Spotlight: Embracing Tolerance Essay Contest Encourages Houston Students to Think about Religion and Culture

Each year, Rice University‘s Boniuk Institute hosts a writing competition called Embracing Tolerance. The contest, open to high school students in the greater Houston area, encourages young people to think about and engage with the idea of religious tolerance and coexistence. The 2015 prompt asked students to consider the qualities of a religiously tolerant culture and make concrete suggestions for encouraging those qualities to flourish.

The 2015 contest winners, who were awarded prizes of $200-$500 dollars, hail from Seven Lakes High School, The Kinkaid School, The John Cooper School, Carnegie Vanguard High School, Debakey High School, The Emery/Weiner School, Stephen F. Austin High School, Memorial High School, and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory Academy.

You can read more about the winners – and read their thought-provoking essays – here.

The Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance was founded in 2013 with a gift from Houston philanthropists Dr. Milton and Laurie Boniuk. Its mission is to promote religious tolerance through academic research, educational outreach, and fostering dialogue in Houston and the broader community.