Forest Hills — Two Forest Hills Eastern students, driven by their desire to broaden their own horizons, have taken the initiative to expand the perspectives of their peers.
Junior Harpreet Kaur and her brother, eighth-grader Angad Singh, are drawing on their experiences with the Kaufman Interfaith Institute of Grand Valley State University. As student leaders, they are openly discussing their Sikh culture and religion to educate others and encourage them to share their own backgrounds.
“There’s a lot of ignorance without knowledge about the (Sikh) religion, you kind of assume, and that’s how stereotypes and misinformation spreads,” Angad said. “So I feel like just learning about that and having more access to knowledge and more interest in learning about it, it definitely helps.”
Both students have worked toward helping to break down those stereotypes by openly sharing about the Sikh religion, along with encouraging students to be more active in their community through volunteering and participating in extracurricular activities.
‘I’ve struggled with self-confidence, especially growing up Sikh and coming from an immigrant family, but I’ve learned that believing in yourself is key.’
— Junior Harpreet Kaur
A Willingness to Share
During a discussion on religions in her AP World History class, Harpreet was one of several students who stepped forward to share her experience with Sikhism, the fifth largest religion in the world.
Forest Hills Eastern teacher Richard Kelbel said that at the start of each year, his AP World History students work on a “World Religions Conference” project. This project helps students explore major world religions, understand their impact on history, and develop awareness of their similarities and differences to become more empathetic toward various customs and beliefs.
Kelbel said he became aware through discussions that several students, including Harpreet, were practicing Sikhs.
“As students learned more about this religion, the practicing Sikh students in my class, such as Harpreet, willingly shared their experiences and beliefs,” he said. “This really helped not only the understanding of Sikhism for my students, and myself, but there was also a noticeable shift in the productive discussion surrounding differing religions.
“In this hour particularly, students seemed to grow closer through this discussion.”
Harpreet agreed that she too felt like students connected through the discussions.
“It was honestly really nice to hear people genuinely asking questions about Sikhism and just genuinely being interested in it,” she said.
Becoming Advocates for Understanding
Angad said that in eighth grade students study U.S. history, which does not have a unit on religion; however, in seventh grade, his World History course did have a mini religions unit.
“I was a bit disappointed because they only covered the major religions like Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism,” Angad said, adding at the time he was not as involved with the Kaufman Interfaith Institute. “Looking back, though, I definitely wish I had tried to incorporate more and that’s something I plan to do in the future.”
It was hearing Harpreet discuss the Kaufman Interfaith Leadership Scholars program she attended that prompted Angad to join, he said. In fact, this past fall, the two shared the stage to introduce activist, documentary filmmaker and author Valarie Kaur (no relation) as a guest speaker at a Kaufman Interfaith Institute event.
“The maturity and confidence you get just from being a part of the Kaufman Interfaith Leadership Scholars program … as you talk about stuff every other week” are great benefits, Angad said. He noted the program offers a lot of good practice in building public speaking skills, which he believes is “just a good skill in life in general.”
Harpreet credited Kaufman, in which she has been involved for two years, for inspiring her to become an advocate for understanding and inclusivity.
“I feel like it’s definitely shaped who I am today, because I know I used to be a kind of more shy person,” she said, “but I feel like now it’s enabled me to be more outgoing (while) also getting me to see other people’s perspective on things.”
Expanding Horizons By Getting Involved
Both Harpreet and Angad said they believed being open-minded is one of the best ways to learn.
“When you’re open-minded, you naturally become more interested in other things,” Angad said. “Just hearing about new ideas can spark curiosity and might even lead you to explore different interests.”
Harpreet recommends volunteering as a way to continue growing as a learner, as it helps build relationships outside of one’s school and community, and to connect it to a passion or interest.
For instance, Harpreet’s goal is to become a doctor, so she volunteers for the Van Andel Institute by helping to fundraise for cancer and Parkinson’s research, and she helped start Eastern High’s Red Cross Club, where student members visit local hospitals. She also is involved in a number of school activities such as Model UN and Science Olympiad.
Her brother is also big on getting involved.
“For me, the best thing I did throughout seventh and eighth grade was just join more clubs and extracurriculars,” Angad said. “I feel like it helps just getting to know more people, having more connections and I think it’s just really fun to get involved with your community.”
Angad helped establish a chess club at Eastern Middle, plays soccer and is on the middle school’s eighth-grade basketball team. Through summer programs, he discovered an interest in coding and engineering and joined his school’s STEM club.
Participating in extracurricular activities, clubs and sports not only connects people and helps provide a direction in life, but it also builds confidence, Harpreet said.
“I’m really big on self-validation and confidence,” she said. “A lot of people seek validation from academics, family, or others, but true growth starts with validating yourself.
“I’ve struggled with self-confidence, especially growing up Sikh and coming from an immigrant family, but I’ve learned that believing in yourself is key. When you’re confident, others will see that and be drawn to you.”
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