Dana Trent grew up surrounded by two religions: one from the Bible, the other from the streets.

Eventually, she was able to embrace the first while surviving the second. Now, as an assistant professor of Humanities, she teaches Wake Tech students about the beliefs and customs of various religions around the world.

"I'm fluid about religion," said Trent, an ordained Southern Baptist minister who is married to a devout Hindu. "I'm still a student of world religions myself."

Few have experienced religion like Trent did as a child, however. As she chronicled in her memoir, "Between Two Trailers," her father ran a drug-trafficking ring in a small Indiana town and sometimes enlisted his young daughter to help package dime bags and serve as a lookout.

"The drug business is a religion unto itself," she said, noting it has its own doctrine and hierarchy and recalling how her father would quote Bible verses while talking with others in the drug network.

But both her parents also were extremely religious in the churchgoing sense. That meant she regularly attended Sunday services and watched televangelist Robert Schuller's "Hour of Power" show.

"Religion was always an undercurrent to our story," she said, even after her parents divorced and she moved with her mother to North Carolina.

Her mother insisted she apply to divinity schools after finishing her undergraduate degree at Salem College in Winston-Salem. Trent had planned on becoming a lawyer, but she "caved" to her mother's wishes, and instead of going to law school, she earned a master's degree from Duke University's Divinity School.

Trent says she began to "entertain other religious traditions" while serving as a chaplain at UNC Hospitals, where she encountered patients and family members from different backgrounds. Her curiosity only grew after her marriage, and the couple checked out services at area churches, temples and mosques.

Although she recalls drawing up lesson plans on a toy chalkboard and passing out copies of National Geographic as textbooks to a group of imaginary students as a child, Trent says she never envisioned a career in teaching. But after a series of uninspiring desk jobs, she felt called to be in front of a classroom. She worked for a few years in adjunct teaching jobs in three counties, including at Wake Tech, before the college hired her full time in 2018.

"I feel called to offer support and resources to students who don't have resources because I've been there," she said. "I know their struggles."

Trent, who has written several books on religion, engages in dialogue with students about their own religious beliefs and customs to open them up to exploring how other people worship. She routinely brings iconography, prayer beads and other items to class to illustrate traditions that cross religious boundaries.

"If they view it academically, it gives them some distance – permission – to be curious without affecting their personal beliefs," she said.

For those who have difficulty accepting other customs, she says simply, "I invite skepticism," noting that often produces the best classroom discussions.

"She engages with us and allows us to engage with our peers," Associate in Arts student Myah Boston said. "It's eye-opening. It's very refreshing."

Associate in Arts student Sage Gaska agrees, saying Trent is passionate about world religions.

"It's an environment that's open to expression. You're not afraid to speak up," he said.

Given the extremely personal nature of religion and how it has become intertwined with social and political issues from the U.S. to the Middle East, Trent said she tries to build a community in her classes where students respect each other despite their differences.

"They're learning to be neighbors with each other," she said. "We keep connected through shared concepts of love and empathy."

Trent says her rough upbringing has filled her with empathy for students who might be living on the margins, have mental health issues or are simply searching for meaning.

"My whole life has been one of searching for meaning," she said. "My work at Wake Tech is part of the answer."