Building Grassroots Communities

Sara Smirin, MRPL ’24

View more stories on HDS alumni and their career paths.

Describe the work you do today:

I have a passion for building cause-driven, groundbreaking, grassroots organizations. I came to HDS because I was, and remain, interested in the intangible transformational experiences that arises when people come together for a shared purpose. My work explores the connection between grassroots movements, activists, and faith - how deep engagement in community and purpose can open up pathways to individual and communal spiritual growth and flourishing. Separately, but connected, my more recent work focuses on the idea that faith is a winning issue in politics, so why don’t - or how should - politicians on the left talk about faith more often?

How has your HDS degree experience influenced your career journey?

My HDS experience—and more specifically, the year I spent studying with Professor Diane Moore in the Religion and Public Life Department—provided me with the language and tools necessary to add greater depth and intentionality to the work I was already doing. It goes without saying that both were informed by my course work—my chosen curriculum required that I examine and clarify my own values and purpose. MRPL students joke about the language that flows through the Religion and Public Life program, but it is now foundational to how I approach my work: a reminder to interrogate assumptions, to be capacious in my thinking, and to always embrace the moral imagination.

What career advice would you offer to current HDS students?

I think that anyone pursuing an advanced degree of any kind should enter with curiosity, flexibility, and a set of goals. Take every opportunity to try new experiences. Check in with yourself regularly; if you are genuinely curious it is possible that your goals might shift over time; that is when it is important to be flexible. Take advantage of not only building new relationships with your cohort of fellow scholars, but also of reaching out to the many professors and educators who might help guide and advise you. In class, with your peers, with instructors, don't be scared to ask questions, don't be scared to ask for help, don't be scared to be yourself. If you are trying to reach out to a professor, obviously don't become a stalker, but don't be scared to send an email multiple times or simply to knock on someone's door to get their attention. This is your opportunity to soak in as much knowledge as possible; embrace it.