Graduate Profile: Maya Peers Nitzberg, MDiv '23

Memorable Moment 

That epic outdoor dance party for staff, faculty, and students last fall was *chef's kiss*—shoutout to Katie Caponera for staffing after hours, and Xavier Sayeed for the impeccable DJ set. 

Message of Thanks  

The Harvard Buddhist Community has been the best sangha a gal could ask for! I am wiser and kinder thanks to the friends I've made at HBC. Infinite thanks also to Shir and Kevin and Jews 4 Liberation for the support and love and care. Many, many thanks to Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas and Rev. Monica Sanford for being my role models of excellent chaplaincy, and for your spaciousness, compassion, and abundant wisdom. And of course, thank yous to Mark Jordan, Michelle Bentsman, Matt Potts, Dan McKanan, and Andrew Teeter for the stellar pedagogies, and for letting me turn in three years worth of assignments in the form of erotic bible fiction—without batting an eye! Y'all are genuinely superstars, many thank yous for letting me do the work I do and for being the coolest about it. 

Future Plans 

Future Maya is, hopefully, cooking for my grandmother, Sandy; picnicking in Central Park with my parents, Donna and Martin, and my siblings Sam and Milou; partying in Nashville with Keila, Justin, Chantal, and Ebony; producing a web series about the trials and tribulations of divinity school with Courtney, Ashlyn, and Martha; absolutely smashing a hit Netflix standup comedy special with Sophia; swimming on both coasts with Becca; hiking the Grand Canyon with Maeve and Mariah; training for a marathon with Gray; eating lobster in hot Maine summer with Jen and Jess; learning and inventing new languages with Mac; finding Buddhist community in my new neighborhood; and surely starting the dance party solo or otherwise. Additionally, next year I am set to serve as a chaplain resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston!