A Letter for Asha:
Asha was in our Spring 2022 programme during her sophomore year, and then she came back to London this past summer to participate in our Internship programme. I always love having returning students, but it was especially nice this year because I had just stepped up as Interim Director, and having a few familiar faces around me was really reassuring. Asha was supportive as I made the transition into my new role, and she was instrumental in helping the summer students adjust to life in London. As a fellow Brit herself, having spent much of her early childhood in Northern Ireland, she was familiar with British culture. She helped the other students find where to buy the best cups of tea, and she brought them up to speed on linguistic differences and our infamous sarcasm.
Asha was friendly and gracious to everyone, and a popular member of the London programme. I remember this summer sitting over Group Dinner with Asha happily discussing Abbie’s upcoming wedding and Briana’s post-grad plans. She took a keen interest in all her friends’ lives, whether it was sharing in their joy or supporting them through harder times. She loved to travel, and she took her friends across the Irish Sea one weekend to stay with her relatives.
Asha interned with a fashion designer in London this summer. She came home each day full of enthusiasm about how friendly everyone was, and how interesting and fun she was finding the work. Her supervisor told me that they were hoping that she would come back and work for them full-time after she graduated. She said that Asha had so much potential in the fashion world, and that her talent, combined with her calm and sweet-natured energy, would be a powerful combination in this industry. The last text messages I exchanged with Asha were about how excited she was to spend time in London again in the future.
— Jenny Ryan
Interim Director, London Programme
A Letter for Peyton:
Peyton was a delight to have in the London Program. As a student, she was diligent and engaged. As a friend, she was kind and devoted. Her friends adored her and she cherished them. Peyton was good at balancing her dedication to school with her ambition to travel, find adventure, and form lifelong relationships. In the London Program we talk a lot about the journey of life and what it means to sojourn in foreign lands, to become a guest in another’s country, and to walk in a stranger’s shoes. We call it the Right to Roam. Peyton certainly roamed well while she was with us, travelling here, there, and everywhere. But Peyton also roamed the deeper pathways of faith. I remember that Peyton came on our spiritual retreat to the English countryside. Our topic that year was Discernment: how can we know what God is calling us to and how can we learn to listen? Peyton contributed to the depth of our discussions about what it means to follow God’s direction and to live fully in God’s presence and calling. During the retreat we all sat around the campfire late into the night laughing, asking questions, telling stories, and sharing life with one another. I remember Peyton now as she was then: a vibrant, loving, generous personality. We will remember Peyton for many years to come in the London Program, and her memory will be a blessing.
— Cambry G. Pardee, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion
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