Center for Continuous Learning

Angelica Acosta Garnett was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 17. Her personal journey has given her deep insight into the immigrant experience and the challenges of navigating the U.S. immigration system. She holds bachelor’s degrees in history and religion and a graduate degree in social studies education from the University of Florida. Throughout her career, Angelica has been dedicated to education, advocacy, and immigrant support. She has worked as a U.S. government teacher, a Communities in Schools site coordinator, an immigration law paralegal, and an interpreter/translator. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Asylum Narrative Translation Project at Abara, a program designed to provide asylum seekers with a safe space to share their stories of departure and transform them into legal narratives that can be used in immigration court, in legal consultations, or wherever they need to be heard. She understands the power of storytelling in the immigration process and believes that sharing personal experiences in a supportive environment fosters healing, dignity, and solidarity. In addition to her work with asylum seekers, Angelica is a speaker and trainer, leading workshops for groups and organizations that seek to better understand and support immigrant communities. She is also part of the hospitality team at Abara, where she helps connect individuals and groups from across the country to the realities of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Her work reflects a deep commitment to justice, education, and the empowerment of immigrant voices.

Rev. Dr. Easten Law is an ordained pastor in the American Baptist Churches, USA, serving at NextGen Church in West Windsor, NJ.  After completing his Ph.D. from Georgetown University, he served as the Associate Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary.  His research and ministry are focused on lived theologies of migration and diaspora experience, especially among Asians and Asian Americans navigating trans-Pacific and trans-national senses of belonging and calling. 

Sonia Lee is a certified Narrative-Focused Trauma Care, Somatic, Inner Child Healing Coach who serves individuals and communities navigating burnout, betrayal, grief, and the lingering effects of childhood trauma. Through her coaching practice, Land of the Living, she supports adults in reconnecting with inner safety, emotional resilience, and the deeper stories held within the heart and body. Sonia’s work weaves somatic regulation, inner-child work, embodied storytelling, and compassionate presence to help others transform pain into clarity, grounding, and renewed personal agency. Drawing from her own lived experiences and her years of supporting individuals in spiritual, communal, and care-giving environments, Sonia is committed to co-creating spaces where tenderness, truth, and transformation become possible. She believes healing is both personal and communal, and that when our stories are honored, they become pathways to freedom, grounded agency, wisdom, strength, and love. Her mission is to bring trauma awareness and healing to wider communities—restoring dignity, expanding compassion, and reminding people that their stories hold both survival and sacredness.