Kimberley Gordy ’06, M.Div., is a good listener. Throughout her career, she has listened to people’s stories during moments of uncertainty, whether they’re applying for college or experiencing a health crisis.

Gordy graduated Goucher with a biology degree, then worked at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, researching pulmonary hypertension. She longed for more human interaction, though, so she decided to apply for an open position as admissions officer at Goucher (with the encouragement of the dean of students at the time, Gail Edmonds, and former classmate Ginnia Higgins Hargins ’06. “It was about building relationships and bringing other people to an experience that was transformative for me,” said Gordy.

Gordy loved the work of empowering young people. “It’s always been part of the fabric of who I am,” she said. She came from a family of educators and was supported by the adults around her. It taught her that “education as a vehicle for change and enlightenment is one of the most empowering tools for people as they figure out what’s next for them.”

Gordy went on to a similar position at George Washington University, but she wanted to have even more of an impact on students, so she left the college side of admissions for the high school side, accepting a position as director of college counseling at the all-girls St. Timothy’s School, just outside Baltimore. “I was really drawn to St. Tims because of the girls’ leadership emphasis,” she said.

Faith has always been important to Gordy, but St. Tim’s, with its weekly chapel services, made her realize that much of her work wasn’t about the college decision itself. “It was about helping the young women figure out what they wanted for themselves,” said Gordy. She saw “how faith and spiritual tools could help facilitate decisions for people through transitional stages of life.”

She decided chaplaincy would be a good fit, so she enrolled in Union Theological Seminary in New York. Gordy took on several leadership roles at Union, becoming a student worship coordinator and the leader of the Black Women’s Caucus, which hosted events and lectures, ran specialized chapel services, and collaborated with groups throughout the city. “It was a big commitment, but it was also a good unifier for the community and good exposure to different faiths and ideas,” she said.

Today, Gordy works in the spiritual care department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, while training to become an educator for chaplaincy students. “Being a witness for someone’s story, or bearing witness to their pain and suffering, can be challenging, but also it feels like a privilege,” said Gordy. She feels honored to form connections with people during their vulnerable moments. “Part of our role is to help people make meaning of their experiences. That can be about their illness, their pain, their relationship with a higher power. Or they just need someone to listen. Every interaction is unique, and I don’t necessarily know what’s going to happen until I go in the room.”