About Me

Montevideo, Uruguay
PLU study abroad – January 2023

Who am I?

If you're reading this page, I assume you already know at least a little bit about me… unless you’ve randomly stumbled across my YAGM page, in which case, hello! Welcome! I'm Brooke :)

I've called western Washington and the greater Seattle area “home” all my life. From hiking in Mount Rainier National Park to day trips to the Pacific Ocean or Puget Sound, being out in nature was a core part of my childhood. I love rain and the ocean — you’d often find me in a bright yellow raincoat and rain boots splashing in puddles as a kid. When I wasn’t dancing in the rain, I was dancing at British Dancing Academy in Kent, WA— my dance home for fourteen years as I trained in ballet/pointe, tap, modern, and jazz dance styles. Dance gave me a creative movement outlet that helped grow both my artistry and confidence and will always be near and dear to both my heart and sense of self, even if I’m not often in a studio anymore.

Church-wise, I grew up at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, WA. Church and Christianity have been central to my life from the start — from attending Bible study as a toddler with my mom to heavy involvement in Sunday school and youth group as I got older. When I wasn't doing homework or at the dance studio, you’d probably find middle school and high school me at church. Confirmation classes, going to camp and on the mission trip every summer, and playing in the handbell choir kept me busy and heavily involved with life at Grace. My faith grew as I got older, and has remained central to my life even now.

What I studied in Uni 🎓

I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU — go Lutes!!) in Tacoma, WA in May 2023 with majors in Anthropology and Religion, predominantly focusing on cultural anthropology and US religious history. Through my senior theses, I academically grappled with the emotionalism of religious revivals in 18th-century New England and critical studies of the legacies of colonialism in Christian faith-based humanitarianism. Alongside minors in Dance, Hispanic Studies, and the Peace Corps Prep certificate program, I found (and still find) myself using my academic interests interdisciplinarily: applying skills and knowledge I gained in one discipline to guide my curiosities in the other to understand interconnections between cultures, societies, and religious practices.

While I was at PLU, I had the privilege of participating in two different month-long study abroad programs. My Hispanic studies minor and being more or less bilingual opened many doors to studying abroad in Spanish speaking countries: in my case, Mexico and Uruguay specifically. In Oaxaca, Mexico, I studied religious diversity as my class visited various archaeological sites and Catholic churches to learn more about the history of religion throughout southern Mexico and to further understand the nuance of religious and cultural practices. In Montevideo, Uruguay, I studied Spanish language and Uruguayan history and culture, learning more about cultural and linguistic regional differences. I deeply appreciate my study abroad opportunities, what I learned and experienced in both, and how they further fueled my interest and drive to serve abroad.

What is YAGM?

The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) Program is a faith-based year-long international fellowship opportunity for young adults ages 21—35, contributing to their development as servant-leaders for the church and gaining cross-cultural skills through service and relationship building. No matter their placement and assignment, YAGM volunteers serve worldwide through the spirit of accompaniment: coming alongside host communities to support them rather than dominate and replicate hierarchies of colonial Christianity. This year (2024—2025), the ELCA is sending 24 volunteers to serve in six country programs: Argentina & Uruguay, Central Europe, Cambodia, Mexico, Senegal, and the United Kingdom. Each YAGM volunteer will work in a church, school, health and development project, and/or social service ministry.

If you would like to learn more about ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) and the work they are doing around the world, click here!

Why am I doing YAGM?

Between falling in love with other cultures, working with kiddos, thriving in Christian-based workplaces, and nine years of studying Spanish, YAGM fell into place as the perfect combination of all of my joys.

I first fell in love with mission work as a high school sophomore on Grace Lutheran Church's youth summer mission trip to Orfanatorio Emmanuel in Tijuana, Mexico. Each summer, the youth group would spend a week there working on various projects — from painting and roofing to playing with the niños and leading evening devotions. This experience fostered my interest and love for working with others in an international service context. Dipping my toes into international ministry at such a formative age only further encouraged my plunge into YAGM.

As a student at PLU, minoring in Hispanic Studies strengthened the Spanish language knowledge I’ve been building since eighth grade. Language is a “use it or lose it” kind of skill and I didn't want to lose my Spanish. My study abroad experiences and being more or less bilingual opened many doors, leading me to pursue more opportunities to live and serve abroad in Spanish-speaking countries, heavily contributing to my YAGM Argentina/Uruguay country program placement.

In addition to all this, I spent three summers working at an overnight Christian camp, which cemented my passion for working with kids and working in ministry. Spending two summers as the day camp program leader pushed my limits and strengthened my skills both work-wise and faith-wise—knowledge I’m thankful to be taking into my YAGM year.

After graduating from PLU in May 2023 with a wide range of experiences, I decided my post-undergrad plan would be “chasing joy” — whatever that looked like. That's where YAGM comes in.

From tangible ways to apply my degrees and knowledge to building upon my love for working with kiddos and ministry in an international context, I've found myself here — with a YAGM placement in Argentina/Uruguay. As a whole, YAGM aligns with my desire to learn more about the world through serving others; participating in a program founded on service through the spirit of accompaniment also aligns with my passion for dismantling hierarchical legacies of colonial Christianity and coming alongside communities in culturally sensitive ways.

My Site Placement!

I have been paired with congregación El Redentor: a Lutheran church in the Villa del Parque neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. El Redentor is a congregation in the IELU (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Unida en Argentina y Uruguay // United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina and Uruguay) which is a companion church denomination of the ELCA. My site placement has me working in both the Lutheran church and their Lutheran school (Instituto Evangélico Americano) which serves preschool through high school. If you want to read more about the congregation, here’s the link to their website. If you want to read more about the school, here’s the link to their website.

Read my newsletters to hear more specifics about the work that I'm doing in accompanying my host community!!

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