Students from across the country are coming to Chicago to attend Interfaith America’s Interfaith Leadership Summit, which will take place from Aug. 12-14. Interfaith America spoke with a few students registered and eager to join the Summit for the first-time next month to learn about their excitement and motivations.
From a Lutheran student looking to create a campus-wide action plan to recognize and respect different religious calendars, to a non-denominational Christian interested in learning about other schools’ successful interfaith projects, to a spiritually affiliated Hindu student hoping to build relationships with students equally passionate about interfaith work, the Summit will host leaders with diverse worldviews and unique interfaith interests.
The following student responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
Alejandro Del Valle
Hometown: Oakland, California
College/University & Graduation Year: Lehigh University, Class of 2023
Major: Global Studies; Health, Medicine, and Society
Religious Affiliation/Worldview: I am a non-denominational evangelical Christian
Why did you decide to sign up for the Interfaith Leadership Summit?
I signed up for the Interfaith America Leadership Summit after hearing about it from a staff member at Lehigh.
What do you hope to learn that you can bring back to your campus?
I want to learn how to be an interfaith leader and create an interfaith club on my campus along with other students, since there currently are not any interfaith initiatives or clubs at my university. Furthermore, I hope to learn what interfaith spaces look like from educators, but also learn what it looks like to other students participating in the Summit.
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