I was born in Detroit, Michigan during the Second World War. I have lived in Michigan my entire life, except for the last two years, when I lived in Florida. I graduated from high school in 1962, right during the beginning of a very unique period of U.S. history. I began my pursuit of higher education studying Fine Arts, but quit school after two years, and married my high school sweetheart. It was the 60’s and I got involved in both the new feminist and the anti-war movements. I was one of those women who was raised to get married and have children and found myself in a new reality of women’s rights and independence. It changed my life forever. My husband and I divorced after 10 years. We have one child, Monica, who lives in Mt Pleasant. I eventually found my back to college, attending the University of Michigan and earning a degree in Physical Geography.

I have had a series of work experiences along the way too numerous to mention, so I will begin where it is relevant to our community. I was the coordinator of Special Media Services at Central Michigan University from 1979 until 1994. During my time there, I worked on and received an M.A. in Counseling. After graduating, I started a counseling practice, Community Counseling Associates, here in Mt. Pleasant. In 1995, I sold the practice and I moved to East Lansing to take a position in a large group practice, Comprehensive Psychological Services.

I have lived in the country on various farms most of my adult life. The last one, a 10 acre organic market garden farm, was in Bath, Michigan. My partner of 22 years, Deb Allore, and I grew fruit and vegetables and herbs for our own use and to sell at the local Farm Market. At 70 years old, I decided that I was done with working that hard. Many of our friends and some family had moved to Florida, so we joined them two years ago.

I missed my family, including daughter Monica, granddaughter Veronica, her partner Michael and their children, my great grandchildren, Mia 11, Jordan 9, Aria 4 and Michael 2. All of my great grandchildren are proud members of the Chippewa Tribe. We recently bought a condominium here in Mt. Pleasant, as a second home, so that I could spend time with my family.
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I was raised Catholic, left that during my 20’s and I have wandered and explored many different faith communities for a very long time. Since moving here, I discovered the UU church, and I immediately felt a connection. Social activism and human rights have been a consistent thread throughout my adult life. I am attracted to that being the foundation of this church, I am also drawn to the commitment to community. I am happy to become a member and have a spiritual home. I am passionate about combating racism, women’s rights, domestic violence, environmental issues and the corporate take-over of our food supply. Music is my most important hobby - attending concerts, and collecting CDs. I have a very wide range of listening taste and have 100 stations on my Pandora. Ambient, blues, classic rock and fusion jazz interest me the most right now.

Carla Jensen moved to Mt. Pleasant from Montreal, Quebec in 2013 when her husband accepted a faculty position at CMU. She leads the Alma College study abroad program and administers their Alma Venture program, which provides grants to students to support internships, study abroad, research, and other hands-on learning experiences. Her favorite part of her job is helping students access opportunities that immerse them in new environments that stretch their comfort zone, help them learn more about themselves and others, and encourage them to think critically about their place in the world. She hopes that membership in the UUFCM will do the same in her own life. 

Carla loves hiking, canoeing, reading, cooking, and – more than anything – her daughter, Isla. She has an interest (and a Masters degree) in urban (land use) planning and risk mitigation and looks forward to becoming more involved in her adopted community. This is Carla’s first time being a member of a faith community. 

​I was born in Germany and raised in Belgium to a German mother and a father with Belgian, Dutch, German and Swiss ancestry. I came to the United States in the sixties, experiencing some of turmoil of the civil rights movement. Following my undergraduate and MA degrees, I earned a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. My two children, Erika and Arnout, arrived during my graduate school years, and grew up respectively to become a physician and automotive engineer. Four of my five grandchildren now live overseas, and Erika recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

I became an economics professor at CMU in 1981 and switched my teaching to sociology after a decade. This reflected a growing need to conduct research and work in areas related to social justice. I currently teach courses in racism and inequality, gender issues, social justice in the global society, and human trafficking. The opportunity to teach such courses makes it difficult for me to think about retirement any time soon.
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Even though I was pretty much raised in an atheist environment, I have been attracted to the UU Fellowship for several years because of its freedom of thought and emphasis placed on social justice  and the struggle to end poverty. The welcome extended by the Fellowship to the Central Michigan Sangha, of which I am a member, has encouraged me to start attending the Fellowship Meetings and formalize my membership.