I have always wanted to help people but often come up empty-handed. Backpacking around the world as an 18-year-old can do two things to a person: make them feel hopeless to the extent of defeat or convict them with a profound purpose. 

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Journalism and design are mirrors. I chose this major as an undergraduate because I wanted to help reflect people's lives, positive or negative, on the world. I tried to lift people and call people out. Communication is more than projecting what we want people to believe about us; it is about learning how to hear and be heard in a world of 7.5 billion voices. In the process, I knew there are many sides to every story, and a well-informed, historically sound, articulate author is often hard to find. This sparked my Master's degree in theology, where I honed my reading, writing,  public speaking, and communications skills.

In the process, I learned how to care for communities through hard and soft skills, be a non-anxious presence amid crisis, and effectively grow people's potential through spiritual care, fundraising, development, health and wellness, and being a mirror to their strengths. 

Marjorie Anne Foster is known for her leadership, organization, communication, curiosity, creativity, and adaptability. Foster’s most impactful experience during her undergraduate career was Multifaith Scholars, a two-year, closely mentored, experientially rich, and academically rigorous scholarship program. From 2018 - 2020, Foster researched college-age Muslims' experiences in the southeastern United States. Her work has since been published in multiple journals, read at various conferences, and awarded nationally. For Foster, the work came to life when she could sit with students and hear their stories. The papers and multimedia content seemed to write themselves as Foster dove into creatively displaying their stories to an audience larger than her academic community. In seeing the gaps in spaces where people of different backgrounds could learn about others, Foster created a partnership with the local Mosque that brought Elon students to Friday prayer and lunch with the mosque leaders. The partnership still exists today.  

In the spring of 2020, Foster received Princeton in Asia, Peace Corps, and Fulbright placements. However, due to COVID-19, Foster shifted her plans and received a full academic scholarship to Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Her focus was world religions and modern religious thought. While classes remained virtual, Foster started her paddleboard and surf tour company in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Outside of her ocean activities, Foster interned with South Carolina Interfaith Power and Light, where she brought together knowledge on interfaith, event coordination, multimedia design and communications, organization, and management. Upon arriving in Atlanta in 2021, Foster explored her interest in the intersection of ministry with communal health while working with a homeless ministry in downtown Atlanta (Church of the Common Ground). Foster discovered her passion for working with diverse populations within a small, tight-knit team during that time. Her work with narratives, people, and communities allowed her to continue researching effective methods to grow people’s potential through spiritual care, health, and wellness. 

Since 2022, Foster has been working on various fundraising initiatives. Through volunteer work and her current employer, Foster has hit her stride in developing strategy, creating giving campaigns, grant writing, board training, and foundation outreach. Interested in a freelance grant writer or communications support? Contact below!

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