---

Leah Kettering graduated summa cum laude from Furman University in 2017, with majors in English, religion, and Asian studies. She then followed her commitment to community building to graduate school at Harvard Divinity School, where her research focused on the relationship between laughter and grief in ancient sacred texts. She earned her MDiv in 2020. Most recently, Leah worked as a chaplain and instructor of religious studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, teaching a range of courses including “World Religions” and a course called “Perceptions of Death.”

Leah grew up in Northeast Columbia and is excited to be back home in South Carolina. In her free time, Leah enjoys baking homemade cookies, watching Gilmore Girls and playing with her very sassy miniature dachshund, Lucy. Leah says she is looking forward to working in a new realm of higher education as an academic advisor with the brilliant students, faculty and staff at the Honors College.