#  Graduate Profile: Jaxon Washburn, MTS '23 

 





May 16, 2023

 

 

     ![Jaxon Washburn sits and smiles at the camera.](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/hds2/files/6x4_jaxonwashburn.png?itok=yebV9vF0) 

Jaxon Washburn. Photo courtesy of Jaxon Washburn.

 



 

**How I've Changed**

In coming to Harvard Divinity School, I received a far more holistic education than I could have ever expected. The academics have been rigorous, provocative, and deeply intellectually fulfilling. Spiritually, I have felt enriched, encouraged, and nourished in my Latter-day Saint (Mormon) faith. The community of peers and social fabric of HDS is something I really hope to entail moving forward. All of these aspects of divinity school life really assisted me during the significant trial of my father passing away from leukemia just before my second semester. The support I received from the HDS community made all the difference in speaking to my heart, mind, and soul. I believe my experience has made me a better friend, scholar, and spiritual seeker as a result.

**Favorite Class or Professor**

My favorite class was definitely "Narratives of American Religion," which was co-taught by Drs. Catherine Brekus and David Holland. Taking this course my first semester proved to really be the academic "baptism by fire" I was hoping to find at HDS. With roughly a thousand pages of reading per week, coupled with vibrant and engaging group discussions, the course immersed me into a more enriched understanding of the historiographical development of religion in America. I was eventually able to take the final paper I wrote for the course and shape it into an eventual publication, "Mormonism: The Most American 'Religious Other'" through the Harvard Divinity Bulletin in their Fall/Winter 2022 issue. Though I don't consider myself an Americanist, the instruction from both Drs. Brekus and Holland was truly the most personally formative during the entirety of my studies here.

**Message of Thanks**

My parents have been unceasingly supportive of my goals and dreams. Always encouraging me to pursue learning, passion, and excellence in my studies, they've been my biggest cheerleaders in getting to this point. I remember my mother bringing a laundry basket for me to the public library when I was a small child, only to carry its heavy contents back to the car for me once I was done selecting the books I wanted—and I met the 50-book check-out limit every time! My late father deeply inspired me in his own work ethic as I watched him decide to return to school, become a dentist, and accomplish his goals after years of being a masonry contractor. While his own dreams of practicing dentistry were cut short by his terminal battle with cancer, he nonetheless provided me a powerful example of self-determination, commitment, and the value of an education.

**Future Plans**

I plan on staying in the Boston area, pursuing a gap year as I continue to commit myself to the study of Armenian religious history. As Harvard reestablished its Mashtots Chair for Armenian Studies during the course of my program, I deeply appreciated the opportunity to study with Dr. Christina Maranci in several of her classes. As the new chair, she has been spearheading exciting Armenian Studies developments on campus that I have enjoyed being involved with. My own research during her courses has brought me into contact with Armenian magical texts, interreligious encounters with Zoroastrians, Jews, and Muslims during late antiquity, and the study of Classical Armenian. I hope to work with local Armenian studies organizations in the meantime, preparing myself to apply to PhD programs this fall.



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Commencement ](/topic-tags/commencement)
- [ Commencement 2023 ](/topic-tags/commencement-2023)