Seeds of Peace

• Job: Undergraduate Student | University of Virginia
• Regional Programming: Thanksgiving retreats, visits to the region
• Years at Camp: 2004, 2005
• American Delegation
• Age: 21

Please list any Seeds of Peace programs you have participated in post-camp?
In the spring of 2006, I started a scholarship fund to enable one of my best friends from Seeds of Peace, a Muslim Palestinian of my same age named Omar Dreidi, to attain his dreams of attending university in America. Through much hard work and against heavy adversity, Omar is in his fourth and final year at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. I pledged to raise nearly $90,000 to help pay his tuition and expenses and am about $25,000 away from achieving my goal.

After many online and local articles written about us, PEOPLE Magazine featured a story about me and Omar in their "Heroes Among Us" section on page 86 of this year's September 7th issue.

In what ways has your experience at Seeds of Peace impacted you as a person?
My two summers at Seeds of Peace were the some of the most formidable experiences of my life. The diverse and challenging interactions at camp taught me how to engage with those very different from myself. I am also far more tolerant and open-minded as a direct result of my time in Maine.
Seeds of Peace also spurred my passion for race relations and conflict resolution, fields in which I eventually hope to work in some capacity.