Sink poses with her family after receiving the Ann Gill Excellence in Teaching Award But, she says, her practice turned fundamental. She began to “pity” non-Christians and became, by her own admonition, “narrow-minded and narrow-hearted.” A de-conversion experience swung her beliefs the opposite direction, and today identifies as a Secular Humanist, who is deeply committed to reaching across faith and belief lines to create common ground. Sink learned to “talk across party lines” as a CSU communication studies graduate student. She was heavily influenced by emeritus professor Dr. Cindy Griffin, who helped originate the concept of “invitational communication,” an approach that centers on understanding another’s perspective. As the first graduate student to intern with the department’s Center for Public Deliberation, Sink found “a great deal of fulfillment in conversations that veer away from a winner-loser model, to one where greater understanding and respect is the goal,” Sinks says. She learned to “trust the discomfort of disagreement” while helping train other students to become facilitators. Sink’s commitment to interfaith dialogue and service learning were recognized in spring 2016 when the Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) presented her with an Instructional Innovation in Service-Learning Award. Two weeks later, Sink

200 × 356 Overcoming Divisiveness
Sink poses with her family after receiving award

Sink poses with her family after receiving the Ann Gill Excellence in Teaching Award
But, she says, her practice turned fundamental. She began to “pity” non-Christians and became, by her own admonition, “narrow-minded and narrow-hearted.” A de-conversion experience swung her beliefs the opposite direction, and today identifies as a Secular Humanist, who is deeply committed to reaching across faith and belief lines to create common ground.

Sink learned to “talk across party lines” as a CSU communication studies graduate student. She was heavily influenced by emeritus professor Dr. Cindy Griffin, who helped originate the concept of “invitational communication,” an approach that centers on understanding another’s perspective.

As the first graduate student to intern with the department’s Center for Public Deliberation, Sink found “a great deal of fulfillment in conversations that veer away from a winner-loser model, to one where greater understanding and respect is the goal,” Sinks says. She learned to “trust the discomfort of disagreement” while helping train other students to become facilitators.

Sink’s commitment to interfaith dialogue and service learning were recognized in spring 2016 when the Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) presented her with an Instructional Innovation in Service-Learning Award. Two weeks later, Sink

Sink poses with her family after receiving the Ann Gill Excellence in Teaching Award
But, she says, her practice turned fundamental. She began to “pity” non-Christians and became, by her own admonition, “narrow-minded and narrow-hearted.” A de-conversion experience swung her beliefs the opposite direction, and today identifies as a Secular Humanist, who is deeply committed to reaching across faith and belief lines to create common ground.

Sink learned to “talk across party lines” as a CSU communication studies graduate student. She was heavily influenced by emeritus professor Dr. Cindy Griffin, who helped originate the concept of “invitational communication,” an approach that centers on understanding another’s perspective.

As the first graduate student to intern with the department’s Center for Public Deliberation, Sink found “a great deal of fulfillment in conversations that veer away from a winner-loser model, to one where greater understanding and respect is the goal,” Sinks says. She learned to “trust the discomfort of disagreement” while helping train other students to become facilitators.

Sink’s commitment to interfaith dialogue and service learning were recognized in spring 2016 when the Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) presented her with an Instructional Innovation in Service-Learning Award. Two weeks later, Sink