{"id":352,"date":"2025-12-12T20:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/?p=352"},"modified":"2025-12-16T20:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T20:25:55","slug":"student-spotlight-kaylee-vance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/12\/student-spotlight-kaylee-vance\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Kaylee Vance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where did you grow up, and what first got you interested in studying theology and ministry?
<\/strong>I was raised in a military family, so I grew up all over the place. I was born in California, and I lived in Colorado, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Virginia before moving to Florida for college. Church has always been a part of my life, and I have always been very drawn to learning about all different religious traditions and theologies. My call to ministry began when I was very young, but I was raised Catholic where there are few options for religious life for women\u2014though I will admit I had a nun\u2019s habit mixed in with my princess dresses in my dress-up clothes as a little girl. I was finally able to pursue my call when I began attending an ELCA church and was invited into leadership roles that had, up to that point in my life, been denied to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did you study as an undergraduate?
<\/strong>I earned a bachelor of science in Psychology with a minor in Organizational Leadership of Nonprofits from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). I went on to earn a master of arts in Clinical Psychology with a certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Central Florida (Charge On!). I practiced as a licensed mental health and marriage and family therapist in Florida for almost fifteen years before pursuing my call to ministry of word and sacrament. During my time as a clinician, I worked in substance abuse, criminal diversion, and child welfare. I specialized in trauma, which I know now has uniquely equipped me to work in mission development at my current call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Luther<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What led you to pursuing theological education here at Luther Seminary?
<\/strong>My deepest call is to create spiritual communities for \u201creligious refugees\u201d\u2014those who carry religious trauma or have been made to feel unwelcome or unwanted within religious communities. In my experience in relationship with individuals who are religious refugees (myself included), I found a common thread in their stories\u2014religious leadership without checks and balances, accountability, and often without formal theological education. This has created religious spaces wrought with toxic theology, misinformation, abuse, and no healthy governance structures in place to check or stop it. I knew that if I wanted to create a trauma-informed religious community, I would need to attend specifically to these shortcomings. I would need to be within a denomination that had healthy congregational governance, within a leadership structure outside the congregation that provides accountability, and would need to complete my theological education so that my preaching and pastoral care would come from a sound theological basis. I chose to attend Luther because of its positive reputation and its mission to provide lifelong learning, accessible to all through the Jubilee Scholarship, Working Preacher, Faith+Lead, and others. If education is the key to creating healthy communities, it is important for us to tear down barriers to those who seek it. I also chose to attend Luther because of its progressive theology and heart for the intersection of ministry and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What degree program are you in at Luther Seminary, and what are you hoping to do with your seminary education?
<\/strong>I am currently pursuing a master of divinity at Luther Seminary. I serve as a Synodically Authorized Minister of a mission church in Central Florida that strives to create a trauma-informed worship space that is welcoming and affirming to all people, no matter who they are or who they love. I hope to continue to work in this church or one like it after I complete my degree and am Ordained in the ELCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s it like as a distributed learner in Florida, and what do you do when you’re not studying?
<\/strong>I am so grateful for the distributed learning option that Luther provides. I am not sure I would have been able to pursue a seminary education without this option. I do miss being surrounded by an academic community and truly love the opportunities to be at Luther during residential focus sessions. But my choice to be a distributed learner had a lot to do with the work I am currently doing at The Hearth, the mission church where I serve as the Synodically Authorized Minister. This church is very special to me because it is the church where I finally said \u201cyes\u201d to my call. At The Hearth, we strive to create a space where people who have experienced religious trauma, abuse, or have been made to feel unwelcome can find a home. As a mental health therapist specializing in trauma, I have been uniquely equipped to create a space and community that fosters healing and prevents the cycle of religious abuse to continue. One of the ways we have created this space is by choosing to meet outside of a traditional church building. For trauma survivors, something as simple as the smell of a hymnal or the presence of stained glass can heighten their nervous system and trigger a trauma response that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to center themselves in worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kaylee<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To avoid this, The Hearth worships in bars and breweries in Central Florida. These spaces are already places of friendship and community, where people of all walks of life gather and share life together. Often these spaces have a community of regulars who show up to celebrate or lament together. Bartenders often serve as therapist or pastor, much like a hairdresser or barber would. Our congregants have befriended bar regulars, and our two communities often get together for fellowship and service projects. Many of our members found us because they are regulars at the bar where we meet. It has been such a blessing to support local businesses, build communities right where we are, and bring Jesus out into the world to share God\u2019s love with all people\u2014especially those who never knew they wanted or needed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
<\/strong>I was a professional Latin dancer in my early adulthood. I taught, performed, and traveled to share my love of dance. I specialized in Argentine Tango, Salsa, and Bachata. Dance has taken me all over Florida, New York City, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, among other places. Dance has also informed the way I see my relationship with God and how I\u2019ve helped others navigate complex relationships, boundaries, and consent. For me, it is more than a hobby. It is a spiritual experience where I feel God in and through me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kaylee Vance was raised in a military family, has practiced as a licensed therapist, and was a professional Latin dancer. She’s pursuing an M.Div. at Luther and serves as a Synodically Authorized Minister. Her current call is to the Hearth, a worshiping community that meets in bars and breweries around Central Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":385,"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}