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By Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano

As Kaylee (Haller ’19) Fisher moves through her week, she encounters a stunning cross-section of society. Serving as Global Operations Director for IRF Roundtable, a program of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Secretariat, Kaylee may spend her Monday hearing from the Yazidi people who have survived the horrors of genocide. On Tuesday, Kaylee might meet with officials from the US State Department, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), or the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Wednesday could bring opportunities to work with Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar or Egyptian Coptic Christians. By Thursday, Kaylee could be on Capitol Hill meeting with government officials to encourage them to be accountable for how the United States relates to countries that violate human rights. On Friday, Kaylee might even hop on a plane to the Czech Republic or Berlin, Germany, to organize an event drawing together non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies from around the region to inspire them toward partnerships that can address issues of religious persecution.

So how did an aspiring missionary from a small town in Maryland end up in Washington, D.C., crossing paths in influential ways with both the most powerful and the most vulnerable people in our society?

“My life started at Houghton,” Kaylee shares. “Houghton gave me two of my greatest gifts. My husband, Zach Fisher ’18, and a faith that God has big things in store for me–big things in the sense that they’re important to the Kingdom, even when I don’t understand how.”

When Kaylee started down the path of obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies she sat in Professor Marcus Dean’s class, Missions and the Global Church. “I’d never heard the term ‘ethnocentric’ before,” Kaylee recalls. “That class was the first time I understood that my reality is not at all close to the reality of most of the world.  I was wearing rose-colored glasses and needed to take them off to see God through the eyes of others. That class called me out of my self-centered views to discover who God is to the suffering.”

Kaylee’s time in former Houghton professor, Rev. Sarah Derck’s Bible class on the historical books reinforced this lesson. “There is so much tragedy in the Old Testament and we have such a lack of understanding of how God could let it happen. But Professor Derck didn’t sugar-coat things for us, she allowed us to sit with the tragedy and grieve it. Out of that grew a deep trust in God even when I don’t understand how He works or what He’s doing.”

These experiences, and other classes like Women in the Bible with Professor Kristina LaCelle-Peterson ’82 and Religious Movements with Professor Jon Case, helped Kaylee discover a passion for justice, a longing to care for the oppressed, and a desire to live out the Gospel in a nontraditional way. Through the challenge of confronting tragedy, God prepared Kaylee to walk alongside the victims of religious persecution. She’s able to trust in and speak about God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of life’s most significant challenges.

Kaylee didn’t limit herself to global studies at Houghton. She completed a minor in biblical studies and dove into Houghton’s liberal arts offerings. “I almost had enough credits for an art minor, too,” she laughs. “I took weird classes. Houghton allowed me to explore other interests in ways I didn’t imagine possible. Curiosity is a huge opportunity for growth.”

Kaylee’s curiosity prepared her to interact in many social spheres and take on work in unique sectors. “I discovered I don’t have to be one thing. I was encouraged to be creative and discerning, wise and spontaneous. It gave me comfort to be okay with changing careers.”
Kaylee spent a semester abroad studying at Vesalius College in Brussels, Belgium, while interning with the European Disability Forum.  After graduation, she worked with a local church, World Relief, the Institute for Global Engagement, and The Orchestra of the Americas. “God is very purposeful. He’s been putting together my giftings and strengths to lead me to where I am today.”

When Kaylee joined her experiences with her solid Christian convictions and a Gospel-informed worldview, she became an ideal fit for her work in an interfaith context. As she works alongside and befriends people who practice faiths other than her own, Kaylee’s faith isn’t threatened. “I know what I know to be true. I know Jesus is the only way,” she remarks. “But, I’m also humble enough to recognize that I don’t know what I don’t know. There’s so much about what others believe that I don’t yet know and there’s nothing wrong with learning about other religions. It makes me seriously contemplate what I believe and ultimately strengthens my own faith.”