Religious studies at Cornell sparked Miyake-Stoner’s passion for community service

For Akiko Miyake-Stoner, religion is not a passive activity but a call to engagement. After graduation she assisted elderly citizens as a case manager at the Adult Day Health Center in Seattle through a two-year opportunity sponsored the Lutheran Volunteer Corps.

She led groups in activities including poetry, spiritual reflection, and exercise, as well as attending to the personal needs of the seniors and serving lunch.

“Working with these older people reminded me of the preciousness of life and the amazing connections between people,” she says. “Being with them and growing in relationship with them is a main highlight of mine since graduating.”

She plans to go into elder ministry as either a hospice or nursing home chaplain, and is now studying at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Cal. Many Cornell experiences helped prepare her for this path, including the Peer Ministry Team and leadership roles in Eyes of the World and the Environmental Club.

“Being in these groups gave me a wider sense of the world and a desire to engage with it,” she says.

She remembers Cornell as the place where her eyes were opened in many ways on a number of fronts, including the environment, GLBT issues, and politics. She especially remembers the way the Cornell community came together following the events of September 11, 2001, as well during protests by anti-gay activists during a theatre department production of The Laramie Project.

She also notes the impact made by Cornell faculty, such as Religion Professor Joseph Molleur:

“He is so knowledgeable and passionate, and he creates a comfortable atmosphere in which to ask questions. He opened my eyes to ways of seeing religion and the world in different and exciting ways.”