Halley Haruta is a third-year MDiv student ('24) focusing on Religious Ethics, with interests in moral psychology and Buddhist and Christian ethics. She is a 2023 awardee for the International Ministry Study Grants(IMG). Halley’s title for the 2023 IMG project is “Cloister and Contemplation: Monastic Intellectual Life in England."

What's next for you?

I hope to pursue a PhD in Religious Ethics.

Why study religion?

Because it's fun! There is no shortage of perhaps more profound reasons, but the joy of learning among good company is my quotidian "why."

What was an interesting or valuable thing you learned during your IMG project?

Until the very day that I was tasked with pruning fig trees in the monastic garden, I had never quite understood why Jesus would curse such a delightful tree. When trimmed, they release a sticky, itch-inducing sap. Biblical metaphors come alive in manual labor!