HyoJu Lee, Ph.D. ’16, serves as an adjunct professor and a counselor to undergraduate students at Mokwon University, one of three Methodist seminaries in South Korea.
She says, “Teaching is not as easy as it sounds. It is fulfilling, but I have found that I study more now than before my graduation! CST thoroughly prepared me for this position. Learning at CST felt like a safe cocoon where I could learn and practice my learning freely. I was encouraged to discover myself and my beliefs without feeling sorry for who I am or what I believe, to value education, and to think critically. At CST, I learned to let G*d out of dogmatic boxes, and I learned about diversity and hospitality and many more valuable lessons. My gratitude for my experiences at CST is beyond measure.” Out of the cocoon now, HyoJu describes herself as still becoming, yet ready to fly. In her work counseling undergraduate students, HyoJu credits the clinical training she received at The Clinebell Institute in preparing her to care for people as a practical theologian. She says, “I became familiar with the idea that we can get theological knowledge through studying a living human document, the importance of bilateral communication between religious tradition/ belief and contemporary people’s experiences.” In support of that work, HyoJu was certified as a resilience advantage program trainer at HeartMath Institute. With this certification, she is working to engage the fields of neuroscience and physiology with a pastoral strategy. In January of 2017, HyoJu’s dissertation was published as Redeeming Singleness: Postmodern Pastoral Care and Counseling for Never-Married Single Women . She says, “This book envisions church as an a cappella choir. Just like an a cappella choir, all parts and pitches are indispensable elements for the whole harmony, and churches must open their eyes to see the invisibility of people who are outside of the traditional norms of families, particularly single women. The a capella choir metaphor serves as a specific strategy of pastoral care and counseling for contemporary people.” Ph.D. alumni/ae, like HyoJu, have historically done incredible work in the world. CST offers a Ph.D. in Practical Theology in two areas of concentration: Spiritual Care and Counseling or Education and Formation, and a Ph.D. in Religion in five areas of concentration: Comparative Theology and Philosophy; Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies; New Testament and Christian Origins; Process Studies; and Religion, Ethics, and Society. Learn more at our website at www.cst.edu/academics/degree-programs.
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