Two Forest Hills Eastern students, driven by their desire to broaden their own horizons, have taken the initiative to expand the perspectives of their peers.
Junior Harpreet Kaur and her brother, eighth-grader Angad Singh, are drawing on their experiences with the Kaufman Interfaith Institute of Grand Valley State University. As student leaders, they are openly discussing their Sikh culture and religion to educate others and encourage them to share their own backgrounds.
“There’s a lot of ignorance without knowledge about the (Sikh) religion, you kind of assume, and that’s how stereotypes and misinformation spreads,” Angad said. “So I feel like just learning about that and having more access to knowledge and more interest in learning about it, it definitely helps.”
During a discussion on religions in her AP World History class, Harpreet was one of several students who stepped forward to share her experience with Sikhism, the fifth-largest religion in the world.
Forest Hills Eastern teacher Richard Kelbel said that at the start of each year, his AP World History students work on a “World Religions Conference” project. This project helps students explore major world religions, understand their impact on history, and develop awareness of their similarities and differences to become more empathetic toward various customs and beliefs.
Kelbel said he became aware through discussions that several students, including Harpreet, were practicing Sikhs.
“As students learned more about this religion, the practicing Sikh students in my class, such as Harpreet, willingly shared their experiences and beliefs,” he said. “This really helped not only the understanding of Sikhism for my students, and myself, but there was also a noticeable shift in the productive discussion surrounding differing religions.
“In this hour particularly, students seemed to grow closer through this discussion.”
Harpreet agreed that she, too, felt like students connected through the discussions.
“I’ve struggled with self-confidence, especially growing up Sikh and coming from an immigrant family, but I’ve learned that believing in yourself is key. When you’re confident, others will see that and be drawn to you.”
Read the complete story online by School News Network to learn more about how these two are bridging awareness, acceptance, and understanding in their school community and through GVSU’s Kaufman Interfaith Institute.
