Meet Our Scholars

Nathan Samayo (any pronouns) was born in Guåhan and raised in Tacoma, Washington. He is graduating in 2023 with a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School where he focused on religion and decolonial thought in the Pacific Islander diaspora. He will continue his research at Princeton Theological Seminary in a Religion Ph.D. program studying religion, military technology, and climate change in the Pacific. Nathan has served in multiple leadership roles including Student Body President of Seattle Pacific University for two consecutive years from 2018-2020, a youth pastor in Ipswich, Massachusetts., and a co-coordinator of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Working Group on the Committee for Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights (Ethnic Studies) at Harvard University. Nathan is deeply grateful for his tight-knit communities, family, and ancestors who have paved the way for him to be where he is. Nathan loves reading, dancing, and family BBQs, and aspires to be a hip-hop DJ at some point in his life. After his Ph.D., Nathan wants to be a university religious studies professor, high school English teacher, and farmer.