“I think if your religion’s causing you to make anything but good in the world, if it’s causing you to, you know, have more hatred for people, then maybe we’re not at the truest root of what it should be.”
– Sarah Harcourt Watts, Transylvania Director of Religious Life
Sarah Harcourt Watts is in her first full semester as Director of Religious Life here at Transy. Harcourt Watts graduated in ‘08 with a double major in Elementary Education and Religion. She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.
Sarah decided to double major, like many Transy students, in disciplines that didn’t obviously fit together. She thought she would only study education until taking a “life changing” Intro to Religion course with former professor Dr. Trina Jones.
“I just had an interest in both of these things. I didn’t come in saying, okay, they intersect in these ways, but what I kept on hearing from my faculty is that you don’t have to choose. I thought religion was the ‘just for fun’ major and that education was the practical major.”
Dr. Jones recognized Sarah’s passion and referred her to a Harvard summer internship called the Pluralism Project. She described it as “a research organization documenting the change in religion in America with immigration over time.” After that experience the summer before senior year, Sarah realized how much she wanted to be in Boston. Following graduation from Transy, she earned a Master’s of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Her studies at Harvard were through a cultural lens of learning about religion.
She didn’t utilize her master’s degree in the way she desired right away, though. She began teaching first grade in Nashville after Harvard. Her core values as an educator translated into her current director position: caring for the whole person, empathy, compassion, and curiosity. For Sarah, the reward of leading spiritual and religious life is in building relationships.
“It’s the people that I love, you know, the relationships, the helping people through tough things. Those kinds of things just feel comfortable to me in a way that makes me feel like, oh yeah, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on my “just for fun” study. I mean, until a few years ago, I was still telling people I got this master’s from Harvard in divinity just for kicks, because I enjoyed it so much.”
Talking with someone so invested about this intersection of culture and religion made me want to learn more about them as well. Sarah’s excitement was infectious.
A common query for those involved in a leadership position in this field is how to discern spirituality and religion. Sarah prefaced by saying there are so many definitions, but she sees religion as more culturally situated and organized, whereas spirituality is less organized.
Regarding her religious beliefs she said, “for me, there’s some strength in knowing that my ancestors have made sense of the world in similar ways over the years, and that makes me feel a deep connection to these ideas.”
On ways that TU has changed since the aughts, Sarah pointed to a broader acceptance of all students as a positive shift; “That’s been really nice to see. It’s not to say that folks who don’t fit a mold don’t struggle here, but I do think that there is a lot more warmth for being kind of outside the norm than there used to be.”
Speaking about her social life as an undergrad, she said “I was just a really dorky student. I had my own little group of weirdos and misfits and we (just) had our own little best life all the way through.”
It is not uncommon, but it is always sweet to hear that Sarah met her husband at Transy. They had an education class together their first semester of freshman year. She referred to him as her long-term pioneer pair. Sarah and her husband have two children, and eventually moved back to the city where they met.
When I asked Sarah for any advice for students who may be questioning their religious orientation or are just curious, she offered, “College is a really good time to try out some different things and just have different experiences. I would encourage folks to not get too hung up on specifically what they believe, but just have the experience and then kind of go from there.”
There are plenty of student organizations like Interfaith Alliance, Disciples and Friends On Campus, and Muslim Student Association that host events that provide opportunities for such experiences. “I want students to know that they don’t have to figure it all out now – that it’s a lifelong process to think through these things.”
I’m grateful that Sarah didn’t give up on her “just for fun” major. I find her educational trajectory inspiring. If you want to talk with her, conversation isn’t limited to religion and spiritual life. Sarah hosts intentional listening hours in her office in the student life suite of the Campus Center every Wednesday from 9 am – 11 am. For more student resources, check out the list of student orgs here with your Transy account.
