D Bouchard(they, them) is a death doula who chose Bluestem as a site placement for their Masters degree from the School of Social Work. D grew up in rural New England where they spent the majority of their adolescent years deep within nature and on the water. They moved to the Triangle area to pursue a graduate degree in social work at UNC, with focus on macro death and dying and gerontology. D assisted Bluestem on green burial outreach with the community, conversations support of green burial services, liaison with the death care community, and the development of policies and operational systems. D can be found in the Triangle area pursuing xxx.
Duke Divinity School
Katie Mangum (she/her) worked with Bluestem during her time as a master’s student at Duke Divinity School and in the Nicholas School of the Environment’s Community-Based Environmental Program. In her studies and work, Katie focuses on the intersection between environmental science, community building, storytelling, and spirituality, so the partnership with Bluestem immediately clicked. In Katie’s words: “Learning with Bluestem has totally expanded my imagination for what deeply meaningful death care and community-centric environmental work can look and feel like. This is a special place, a special project, and most of all, a special community. It has been a joy to become part of it!”