Our Team
Summer Immersion is designed and ran by the Engaged Pluralism Initiative. We are so excited that you’re joining our community!
Jonathon S. Kahn (AB Princeton University; PhD, Columbia University 2003) is Professor of Religion. His teaching and writing interests are at the intersection of race, religious ethics, and politics. His current work explores the formation of modern versions of secularism. He is the editor of (with Vincent Lloyd) Race and Secularism in America (Columbia University Press, 2016). Other work on secularism appears in The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education, (eds. Michael D. Waggoner and Nathan C. Walker, Oxford University Press, forthcoming) and Pragmatism and Naturalism (ed. Matthew Bagger, Columbia University Press, forthcoming). He’s currently working on two book projects: What is a Secular Education? and Black Democratic Faith: Reconstruction for Difficult Times Kahn is also the author of Divine Discontent: The Religious Imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois (Oxford University Press, 2009), and his writing on Du Bois appears in several other places including Race and Political Theology (ed. Vincent Lloyd, Stanford University Press, 2012) and Philosophia Africana. He serves as Director of the Summer Immersion in the Liberal Arts program.
Hello! My name is Lyndonna, and I enjoy moonlight strolls on the beach, red roses, and creating special meals. Just kidding! I’m not a fan of 2 of those things; just creating special meals. On a more serious note, my family and friends would describe me as easy going, a great listener, a wordplay ninja and a chicken parmesan expert. I was born and raised in Brooklyn and currently live in Poughkeepsie. I have 2 amazing children, an eleven year old and a thirteen year old. When I have free time that is usually game time with my babies! I have 15 years of Administrative Assistant with some retail experience in between and I’ve been with Vassar 2 years now. I’m excited to be a member of The EPI Team!
Hi, I’m Felicity! I am the Program Administrator for the Engaged Pluralism Initiative. I graduated from the University of Virginia with a master’s in philosophy and focused specifically on the intersections of social & moral philosophy and personal identity. At Vassar, my work focuses on community building through programs and events on campus and beyond. This summer, I’m in a quest to explore every park in NYC and eat a lot of lobster rolls.
I graduated from Vassar in 2020 and am originally from Los Angeles (818). Community is what sustains me– even just being a regular at a coffee shop brings me so much joy. I’m excited to be in a role geared toward building and sustaining a meaningful community, especially for underrepresented students. As a student at Vassar, I was heavily involved in Transitions, and I studied English and Sociology. I baked a lot of banana bread, and my TA door was always open for people to come find a comforting space filled with delicious food. Now as an “adult,” I find a lot of joy in lifting, journaling, and frolicking with my friends.
The Summer Immersion Advisory Board is a group of administrators, faculty, staff, and students. Throughout the year, the advisory board meets to organize the Summer Immersion Program.
Summer Immersion in the Liberal Arts launched in 2019 through the Engaged Pluralism Initiative, with generous support from the Office of the President, The Andrew Mellon Foundation, and several Vassar alums. The founding Advisory Board included Kevin Arce, Tamar Ballard, Capria Berry, Kariane Calta, Sourav Guha, Lisa Kaul, Colleen Mallet, Krystle McLaughlin, Henry Molina, Himadeep Muppidi, Michelle Ransom, Art Rodriguez, Jodi Schwarz, and Christina Winnett. Founding faculty included Andy Bush, Sophie Harvey, Tim Koechlin, Taneisha Means, Jose Perillan, Jasmine Syedullah. EPI program administrators included Program Coordinator Cecilia Hoang, Administrative Assistant, Primavera Ward, and Faculty Director, Candice Lowe Swift.
