Senior Lea Kayali is the first place winner of the 2015 Maltz Museum’s “Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out!” essay contest. She received a four-year $40,000 scholarship for her essay about facing discrimination as an Arab-American.
“I am Palestinian, but I am not the enemy,” writes Lea in her essay. “To prevent the intolerance that’s all too prevalent in our society, I’ve taken a stand. This summer, I posted about my desire to counteract the hatred that accompanies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, branding myself with the hashtag: #IStandWithPeace,” she says.
In addition to her social media outreach, Lea has also given speeches about the conflict in her classes, and is a leader in the Student Group on Race Relations (SGORR).
Read Lea's essay.
Junior Amani Hill and senior Abby White were also among the contest’s Top 10 Finalists, and each received a $500 cash prize. Amani wrote about educating herself and others about the importance of African history and culture as means of combating ignorance and prejudice. Amani is a SGORR leader and is a mentor with the MAC (Minority Achievement Committee) Sister Scholars.
Read Amani's essay.
Abby’s essay spoke about her efforts to prevent bullying, in part by starting a local chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, a service organization that supports victims of bullying. Abby also uses her position as print manager of The Shakerite as a platform to raise awareness about intolerance, and she is a member of SGORR.
Read Abby's essay.
All three students are enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at the High School. The students’ English teachers this year are Charles Kelly and Emily Shrestha.
Watch a WKYC Channel 3 interview with Lea: http://on.wkyc.com/1Rerdd1.