MY NAME IS ESTHER SEHA
I am a political scientist, educator, mentor, and baker concerned with social justice and cake.
I was born and raised in Germany to an American father and a German mother who taught me the love of life, the importance of being a learner, and the indispensability of community. After receiving my doctorate in political science from Leuphana University Lüneburg in 2014 and being a visiting post-doctoral researcher at Boston University in 2015, I decided to transplant myself to my father’s native home state of Minnesota to explore what being an activist thinker around food and social justice could look like.
‘Cake & Conversation’ is the result of my 5-year journey in mind, body, and soul to becoming a baker of conversations, a maker of cake, and a shaker of ideas.
I am experienced working in a variety of settings including universities, schools (K-12), non-profit organizations, social movements, and businesses in the United States as well as Germany. My work includes:
Designing and leading educational experiences around food and social science content
Planning, organizing, and executing food/cake events that center conversation
Providing mentorship and idea sharpening for individuals and small groups
Facilitating processes of organizational development and strategic planning
Making food/cake art
I love black clothes and looking at the sky. I am smitten by round things and small things hidden from plain sight. I find the bicycle to be the most honest and invigorating form of human transportation. My trinity muses are dictionaries, encyclopedias, and walking through the world with open eyes and heart.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Political Science
Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany, 2014
Master of Arts in Political Science
Free University Berlin, Germany, 2008
FURTHER QUALIFICATIONS
Foundations of Remote Instruction Certificate
Literacy Minnesota, 2021
Teaching Food and Nutrition for All
Teachers College, Columbia University, 2020
Essentials of the Art of Coaching Workshop
Bright Morning, 2020
Master Recycler/Composter
Hennepin County, Minnesota, 2017