Introduction to our new intern, Aliyah Collins
- oldmannobscot
- Oct 20, 2021
- 2 min read
Hello Open Spirit Community! My name is Aliyah Collins, and I will be serving as a Field Education Intern at Open Semester for the year! I want to share just a little information about myself, my academic and personal interests, and what I will be doing at Open Spirit for the year. I was born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee, a small town east of Memphis, Tennessee. I received my undergraduate degree from Fisk University, a Historically Black University in Nashville, Tennessee. At Fisk University, I became interested in racial justice, and liberation struggles through the lens of theology. After finishing my degree at the outset of the pandemic, I decided to continue exploring my academic interest by attending graduate school. I am currently a 2nd-year Mdiv (Master of Divinity) student at Harvard Divinity School.
Although my program does not require an academic focus, my interest is around Black liberation theology and African indigenous Spiritualties. This year, I am beginning my field education work which requires me to gain learning experiences that integrate theory and practice to develop professional attitudes. I choose Open Spirit as my placement site because of the emphasis on Multifaith dialogue and practices that target healing of the mind, body, and soul. Multifaith learning and engagement is a very important tool in my own work surrounded around community organizing within black liberation struggles. At Open Spirit, I will be participating in the Multifaith Collaborative, where I will be a part of the planning process. I am also planning my own event under the Collaborative centered on racial justice. Outside of the Collaborative, I will be working on the Resilience Project with Rev. Debbie Clark and Resiliency committee to measure the impact of Covid-19 on the community and how Open Spirit has been a resource. I am very excited to learn and grow with the Open Spirit community for the academic year. I look forward to meeting everyone and hearing the sharing of stories.
Reading about your journey actually brought back a vivid memory from my own student days. I remember one particularly overwhelming semester where the academic pressure felt so heavy that I felt completely untethered from nature. I was so burnt out at one point that I sat staring at my computer screen and thought, "I would give anything to just have someone take my online exam for me" just so I could go sit in the grass and actually hear the birds for five minutes. It took me a long time to realize that the "five minutes in the grass" was exactly what I needed to actually perform well. It’s so heartening to see someone like you bringing that awareness and balance…
Reading about Aliyah joining the team highlights how new roles stretch us in meaningful ways. I remember my own internship days, juggling expectations and evaluations, when stress made everything feel heavier. At one point, people even mentioned a pay someone to do my online exams service, but this post reminded me that real growth comes from showing up, learning, and earning confidence honestly.
Welcoming Aliyah into the internship role felt familiar, because I remember reading similar introductions when I started my first placement and feeling both excited and overwhelmed. During that time, I leaned on IoT assignment help to manage coursework while learning on the job. Balancing service, study, and curiosity taught me how growth often comes quietly through support and reflection.
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