I was raised on fair-trade coffee and love in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, Oregon. Ever since a particularly meaningful year of Our Whole Lives (OWL) in the seventh grade, I was all-in on Unitarian Universalism. In my last few years of high school I had the privilege and responsibility of serving as chair of my district’s youth board, the Youth Empowerment Services Team, and as a youth dean for the UUA’s General Assembly.
I discovered denominational service through leadership opportunities for youth of color, such as Thrive, where I began to explore more of my identity as a mixed race person of South Asian and white descent. I’ve since learned more about my ancestral roots, including the fact that my great-great-great-great-great (yes, that’s 5 greats) grand-uncle is a Catholic saint!
I also discovered a passion for our theology and values that was only matched by the passion I already held for our covenantal community. After attending the UUA’s Summer Seminary program for UU high schoolers, I began to discover how much I loved preaching and began to guest preach literally the Sunday after I graduated from high school.
In 2019, I moved to the East Coast to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Religion and Political Science at Wellesley College. Although the pandemic and our crumbling democracy dashed my dreams of politics, my call to Unitarian Universalist ministry continued to grow. I joined the First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan virtually for two summers as an undergraduate ministerial intern, and served in the congregational year in between as their Communications Ministry Specialist. I then transitioned into an in person role with Sanctuary Boston as their first ever Campus Ministry Organizer, growing a non-existent program into a thriving cross-campus ministry that is still going strong to this day. Throughout that time, I participated in and led Wellesley’s own UU campus ministry, Heartspace.
After graduating from Wellesley summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion (Honors) in spring 2023 and completing a thesis on modern Unitarian Universalist theology, I moved to New York City to begin a three-year Master of Divinity program at Union Theological Seminary. I’ve continued to work closely with emerging adults, working at the Center for Accessibility & Disability Services (CARDS) at Barnard College and the Center for Global Spiritual Life (GSL) at New York University, where I now serve as a Spiritual Life Advisor.
I also completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at New York Presbyterian Hospital in the summer of 2024.
In December 2025, my ministry was affirmed by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association. They wrote,
“We experienced you as passionate, warm, self-aware, grounded in Unitarian Universalism, and pastorally prophetic. We were particularly excited by our conversation with you about the future of Unitarian Universalism and moved by your clear love for our congregations and our people.”
In February 2026, the Community Church of New York voted to ordain me to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. I completed my Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and was ordained by Community Church in May 2026.
As I complete a two-year ministerial internship with Community Church, I am preparing to begin a full-time role with them as Minister for Youth and Young Adults, serving ages 13-30.
I look forward continuing to guest preach and officiate rites of passage in the metro New York area and beyond.
I am passionate about youth & young adult ministry, collaborative and innovative worship, and resources and support for UUs of color.
rev. karishma gottfried 