Student Spotlight Featuring Jack Tripp, MTS ’25

Jack Tripp, MTS ’25, has spent hours in silence “waiting for the light to break in” as he says—a style of quiet prayer and devotion he learned through his faith tradition. Growing up on the southern coast of Massachusetts, Tripp felt at home in his community, attending a Quaker school and weekly services at his local meetinghouse. In moments of what Quakers call “expectant worship,” he discerned the call to apply to Harvard Divinity School.  

As an undergraduate at Yale, Tripp was introduced to the study of religion through literature. In his junior year, he took a class at Yale Divinity School that explored poetry and faith. This class drew 12 people, from various religious backgrounds, who read dozens of poems each week that focused on different spiritual themes. “Those conversations were the most meaningful that I had in my time in college,” he says.  

When Tripp applied to HDS, he had his sights set on studying religion and literature. He quickly enrolled in courses taught by Matthew Ichihashi Potts, MDiv ’08, PhD ’13, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, and Stephanie Paulsell, Susan Shallcross Swartz Professor of the Practice of Christian Studies (now Emerita), that expanded his understanding of Christian theology. This work was particularly meaningful in conversation with what Tripp describes as the “intentionally unstructured Quaker practices.” Taking other courses, such as “Ecotheology” with Dan McKanan, AB ’89, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, helped Tripp ground his deep personal beliefs in an ethic of care that more thoughtfully centers nature.  

Tripp, a ceramic artist, sees theology as a process of co-creation with the world around him, linking creative practice and spiritual exploration. Drawn to Harvard’s Ceramics Studio—and connecting lessons learned in the classroom with his craft—Tripp got his hands in the mud, both physically and spiritually. “With ceramics, you’re doing this very tactile work with raw materials right in front of you, but the finished piece can become more than what you begin with. That was a valuable practice to bring to my studies and to HDS,” he says. “There’s a lot that you can’t control in ceramics. You have to trust the process. I see that in the study of religion as well.”  

When he reflects on what he loved most about being at HDS, Tripp credits his peers with enhancing his experience. “The incredible diversity of age, viewpoint, background, and reasons for being here that everyone brings with them—HDS wouldn’t be the same without so many varied perspectives,” Tripp says.  

Tripp also observed a deep dedication to making a difference through education: “HDS community members are actively engaged in trying to make the world a better place.” As a recent graduate, he will do the same as an English teacher at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. This is the same Quaker institution where his formal learning began. He hopes to inspire younger generations—including his nieces who attend the school—to discover their own voices and power.  

Banner photo courtesy of Jack Tripp.