Campolo Center

Welcome, new Campolo Fellow, Eliza Seymour! Eliza writes, "I am from East Hartford, CT and am in the MDIV program. I have been living in Pennsylvania for the past 10 years, working with The Salvation Army in youth ministry at church and at summer camp. Now, I work with my husband in international camp staff recruitment. I love food, dancing, traveling, facilitating challenge course experiences, and outdoor recreation. We even built a hammock garden in our backyard to enjoy with our kids and friends." Welcome, Eliza!

Welcome, new Campolo Fellow Brynn Bushoven! Brynn writes, "I am from Hawthorne, New Jersey, a small town in North Jersey. My church is West Side Presbyterian where I volunteer with the middle school program. I love dance, writing, music, and shopping. My favorite style of dance is contemporary and I am really excited to learn more about modern at Eastern. I plan to get involved in a lot of service opportunities, the dance club, and the political activism club. Fun facts about me are that I don't get brain freezes, I got bitten my a squirrel in Utah, I am currently writing a book, I love spending time in nature and my favorite movies are the Breakfast Club and the Hunger Games. Most of my life, I knew I wanted to become someone who made a difference in the world. God has given me the gifts of compassion, empathy, and acceptance and I plan to use these gifts to help me fulfill my purpose in life. For me, living a Christ centered life means to become a social worker who seeks to be there for others in a way God has been there for me. I hope my future consists of graduating with my masters in social work, working a job that I love, and making a difference in people's lives. I am so excited to pursue my passion for social work at Eastern University."

Welcome, Brynn!

Welcome, new Ph.D. candidate and Campolo Fellow, Tessa Patiño!

Tessa writes, " I grew up in Howard County, Maryland but have lived in Pennsylvania for all of my adult life. In the fall, I'll be starting the Ph.D. program in Professional Practice and hope to research how we learn about race and theology in the digital age. If that sort of thing interests you, go check out the Color Correction Podcast that I help with! By day, I'm a high school World History teacher and by night I adjunct for Eastern University in the history department. I attend Northwest Philadelphia Peace Church and also serve on our Board of Community Stewards. In my free time, I basically like to do anything your abuela might also like! I crochet, craft, puzzle, garden, and read. I'm also a big sports fan although my alliances are scattered across D.C., Baltimore, and Philly. I'm most excited for Philly's WNBA team coming in 2030!

It's also important to know that I come from a Mexican-American family. I love to teach and share about my culture too. Every year, I throw a big Tamales party where I teach people how to make tamales. One of the rules is, 'If you don't help make tamales, you don't help eat tamales.' You're all invited to the next one! As long as you're willing to help, of course."

Pictured:
1. Me at a Washington Mystics basketball game
2. Me teaching EU's Dr. Pete Enns and another EU alum how to make tamales
3. Me taking tamales out of a very hot steamer with my bare hands, making my abuelas proud

Welcome, Tessa!