Seeking Shalom: Working Toward Just Atonement
Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation Student Ambassadors
2023-2024 Academic Year
By Erin Mills
The Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation welcomes four new Student Ambassadors for the 2023-2024 academic year. CSJR Student Ambassador fellowships are awarded to degree-seeking students in the M.Div., M.A.C.E., M.A.P.T., and dual-degree programs at Union Presbyterian Seminary who demonstrate strong interest in the work of the CSJR and a commitment to social justice as a core component of ministry. Recipients of the fellowship are expected to be engaged with and support the work of the CSJR. They also serve as liaisons between the CSJR and Seminary students on both the Richmond and Charlotte campuses.
Courtney Shudak
Courtney Shudak is a native Texan and a recent transplant to beautiful North Carolina. She is studying in the Master of Divinity program at the Seminary. Courtney is passionate about ecumenical work and bridge building. Outside of work and school, she is an avid marathon runner and enjoys recovering outside with a good book or sharing a tasty meal with friends.
Ayesha Edwards
Ayesha Edwards is currently pursuing a dual degree in Christian education and public theology at the Seminary. She is a lifelong learner and educator whose commitment is spreading the message of Jesus Christ while advocating and engaging in matters of social justice. Her primary interests include dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and education reform, addressing the needs of orphans and widows, human trafficking, women and leadership, and issues related to human needs and rights such as food security, housing, and voting rights.
Cellonia Ndede
Cellonia Ndede from Nairobi, Kenya, is a second-year student in the Master of Arts in Christian Education program on the Richmond campus. She graduated with an MBA from University of Leicester, United Kingdom, and subsequently worked for more than 15 years in marketing and human resource management positions for various multinationals in Nairobi. In response to a spiritual calling, she later joined the International Leadership University in Nairobi, where she graduated with a bachelor of theology degree in 2019. That led to her finding her way to the Seminary in 2022. Cellonia enjoys close communication with individuals and speaking up when a voice of reason is needed, and has a special heart for those who are vulnerable or have special needs in society—especially elderly persons.
Kate Brown
Kate Brown grew up a “preacher’s kid” in God’s country—the foothills of western North Carolina. She was born to be an educator. She attended Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, for her B.S. in English (secondary education) and received her M.Ed. in middle and secondary education while she was teaching high school English. Kate has hopes of completing a Ph.D. in either Old Testament or biblical languages. Her call to ministry and education stems from a desire to engage with the original biblical texts and translate and interpret them in a historically conscious way that also reflects the inclusive values of a changing world and raises up the marginalized. In her free time, she likes to read, travel, and spend time with her husband and their cat, Bea.
Erin Mills serves as program associate at the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience from Davidson College, a master’s in clinical psychology from UNC-Charlotte, and a master’s in Christian education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She served as the youth director at Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church in Charlotte for eight years and is currently an elder there. She volunteers and serves on the board of directors for the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, Roger, and their three children.
