Hi! I’m Kristin Thomas Sancken, a writer, editor and book coach based out of Charlottesville, Virginia, where I live with my husband, two kids, and zealous Golden Retriever.
I was born in Panama and raised in Mexico. Today, my kids don’t speak a lick of Spanish. Our roots are straddled across the east coast and the Midwest of the United States.
EDUCATION
Looking back, I see the thread of my two vocations – to be of service, and to read and write. My undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University was a dual major in International Service and the Humanities. After college, I spent several years helping Latino families navigate the American public school and mental health systems before going back to school for a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. I worked at a rural weekly newspaper while completing my MSW coursework. My combination of skills allowed me to lead communications for a children’s welfare non-profit. Like many of us, the pandemic generated deep self-contemplation, particularly examining how the generational trauma we carry from our parents and grandparents forms our emotional and spiritual development. I pursued those questions in a Doctorate of Ministry program at Western Theological Seminary in “The Sacred Art of Writing,” which I graduated from in May of 2024.
AWARDS
I have won a variety of awards for my writing, including: