Every year, the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity presents an award to a student that writes on a topic he or she feels strongly about. The winner this year was Alexandra Stewart, a 2015 UNM graduate, according to wdrb.com.
Stewart’s essay was titled “The Ethics of Transcendence,” and it focused on personal encounters she faced dealing with sexual violence.
“This experience changed her perceptions of cross-cultural interactions, leading her to believe that ethics must transcend cultural traditions,” KSLA news stated in a release.
“We must understand that, although we operate in separate spheres, humanity as a whole is constantly impacted by the opinions we hold as individuals … if we are unable to put aside our differences to surmount the barriers we have created for ourselves, perhaps we are missing the point of life itself,” Stewart stated in her essay.
The Prize in Ethics Essay Contest is held once a year by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, according to the foundation’s website. It began in 1989.
Stewart was one of thousands of students who submitted an essay this year, but she alone came out on top with a first-place finish.
Matthew Narvaiz a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @RealMattNarvaiz.
