Singleness: A Roundtable Conversation

Stephanie Bent is a PhD candidate in the Higher Education, Student Affairs and International Education Policy program with a concentration in student affairs at the University of Maryland. She holds a EdM in Anthropology and Education from Teachers College - Columbia University, a MS in Higher Education-Student Affairs from Florida State University, and a BS in Applied Mathematics from Georgia Tech. She has worked in student affairs in the United States with experiences in various functional areas: residential life, leadership development, first year programs, sophomore programs, living-learning communities, student conduct, and academic advising. In her research, she considers questions about student affairs practice in the Caribbean, identity and leadership development of Caribbean tertiary students living in and outside the Caribbean, Caribbean tertiary education contributions to national development, decolonizing research methods, and decolonizing higher education.

Melodie Marske has served on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship since 1988, beginning as a part-time administrator and part-time Campus Staff Minister. After serving undergrad students at the University of Michigan for several years, she began working with graduate students at the University of Michigan. She received her MA in Biblical Studies at Trinity School for Ministry in Pittsburgh in 2003. Melodie became a Team Leader for Graduate & Faculty Ministries in 2005, then an Area Ministry Director in 2007. In July 2014, she began serving as the GFM Midwest Regional Director. 

Melodie is an avid runner, usually running half marathons each spring and fall. She enjoys time outdoors, visiting campus coffee shops, and reading both fiction and theology. Legolas & Gimli, her two cats, keep her entertained at home and are always glad to welcome guests.

Kaitlyn Schiess (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a writer, speaker, and theologian. She is the author of The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor and is a regular cohost on the Holy Post podcast with Skye Jethani and Phil Vischer. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Christianity Today, Christ and Pop Culture, Relevant, and Sojourners. Schiess is currently a doctoral student in political theology at Duke Divinity School. She lives in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo Credit: Kendra Sharrard)