From The Tribune
July 24, 2003
Pearls of wisdom:
Newton resident wins Daniel Pearl essay contest
By Melissa Beecher
|
Newton North graduate
Julia Carney, 17, winner of the Spirit of Daniel
Pearl Youth Writing Contest. (Photo by Lisa Cassidy) |
WALTHAM -- As Julia Carney sat eating lunch alongside
women at a homeless shelter, she began to realize intolerance
takes many forms.
As she sat in the church basement on Newbury Street,
the 17-year-old saw what she called society's subtle
disrespect to the women living in the shelter. The
Newton teen used that as the topic for an essay that
she submitted to the "Spirit of Daniel Pearl Youth
Writing Contest."
Yesterday, Carney was honored as the grand prize winner
in the contest at Boston's Old South Meeting House.
Hers was one of 500 entries in the nationwide contest.
"I am honored to be given this award," said
Carney. "I really connect with what Daniel Pearl
strove to do: create a dialogue between two groups
that might not connect."
Carney recently graduated from Newton North High School
and plans to attend Trinity College in Hartford in
the fall. She said a mentor, Alex Jones, a Harvard
professor, former New York Times reporter and Pulitzer
Prize winner, told her that she should enter the contest.
The editor-in-chief of Newton North High School's
paper, "The Newtonite," Carney said that
she is drawn to journalism, specifically to stories
like Pearl's that attempted to engage readers.
"I enjoy the fast pace of the business. Being
up against deadlines and communicating with people
was what drew me to journalism," said Carney.
The writing contest was established by the Daniel
Pearl Foundation and YouthNOISE, a Web site that promotes
teen advocacy. It was developed in memory of Pearl,
a writer for the Wall Street Journal who was kidnapped
on Jan. 23, 2002, and murdered by militant extremists
in Pakistan. The kidnapping came within days of the
U.S. attacks of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime.
The contest asked teenagers to respond to the question, "How
has Danny's story or some personal experience with
intolerance or cultural hatred affected you?"
"It's not enough to preach about respect for
others. For these lessons to have worth, students need
to go into the larger community and put what is taught
into practice," Carney's essay reads. "Furthermore,
they need to be able to recognize and respond to the
more subtle forms of disrespect that we show toward
people."
Carney wrote about the needs for students and society
to pursue tolerance.
She won a Sony Vaio laptop computer. Three other students
received cash awards. Maoz Brown, 18, of Kendall Park,
N.J., the first runner-up received $400. Erika Layman,
17, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Carrie Hollis,
13, from Hollis, N.H., tied for second runner-up and
received $200.
In a statement released by the foundation, Tamara
Pearl, sister of Daniel Pearl and a judge of the contest,
said that the essays were a way to keep her brother's
memory alive.
"These young people are making a difference in
their communities and each one is helping to eradicate
the ignorance and hatred that took Danny's life," Pearl
said. "It is critical that we listen to young
people who offer creative solutions to the hate they
see around them and encourage them to write."
© Copyright by the Herald
Interactive Advertising Systems, Inc
|