I apologize in advance for the lateness of this post; I had intended to release it last Friday but had many other things to attend to. Nevertheless, here is an update on what’s been going on:

Almost two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to take a trip to Germany. This was an awesome trip, where I was able to visit Berlin and see sights around the area. It was impactful to see important landmarks, like the Brandenburg Gate and the Bundestag, as well as visit more harrowing sites, like the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It was a nice break in my research and allowed me to think about other things and feel refreshed in getting a change of scenery.

These coming weeks, I’ve been conducting interviews with current and former Unitarian Universalist military chaplains to explore ways in which they have aided service members with their moral injuries and discuss typical ways in which chaplains do and should respond to instances of moral injury in the individuals they serve. It has been powerful and meaningful to hear from absolutely amazing people who are so selfless in their work to serve others. I have also been blessed with having so many chaplains respond enthusiastically to my call for interviews; I am excited this week to talk to more chaplains about their experiences.

Last week was also the week of July 4th. I understand that for some this date is not a date worthy of celebrating or commemorating, as it has certain harmful political, social, and cultural implications. Authentically speaking, I enjoyed witnessing the beautiful and colorful fireworks above Boston, as viewed from the fifteenth floor of William James Hall on Harvard’s campus. It was a stunning sight and lasted for about thirty minutes. The other Harvard research interns and I were pleased to see the event conclude around 11:00 PM, which we happily celebrated as an opportunity to get to bed shortly after to rest up for the days ahead; I guess we really aren’t much of a party crowd! All in all, I really enjoyed spending time with the other interns at Harvard over the summer.

This week, I am thrilled to travel with some of the undergraduate interns to the LAMI Social Sciences/Humanities Day at Yale University. This will be a neat opportunity to network with other researchers and visit Yale’s campus. Aside from that, business as usual :). Thank you for taking the time to read my post and stay tuned for further updates, should updates interest you! I wish you a bright week ahead.