2013-2014: Hamima Nasrin

Two years ago, Hamina Nasrin worked to revive the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at her school where the Alliance had lost its members, structure, and leaders. Career Center Specialist Amy Ferguson says, “Under her leadership, membership has grown, and she has helped build relationships with students and faculty to help spread the club’s message of tolerance and diversity.”

Hamima is confident the GSA will continue to prosper after she graduates. She says the GSA meetings now have a good turnout of approximately 20, and over half of them are very active. She notes that the group has become more structured, and there are several faculty members who are very supportive. Hamima feels that the GSA offers the opportunity for people to share problems and get support. Hamima recognizes that there can be no peace without equality, acceptance, and respect for one another, and gay high school students often face extreme discrimination, intolerance, and bullying. She says, “The most important thing you can do is talk about your life, and the GSA offers a safe forum for doing so. This may be one reason Hayfield is gay-friendly.”

Ms. Ferguson summarizes, ”Hamima is a leader among her peers. She consistently goes out of her way to actively set the example for peace among students of all orientations.”

2014-2015: Dare to Care

Dare to Care is a school-wide bullying prevention program that has captured the enthusiasm of students at Hayfield Secondary School. This initiative offers a special message and a different twist on anti-bullying. Instead of emphasizing undesirable behaviors that come from bullying, students are encouraged to be change-agents by the way they treat each other on a daily basis.

Aleesha Yasin and Will Bolton are among these change-agents at Hayfield Secondary School. These junior students are the founders of Dare to Care, an organization that educates middle and high students in ways to be good citizens and to promote kindness, good deeds, and other positive behaviors. Aleesha and Will are active recruiters for the club, and the group’s membership continues to grow in its second year.

Under the sponsorship of School Counselor Jarren Jeffery, the Dare to Care initiative received district-wide recognition. Aleesha and Ms. Jeffery participated in an interview to describe the mission and vision of Dare to Care which was aired in a video produced by the FCPS School Counseling Office.

Career Specialist, Amy Ferguson, says, “These students’ efforts have contributed to maintaining peace and a positive school climate.” Aleesha and Will consistently promote the mission of Dare to Care in their interactions with their peers, and they have served as Peer Mediators under the supervision of school counselors to help students resolve their conflicts.

Ms. Jeffery sums it up by saying, “Aleesha and Will are indeed role models for their peers while making a positive difference at Hayfield Secondary School.”

2016-2017: Sabah Munshi, Senior

Sabah Munshi’s contributions to peace are rooted in empathy and kindness on global and personal dimensions.

Globally, Sabah was personally moved by the world’s water crisis. She says, “Water scarcity never occurred to me as an issue until I saw a video of a girl who walked miles and then came back home with impure water.” Sabah helped organize a Walking for Water project at her school, raising awareness of this need and over $2,000 for the UNICEF Tap Project.

Nearer to home, on her first day as a candy striper at her local hospital, Sabah helped a man who had lost his senses from dementia. He was struggling to open a box of juice and to swallow pieces of bread. She noted that “Even a small conversation and helpful gesture brought a smile on his face.” More recently, Sabah has been volunteering at Virginia Hospital Center on the renal unit. “As an aspiring doctor, giving back to the community has become a part of who I am.”

By wearing the hijab, Sabah identifies herself as a Muslim. She says, “Wearing a hijab is not just a part of my religion, but a way to diminish the stereotyping of Muslims by spreading love and positivity. Showing kindness is not just about being nice; it’s about recognizing that every human being deserves care and respect.” She quotes Henry James as saying, “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.”

2017-2018: Carmen Mazyck, Senior

Carmen Mazyck is a founding member and president of the Hayfield Black Student Union (HBSU).  She also established and designed the organization’s logo and motto: “Educate, Serve and Inspire”. She has

has arranged for guest speakers at monthly meetings including civil rights activist and Freedom Rider, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland.  Carmen also led several club service projects. As a strong believer in peace, Carmen organized her school’s first student minority panel, comprised of members of different races, religions, and cultures. Most of the 50 students who attended found the conversation valuable and said they felt comfortable discussing these often-difficult topics not generally presented in the classroom.

2018-2019: Delina Kiflom, Junior

After participating in her school’s International Night her freshman year, Delina Kiflom was inspired by the many Ethiopians and Eritreans proudly showing off their culture through fashion shows and dancing together. The students’ cooperation was particularly notable because Ethiopia and Eritrea have been in conflict for decades.

Delina works with her peers to learn and understand their origins and to create peace between the two groups. With the support of a friend, she started the Ethiopian-Eritrean Society at Hayfield, with the goal of finding ways to aid the less fortunate back home by working together and bridging the gap between the younger generations of the two cultures.

The Society is currently working on Project Dream, a drive to collect and send a variety of books and supplies to children in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The members hope to give unprivileged children the opportunity to continue their education as a way out of poverty.

Delina participates in two other peace-building efforts at Hayfield. With fellow students and School Counselor Alem Asefa, she founded the First Generation American Association, a club that seeks to mitigate the difficulties that first generation students and their families face from language, cultural, and societal barriers in the U.S. She is also a member of a committee which works with the Anti-Defamation League to promote ‘No Place for Hate’ at her school.

Alem Asefa says, “Delina is mature and reflective. She is able to collaborate with students and adults, making social connections while using resources effectively and creatively. She genuinely cares about her school, community, and the world.”

2019-2020: Patrick Cloud, Senior

Patrick Cloud is “a leader among his classmates,” according to Hayfield Counselor Jamie Alvis. He is a leader in his classes and section leader of the marching band, but his primary contributions stem from his leadership of nonacademic programs

Patrick is active in the College Partnership Program which assists students from underrepresented demographics to enter higher education. He serves as a peer tutor at the Hawk Writing Center for students who need help writing, and he is involved with a the Student2Student program that helps new students, especially those from military families, transition into Hayfield.

Last summer, Patrick attended a Conflict Resolution Youth Summit at George Mason University. He was introduced to the idea of peace-building as a discipline that has far-reaching applications. He says the program made him more conscious of the need for peace and how easy it would be to promote peace in his community. He was inspired to “plant the seed of peace” in his very diverse school.

Upon returning to school, Patrick became a founding member of the No Place for Hate committee, and he took a lead role in organizing and implementing a week-long, school-wide event to help combat hate. To assure the project was a success, he solicited pledges from his classmates, recruited volunteers for the event, and

created an electronic signup sheet and schedule to ensure the student volunteers were assigned where needed.

Each day of the school week had a theme, beginning with Meditative Monday, when students were encouraged to reflect on forgiveness, and ending with Wrap Up Friday, when students were asked to create a plan on how they would implement what they had learned that week. Patrick says that students continue to talk about the issues that matter to them, and he can see a positive change in the 200 students who participated.