels. He came to Seattle University STM after a lay-off in 2008 that forced him to get quiet and listen. Adam has always been drawn to a life of service and the MAPC degree program felt like a good fit given his desire to serve and support fellow mankind on a psycho-emotional, faith and spirituality level.
When Adam is not roaming the corridors of Hunthausen Hall he can be found roaming all over King County. Adam is about half-way through his practicum with Providence Hospice of Seattle, working in the Transitions program as a Counseling and Spiritual Care Intern. He has described his privileged time working with pre-hospice patients as some of the most holy and sacred work he's ever done. PHOS Transitions program serves clients all over King County who have received a 6-12 month prognosis.
Adam and his family still live in the Seattle area, he graduated from Ballard High School where he was involved with Young Life and attended University Presbyterian Church. During his young adulthood he was involved with Bible Study Fellowship International and the Center for Spiritual Living. Since 2009, Adam has been attending worship service at Trinity Parish on First Hill. Adam jokingly refers to himself as a faith wanderer who is not lost. He's looking forward to illuminating the next steps in his faith journey through his time, both as a student and as a Graduate Assistant supporting the Ecumenical and Interreligious efforts of the School.
Kelly Carr
"In January 2007, I started working at World Vision. I was incredibly passionate about the mission of World Vision, and I thought this was an organization that I would work in until retirement. In May 2007, my dad was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. His prognosis was bleak and there was not much the doctors could do for him. My father’s diagnosis hit me hard and sent me on a path of discernment. Through the discernment process I discovered that my deepest passions in life included theology, counseling, and social justice. As a result I wanted to find a place in ministry where I could combine these three passions, and work to help heal the world. Since I had been a member of the Lutheran Denomination (ELCA) my entire life, I began looking at all of the ELCA seminaries and the ELCA affiliated seminaries. I discovered Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry (STM)! I was drawn to Seattle University STM because of its ecumenical focus and the various programs that the School offers. While learning more about the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MAPC) program, I was attracted to the program's focus on both spirituality / theology and clinical counseling, and felt that this was exactly the type of counseling program I wanted to earn a degree in! In Spring of 2012, I completed the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies degree and this summer (Summer 2012), I began the Post Masters Certificate in Pastoral Counseling program.
Because I am so passionate about social justice, I plan to become a licensed mental health counselor and work with marginalized populations-- particularly the homeless population. This Fall quarter, I will begin a six quarter practicum and I am hoping that it will be at the Recovery Café in Seattle, WA. The Recovery Café aims to break the cycle of homelessness in men and women’s lives by working with them to recover from drug and alcohol abuse and other destructive behaviors. For more information on the Recovery Café, please visit their website here.
In addition to my educational requirements this year, I am also working as a Graduate Assistant for the School’s Faith & Family Homelessness Project. I will be working with four faith communities located in Pierce County. Each faith community will work to create and execute a project plan that helps raise awareness of family homelessness (particularly awareness within their own faith community) and then move people towards advocating on behalf of the people who experience family homelessness. I'm learning that change on a systemic level occurs when people are moved towards advocacy. For more information about the Project, visit their webpage here.
Ryan Fallgren
"I started my journey to Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry (STM) while working at Washington State University. I was fortunate enough to enroll in an experiential leadership / life skill enhancement course there that opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and living. I learned that leadership was not a position but a way of being, and true leaders could hold space for other individuals to discover and act upon what impassioned them. After taking the course, I began training as a course facilitator--as well as training to facilitate individual life-skill enhancement workshops.
In July 2011, I started teaching, both in person and online. I became increasingly inspired to continue my education and connect myself to something larger. I never would have guessed that I would find myself at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry, since I am a person that is independently spiritual. However, I found the School to be open to every perspective, and has been a dream come true. Since I began classes at the School, the depth and diversity of perspectives have continued to open expand my knowledge on a daily basis which could not have happened anywhere else. It has proved to me that we often have the most to learn in the least likely of places.
I am excited to continue my education in the Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership (MATL) program and see where the course content and experiences take me. I hope to continue to explore how amazing we all can be as individual leaders in our everyday lives, and pass on my passion and knowledge to others. It is my dream to facilitate inspirational workshops every step of the way, as I get most excited when I see someone else’s eyes light up with a drive to pursue what makes them happiest.
In addition to this graduate education experience, I am fortunate enough to be part of Marketing and Communications at the School as a graduate assistant. We have the exciting responsibility of taking all that the School offers, and create unique and engaging ways to spread the information into the community. It is exciting to see what happens when passionate people become excited about something amazing, like Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry."