Elise Dubravec is in her last year as a Master of Divinity student at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, CA.

Born and raised in Illinois, Elise received her B.A. in Sociology and Religious Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While attending UIC, she was involved with the Newman Catholic Center by leading and directing retreats and serving as president of the student organization.

After her undergraduate studies, Elise served as a youth minister and Confirmation catechist for two years within the Diocese of Joliet, IL. Desiring further formation and training, she sought out graduate programs and began her time at JST in the fall of 2019.

Elise has centered her studies on advocating for women’s leadership and ordination along with LGBTQ+ ministry. During the height of the pandemic, she was a liturgical leader and presider for FutureChurch’s virtual liturgies. She interned at the University of San Francisco’s Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition. There she created and directed a retreat called “Women’s Anger Inspiring Prophetic Action” and facilitated the discussion series “Women’s Experiences and the Jesuit Mission: Discerning the Next Ten Years.” She contributed an article of the same title to the Lane Center’s magazine, Pierless Bridges.  

Her exegesis on the story of Susanna titled "Women's Silenced Anger: A Feminist Reading of Susanna" is published in the “At a Crossroads” issue of New Horizons, JST’s student-led, peer-reviewed journal.

Elise is a blog contributor for New Ways Ministry, an organization that advocates for reconciliation and justice for LGBTQ+ Catholics.