{"id":17945,"date":"2026-05-21T03:23:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T03:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/global-affairs-student-finishes-second-in-elie-wiesel-prize-in-ethics-essay-contest-george-mason-university\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T03:23:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T03:23:54","slug":"global-affairs-student-finishes-second-in-elie-wiesel-prize-in-ethics-essay-contest-george-mason-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/global-affairs-student-finishes-second-in-elie-wiesel-prize-in-ethics-essay-contest-george-mason-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Global affairs student finishes second in Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics essay contest – George Mason University"},"content":{"rendered":"

George Mason University global affairs major Noella Mongony has received second prize in the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics essay contest, the Elie Wiesel Foundation has announced.<\/span> <\/span>
Mongony<\/span> was recognized for her essay, \u201cStones That Remember.\u201d The foundation invites students to write essays that engage deeply with complex moral questions, often drawing from personal experience to illuminate broader societal and ethical issues. <\/span> <\/span>
After visiting the Zanzibar Slave Museum in Africa and reflecting on her identity as an immigrant, <\/span>Mongony<\/span> chose to write about \u201cwhen silence protects dignity and when it betrays it.\u201d She focuses on language, assimilation, colonialism, and how silence can be wielded to conform but also can serve as a valuable tool to \u201cpreserve memory, reverence, and survival.\u201d <\/span> <\/span>
\u201cWinning this award means a great deal to me as an immigrant because Elie Wiesel\u2019s story of resilience and speaking out against injustice deeply resonates with my own journey of finding my voice in unfamiliar spaces,\u201d <\/span>Mongony<\/span> said. \u201cBeing recognized through an award connected to his legacy reminds me that my experiences and perspective can contribute meaningfully to conversations about ethics, justice, and humanity. Ultimately, the essay argues that dignity comes from having the freedom to choose when to speak and when to remain silent, rather than having silence imposed upon you.\u201d<\/span> <\/span>
Mongony heard about the contest after taking English 202 Texts and Contexts with George Mason instructor Leeya Mehta<\/span>, the director of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center<\/a>. The class was connected to the Cheuse Center’s yearlong Baldwin100<\/a> project, which celebrated author James Baldwin\u2019s 100 birthday. The essay comes from an assignment to write about \u201csomething personal,\u201d drawing inspiration from Baldwin\u2019s book with Richard Avedon, Nothing Personal<\/em>. 
“Noella’s prize-winning essay is a meditation on silence and questioning, as she grapples with her own place in contemporary America and the world after witnessing the Zanzibar Slave Museum,” Mehta said. “Noella has added a dimension and clarity all her own in owning her story and examining the complex ethics of silence.”
In addition to receiving scholarships, <\/span>Mongony<\/span> and the other winners will participate in curated professional development training, including expert writing and speaking seminars, learning modules, and networking opportunities. The winners will be celebrated on October 6, at the annual Elie Wiesel Ethics Prize Dinner in New York City.<\/span> <\/span>
Founded by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, the late author, journalist, and activist, and his wife Marion, the Elie Wiesel Foundation advocates for global human rights, ethical reflection and cross-cultural understanding through programs that engage students, artists, educators, and communities in meaningful dialogue and action.<\/span> <\/span>
\u201cThis year\u2019s essays were outstanding and presented the jury with an exciting opportunity to engage with a range of ethical issues and deepen their own thinking,\u201d said Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie Wiesel and chairman of the Elie Wiesel Foundation.<\/span> <\/span>
George Mason University
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Tel or SMS: +1703-993-1000<\/a>
George Mason University
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Tel or SMS: +1703-993-1000<\/a><\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

George Mason University global affairs major Noella Mongony has received second prize in the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics essay contest, the Elie Wiesel Foundation has announced. Mongony was recognized for her essay, \u201cStones That Remember.\u201d The foundation invites students to write essays that engage deeply with complex moral questions, often drawing from personal experience to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}