Elissabeth (Elissa) Buckles
Spring 2022 John Jay Fellow
Hometown: Chino Hills, CA
College: Azusa Pacific University and Biola University
Degree: B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies; B.A. in Humanities
A native of Southern California, Elissa Buckles majored in Interdisciplinary Studies at Azusa Pacific University (APU), drawing together courses in history, political science, and Christian Ministries. Spurred on by her love of literature and philosophy, she also majored in Humanities via APU’s Great Books program. Elissa’s undergraduate work, research, and presentations were united by a love of the liberal arts and concern for individual welfare and the common good, as informed by robustly Christian affirmations of pluralism, personhood, and pneumatology. She worked for APU’s Center for Academic Service Learning and interned for several organizations and ministries. In these roles, she especially enjoyed educating others about social injustices and ways that personal and church-supported initiatives can change lives. Elissa also served on the Honors College Dean’s advisory cabinet as a student mentor, and as a Spiritual Formation Student Life team member.
Elissa finds research and education especially compelling. In addition to her work as a research assistant, through an APU Student Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) award she explored American mainline Protestants’ conceptions of the secular in the mid-20th century. As both an undergraduate and graduate student, she served as a teaching assistant in multiple disciplines, including history, humanities, and theology. At APU, Elissa served as managing editor for one of the Honors College’s senior publications and projects and contributed a chapter that considered how Jesus’ rejection of Satan’s temptations in the wilderness and acceptance of the cross should inform the nature and focus of political engagement, concluding that both personal transformation and structural change are essential callings for Christians in civic life. She also presented her work at APU’s Common Day of Learning conference and further explored her research topic through her honors thesis.
Elissa studied in Biola University’s M.A. in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and enjoyed studying spiritual theology and learning to help people encounter God’s transforming power through knowledge of God and self. Long term, Elissa hopes to pursue teaching, research, or long-form journalism. She is especially interested in questions of identity and personhood as well as the implications of the Holy Spirit’s work for public theology. Her dream would be to contribute to or develop and host intellectual, communally-based seminars in theology and social and political thought. In her spare time, Elissa enjoys keeping up with current events, talking with friends, hiking and exploring the outdoors, thrifting, and reading. She is looking forward to experiencing a real winter and the joys and challenges of living in close Christian community through the John Jay fellowship.