Interfaith Leadership Summit

Student Reflection by Maya Mohanty ‘26

I had the honor of attending the Interfaith America Leadership Summit in Chicago, IL, for the

second time alongside my housemates Dana Kolesar ‘25, Grey Kennedy ‘25, and Rylee Marshall ‘26. The overarching theme this year was “The Ties That Bind,” in recognition of the

connections that weave together our identities, campuses, and communities. One highlight from the conference was Jenan Mohajir and Rebecca Russo speaking about navigating a

Jewish-Muslim friendship during the Palestine-Israel conflict. They spoke about protecting your

personal peace while also holding space for others and finding common ground to connect over - for them, it was a shared interest in music. 

When it comes to finding unity within our country and the world, the Olympics serve as a spectacular example. Being able to root for the best athletes at peak performance from all around the globe has always given me a profound sense of appreciation for our world’s society. Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, gave the opening speech of the conference and discussed how these world-renowned athletes prepare spiritually prior to their competitions through faith and non-faith traditions, as well as teammate cooperation between members of different faiths. I found his speech very moving; one line that stuck with me is “Diversity isn’t just the differences you like, but also the differences you don’t like.” Within interfaith work, we often talk about finding common ground over our similarities, but I also find it crucial to be able to acknowledge our different perspectives and have difficult conversations with an open mind. These conversations are often approached from the perspective of being ‘correct’ and trying to change others' minds, rather than being open to sharing and hearing about others' experiences with the goal of a deeper understanding of different perspectives. As an interfaith leader at OWU, I find this mindset to be the most important thing when approaching different conversations and general daily life around campus. 

The Summit was also a great chance to hear from other students at campuses around the country and about the interfaith work they’re doing at their colleges and universities. Having the chance to share this space and find unity with other interfaith leaders was a wonderful opportunity. I’m very excited to bring the knowledge I learned at the Summit back to our campus!

- Maya Mohanty ‘26

Interfaith House Moderator