Meet the 2026 Theology Interns
Theology interns engage in ministry formation through Church and Society as a site of contextual education.
Meet the 2026 Summer Interns! The General Board of Church and Society is excited to welcome its 2026 summer interns! This year, we are hosting 12 interns: eight Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) interns, two Church and Society interns, and two Theology interns. They bring diverse experiences, deep faith, and a shared commitment to justice.
Throughout the summer, the interns will engage in advocacy, public policy, theological reflection, and community engagement while serving alongside Church and Society staff and leaders. Pray for them as they explore the intersection of faith and social witness and deepen their understanding of their call to justice, leadership, and service in their communities and around the world.
Recognizing the visa challenges some interns may face in participating in the Washington, D.C., program, GBCS continues to offer a hybrid internship model that welcomes both in-person and virtual interns from across the United Methodist connection.
We are excited to introduce you to our 2026 summer interns!
2026 Theology Interns
Kait Priest (Virginia Annual Conference)
Kait Priest is a member of Ebenezer United Methodist Church and a Certified Candidate for ordained ministry in the Virginia Annual Conference. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Spanish from Randolph-Macon College and is currently a second-year Master of Divinity student at Duke Divinity School. Called to serve as an ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church, Kait has previously served in a variety of local church ministry settings and is eager to broaden her understanding of ministry through public advocacy. This summer, she hopes to gain a deeper appreciation for the work of the General Board of Church and Society while learning how faith-based advocacy complements the ministry of the local church. Kait looks forward to bringing these experiences into her future pastoral ministry, helping congregations better understand the Church’s witness for justice and the ways they can actively engage with the work of GBCS.
Michael Hsu
Michael Hsu is a second-year Master of Divinity student at Boston University School of Theology. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in Non-Governmental Organizations and Social Change and Religion from the University of Southern California, where he founded and led Progressive Christians @ USC, an ecumenical campus ministry committed to justice, inclusion, and peace. Michael is committed to helping build the kin-dom of God on Earth. His faith informs the work that he engages in, centering the experiences of those on the margins. His academic and professional interests include justice work, community building and engagement, Asian American biblical hermeneutics, and cross-cultural ministry. He is a former Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) intern and has served as a delegate to the 2020/2024 General Conference, as a Jurisdictional Conference Delegate to the 2022 and 2024 Western Jurisdictional Conference. This summer, Michael hopes to deepen his understanding of both local church ministry and denominational leadership while continuing to discern how God is calling him to build communities rooted in justice, compassion, and the kin-dom of God.
