Bios of APYA 2016 Coordinators
David Bloom: Jewish Coordinator
A Louisville native and rising third year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, David Bloom graduated summa cm laude from Indiana University, Bloomington with a B.A. As an undergraduate, he became deeply involved in promoting interfaith cooperation and held a yearlong fellowship with th
e Interfaith Youth Core. After spending his first year of rabbinical school in Jerusalem, he served as the student rabbi at Beth Boruk Temple in Richmond, Indiana and as a fellow at Hillel at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as part of the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Fellowship. He has worked at the National Religious Campaign against Torture and at the Inter-Faith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, in D.C., and he is thoroughly enjoying his time at Chautauqua as the Jewish Coordinator for the Abrahamic Program for Young Adults. An avid tennis and chess player, he holds a 4th Degree Black Belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate, and enjoys an ice cold root beer with a good steak and savory chocolate cake. www.apyaci.blogspot.com
Emily Peterson: Christian Coordinator
Emily is a native of Staunton, VA, and a recent graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Her longstanding interest in ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, particularly among young adults, took active root during her undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary, where she earned a degree in English. Her time in seminary has deepened her conviction that interreligious understanding is critical, and she is thrilled to be part of the APYA team helping promote the conversations and relationships that lead to such understanding. Although born, raised, and educated a Presbyterian, Emily has also spent significant time worshiping in communities of Methodists, Quakers, Catholics, and Evangelicals, among others. She loves impromptu jam sessions (she is a mediocre mandolinist), reading voraciously, and playing in the dirt. Safia Lakhani: Female Muslim Coordinator
Safia is a rising sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia University, and is a prospective Political Science and Gender & Sexuality Studies major. She is a traveler, a writer, a reader, a conversationalist (talk to her about anything!), a Bollywood enthusiast, and most importantly, a Shia Ismaili Muslim. Growing up, she was heavily involved in volunteer work through the Ismaili network, and also participated in numerous religious summer camps through primary and secondary school, serving the role of participant and counselor. After graduating college, she plans on continuing her involvement with Ismaili youth by educating them on matters of tolerance, acceptance, and global citizenship. She also dreams of working at the UN Women one day, and founding an organization dedicated to educating young women in South and Central Asia. Yasin Ahmed: Male Muslim Coordinator
Yasin Ahmed is a candidate for an MA in Christian-Islamic Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Chaplaincy at Hartford Seminary. He also serves as the Islamic Studies and Gym teacher at Madina Academy in Connecticut. Having spent the better part of a decade working in Central New Jersey with a special focus on young people, Yasin has organized and coordinated several grass roots youth groups. In the past few years, he has studied traditional Sunni topics under Shaykh Abdur Rahman, as well as other local scholars. He is currently a regular khateeb (the one who delivers the sermon at worship) and an interfaith speaker with a focus on understanding and dialogue -- a public servant trying to live with Muhammed's (PBUH) Prophetic character to show the beauty of faith in the modern context.
