“Growing up in San Francisco, I was steeped in liberal ideas far more than any religious tradition. I attended various services throughout my childhood with extended family and close friends, but never identified with any religion. And in middle school, when I learned that religion was frequently a factor of wars and conflicts around the world, I thought organized religion bred hatred and division—blind faith leading to blind war.
As I matured, I quickly realized the flaws of this perspective, and throughout high school I worked to fill in the gaps—adding individuality by asking my friends about their relationships with religion and adding complexity by learning more about the religions themselves and other forces that shape world conflicts.
Coming to Georgetown was coming full circle. Although technically I would be labeled as agnostic, I like to think of my faith as belief in kindness, honesty, community, empathy, and joy—and I have witnessed those values in every religion represented on campus. Here, on the Hilltop, the diversity of religion that once seemed so divisive to me has been transformed into a beautiful. powerful, and inclusive community.”
