Largely residential Santa Clara, California, is in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Home to the headquarters of several major technology companies, the city is closely connected to San José and the broader San Francisco Bay Area. It is also home to a diverse religious landscape, shaped in part by the presence of Santa Clara University, the oldest institution of higher education in California. We are grateful to our partner, Santa Clara University, for helping us explore the religious life and perspectives of the region.
The interviews below were recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.
November 2, 2022
More stories about: Education Islam
Friends and colleagues Alex Zecevic and Ahmed Amer reflect on the questions that science can't answer and the role of creativity in scientific discovery.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
November 2, 2022
More stories about: Catholicism
Ashe Frances-Martinez talks to Paul Schutz about her relationship to God and how her identities as a Catholic and a trans woman affirm one another.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
November 2, 2022
More stories about: Race Christianity
Friends and colleagues Bryson White and Taylor Dalton discuss how their Black identity has influenced their understanding of their Christian faith and the importance of instilling a sense of compassion in the next generation.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
November 1, 2022
More stories about: Catholicism Immigration
Friends Anh Nguyen and Anne Hayes discuss how they've experienced love and human connection through practicing their Catholic faith, which has connected Anh with his Vietnamese heritage and demonstrated to Ann that God is love.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
November 1, 2022
More stories about: Catholicism Education
Friends Daniel d'Abreu Noronha and Alejandro "Sasha" Eros share the practices that connect them to their Catholic faith and how they wrestle with faith and doubt when confronted with religious skepticism and past atrocities committed by the Catholic Church.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
November 1, 2022
More stories about: Catholicism Indigenous
New acquaintances Maria Autrey and Jean Molesky-Poz reflect on the ways Indigenous spirituality emphasizes mutuality and how expressing that spirituality in combination with queer identity disrupts Catholic conceptions of linear time.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
November 1, 2022
More stories about: Catholicism Healing & Recovery
Colleagues Mary McLane and the Hon. Greg Saldivar discuss Greg's journey to sobriety and the power of family relationships to influence change.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
October 31, 2022
More stories about: Hinduism Immigration
Lolita Lodhia speaks with her daughter Sharmilla Lodhia about being forced to practice Christianity while growing up Hindu in South Africa, how their family's faith journey changed when they moved to California, and the spiritual legacy she wants to pass down.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
October 31, 2022
More stories about: Christianity Race
In a conversation with his wife, Tesenga "Shá" Smith, Tony Smith contrasts his father's Seventh-day Adventist church with his mother's African Methodist Episcopal congregation, recalling how their profoundly different ways of expressing faith impacted his childhood.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
October 31, 2022
More stories about: Catholicism Race
Friends and colleagues Alison Benders and Margaret contrast the place of joy and community (or lack thereof) in their childhood Catholic education and their experiences building relationships across racial boundaries.
This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.
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