Everest first came to Westwood in Fall of 2023, after finishing a year-long Fulbright teaching grant in Taiwan. They graduated from University of California Santa Cruz in 2022 with a double major in Literature and Sociology. They have been involved in queer ministries since seventh grade, when they first noticed that the exclusion of LGBT+ people from Christian spaces didn’t make any sense. They have been working to create queer-embracing, intergenerational, justice-centered spiritual spaces ever since. Their ministry work has also led them to facilitate youth programs centered around the radical idea that children and teenagers are people and deserve to be treated as such. Everest seeks to build communities that prioritize growth, compassion, abundance, and curiosity.

Outside of church, you can find them reading, sitting in a park, line dancing, or wandering the streets of Los Angeles in search of a nice place to think.

They lead Grapple (the middle and high school group), Queer Group, the Westwood Organizing Team, and other community partnership and service opportunities at Westwood.

For information about any of these ministries, or for any other reason, you can reach them at everest@westwoodumc.org.