MIM announces 2019 essay contest winners
Once again in 2019 the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium sponsored an essay contest open to seniors at Gateway High School. Applicants were asked to write a short essay about the benefits of living in an interfaith community.
First place went to Amanda Pugliano, who received an award of $300. Second place was awarded to Jamey Baker, who received a $150 award. Congratulations to Amanda and Jamey, and thank you to all the students who entered.
The winning essays are reprinted below.
First Place – Amanda Pugliano
In growing up and attending a Lutheran church, I was taught to not only love my congregation but also love all my neighbors regardless of their religion. God accepts me for who I am, and he teaches me to act in the same way. The bible has instilled in me morals and values.
Although raised Lutheran, I attended a Methodist church for preschool, and went to several events with my Catholic grandmother, who is a member at St. Bernadette’s church. My mother was even on the festival committee for the church to help make sure the fundraiser would be a success. For a few years, I went to a weekly AWANA class at a Baptist church with two of my friends. Because of this, my family taught me to treat all religions equally, and in the end, we all have similar core values, love, acceptance, respect, and faith.
I feel privileged to live in Monroeville because of the many cultures represented in the area. Going to a public school, I am exposed to meeting people of different religions without thinking any differently about them. In 2015, one of my friends that needed to move to a different country for her father’s work asked me a big favor. One of her friends from the mosque needed help running a bake sale to raise money for his Relay for Life team. Without hesitation, my friends and I offered to bake cupcakes and cookies and to help at the mosque. Although I felt uncomfortable and out of place because I did not know any traditions, they quickly accepted me during the dinner fundraiser at the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. The stereotypes that I heard blasted on the news did not compare to the love and acceptance I felt that night. Many people in other communities do not feel the same was about other religions than their own because they solely rely on the news and social media to create an opinion for them about religion, but in living in Monroeville, I am able to experience a wide array of religions and cultures.
During the fall semester of my senior year, I took Mr. Whelan’s world religions course. I had a basic understanding of the five major religions from past history classes and enjoyed learning about the different beliefs all around the world. I chose this elective because the subject interested me. Each day, we talked about the beliefs, symbols, and practices of each religion. Because our class only had about ten people in it, each day we could talk freely and ask any questions we had. This class is incomparable to any other elective offered at Gateway, and I would recommend it to anyone, even if they are not interested in the subject. For each religion, Mr. Whelan brought in a guest speaker. Whether it was a fellow student, a monk, a rabbi, a deacon, or an emam, the experience of talking to a worshiper of each religion deepened my understanding. At the end of the semester, our class took a van to four places of worship in Monroeville. Not realizing how closely all of the houses of worships were, we made it around Monroeville spending at least an hour at each place in one day. We were able to see and understand each religion and apply what we learned in class on our journey out into Monroeville. Like I said earlier, I had been to the mosque before, but now I was able to see everything we learned in class along with Emam Abdul showing us, teaching us, and answering any questions for us along the way. Unaware of the majesty of the SV Temple, my entire class was in awe at the beauty this building had. Once inside, we admired the ornate golden statues and decor. On this day, the followers happened to be celebrating a birthday, so we were able to sit in on a service. I have never experienced anything comparable to this. The new sights, smells, and sounds left me talking for days about the time we spend at the temple. Additionally, we were able to talk with tour guide and eat traditional food afterwards. After our time at the SV temple, we headed to the Temple David to meet with Rabbi Symons. Welcoming just as she was in class the week after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, Rabbi Symons met us with snacks and taught us even more than we learned in class about Judaism. Because of the recent shooting in Pittsburgh, this trip to the Temple David meant so much to me in sharing the love God teaches me to share. Finally, we were able to see the Buddhist Temple, of which I did not even know was in Monroeville. At this location, I felt the most relaxed and comfortable. The monks led us in meditation, which was unlike anything I have ever experienced. At the end, they also gave us a handbook to Buddhism and a meditation guide to take home and continue our education. My experience on this field trip was certainly unlike any other field trip I have taken.
Because I live in Monroeville, I am able to have exposure to many religions and faiths. Learning and experiencing each religion has taught me to have even more respect than I already did for each religion. The memories I made at each place of worship is something I will carry with me in heading into the future and the real world. As I head away from Monroeville this fall, I will continue to treat all people with respect and look forward to having the chance to experience more religions.
Second Place – Jamey Baker
The blessings of living in an interfaith community are endless. Increased creativity, recognition of values, empowerment, and celebrations are all worthy of a community’s gratitude. The greatest aspect of diversity in a community, in my opinion, is the openness it offers. Openness of mindsets, perspectives, and respect stem from learning integration is vital.
Living in Monroeville my whole life, not once has it crossed my mind that I am above someone or that they are above me. Gateway School District alone remains so diverse, it is normalized and I dd not realize the blessing in front of me. Every religion has passed through and made an impact at Gateway, and to have these students learn about each set of rituals, beliefs, and experiences excites me. Taking World Religions as an elective my senior year opened this already widely diverse experience of high school further. Discussion takes this class and school into a deep level of understanding of each other; seeing everyone equally without race or religion attached. Religion is such a large part of most people’s lives, it cannot go ignored and the more it does the more ignorant the community it. Luckily, Monroeville as a city is extremely unique, where this list of Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and more continue to thrive. Growing up on the same street as the Hindu Jain Temple, volunteering for a bake sale at the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, and attending St. Bernadette Catholic Church every weekend led to my acceptance and cognizance of numerous religions, as well as the people in them and how they are not defined by their religious label. I believe this goes for all Monroeville residents, experience weaved into their lives without them knowing.
Beyond religion, diversity of race is evidently important. Monroeville lands itself as a growing city, exit from the Turnpike and Parkway, east of Pittsburgh; all factors for a mixing pot of diversity. The restaurants alone stand for all types of culture, the owners working a family business and striving to make Monroeville even more open to the food and ideas of different ethnicities. Development cannot occur if there is no diversity; uniformity would have a community fixed on a single state of mind forever.
Race and religion are thought of often when thinking of the diversity that is sought after in a developing community. However, gender, sexual orientation, background, and age make differences in one’s life. Monroeville excels at embodying these attributes and offers events, spaces, separate communities to grant the feeling of comfort to all types of people. Gateway School District alone has an LGBTQ+ Club, Girl’s Group, Black Student Union, and countless more associations where everyone is welcome and the community is benefitted by their efforts.
Living in an interfaith community allows members of it to expand their mindset, develop interpersonal skills to relate to each group of people, make connections and relationships, and live a more peaceful and harmonious life. Comprehending an individual’s struggles, priorities, and perspectives gives you a reality check on how enormous the world is and what it means to accept each other with no judgement. Monroeville does an excellent job at integrating all races, religions, genders, age, background, and everything else that makes an individual unique, and for that we as a community are blessed beyond belief.
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