2011-2012: Sarah Michelle Khaliq

Sarah believes that law enforcement officers are in a unique position to promote peace and understanding. She graduated from the Fairfax County Law Enforcement Explorer Post 1742 and she assisted with “Cops on the Block” and DASH (Dating Abuse Stops Here). She also studied hostage negotiations and domestic crisis intervention.

2012-2013: Aracely (Chely) Cifuentes, Senior

Originally from Guatemala, Chely believes strongly in the power of mentoring, tutoring, and motivating young people in the foster care system as a means of assuring survival. For the last two years she has volunteered for an after-school program at The Phillips School for Contemporary Education in Annandale, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving individuals with emotional and behavioral problems and their families through education and support.

Knowing that these children’s lives have been influenced by a variety of personal, family and environmental issues, Chely works to help these youths, aged 10 –17, overcome adversity and earn respect and acceptance. She also works with the older youth on life skills training, Metro use, and budgeting, as well as setting up and using bank accounts. Last summer, she advocated for additional Congressional funding for foster care youth over the age of 18.

Chely says, “I feel happy when I see the kids I work with start ‘stepping up’ and beginning to think differently about life.” She likes to remind them that everyone makes mistakes, but that things can be different in the future when they work towards something positive.

Chely’s career goal is to become a social worker whose listening skills and natural encouragement will help ensure that all children have the opportunity to be part of a family and lead a successful life.

2014-2015: Assim Marad Shammo, Senior

Assim Marad Shammo has worked to remove the causes of violence, such as seen in the discrimination that he, his family, and other community members of the Ezidi faith have experienced in Iraq and Syria. He came to the United States in 2010 with his sister and three brothers, while his refugee parents and younger brothers remained in Syria. The life he left behind includes genocide and forceful ejection of Ezidi townspeople from their homelands.

The deep appreciation for the peace and freedom he has experienced since coming to the United States has motivated Assim to join his brother and cousin in playing an active role in promoting peace in Syria. Assim says that witnessing violence first-hand, and now watching his parents go through the challenges of religious intolerance, has given him a deep sense of compassion for anyone experiencing discrimination. Sharon DeBragga, Career Development Coordinator, summarizes that “Tolerance and peace have become Assim’s passion.”

Aware of last summer’s increasing violence as ISIS militants forced the most vulnerable Ezidis from their homelands, Assim has supported the peace-seeking initiatives of the American Ezidi Center. This non-government organization works to educate American government officials and scholars of Ezidi heritage as it attempts to secure international protection of Ezidis and all religious minorities by exerting political pressure on offending countries. Assim recently made a personal contribution to the US-sponsored humanitarian airdrops by identifying the best drop sites in the Iraqi terrain he knew well from his youth.

When Assim left Syria he was 20 years old, had little formal schooling, and realized that his goals require education. He has now acquired some formal education, skills in English, and hopes to continue education in college. He hopes to become a dermatologist, helping people as part of the International Red Cross.

2015-2016: Student Contributors to the Mountain View Mirror

Critical thinking, opportunities to exchange opinions, and the ability to express oneself are vital for peace and conflict resolution in this complex world. The Mountain View Mirror provides the student body with an effective medium for student dialogue, leading to a better understanding of potentially divisive local, national, and international issues.

Students launched the online newspaper, the Mountain View Mirror, (http://mtviewmirror.com/) on October 2013 with a goal unique among student newspapers. Rather than following the traditional model which focuses inward, they decided to invite the entire student body to write stories for a global audience. The Mountain View students are highly diverse, and many have experienced poverty, abuse, and discrimination. Drawing from these experiences, they are able to write and record powerful essays about world issues: war and peace, despair and hope, hunger and charity.

The Mirror has grown to become the largest high school newspaper in the US in terms of number of writers and articles and an audience with 1.5 million page-views annually. During the 2014-15 academic year there were 607 articles published, not including videos and photos. Career Development Coordinator Sharon DeBragga noted, “The Mirror’s global audience of students, subject experts, and faculty of prestigious colleges continues to grow because of The Mirror’s potential for creativity and its variety of platforms for student dialogue.”

Students who are just now learning English covered the ISIS attack on Paris, calling for citizens to act as instruments of peace. Government students from Plymstock, England and from Mountain View engaged in issues including politics, religion, and government in a session mediated by representatives of Tony Blair’s ‘Face 2 Faith’ initiative.

Journalism & Media Advisor, Mark Smith, summarized, “This is a student-created, student-run, student-edited, student-produced publication. I find students here pick stories about victims and write from the victim’s perspective. That compelling journalism is one reason for their outstanding success, and one reason their body of work helps build empathy in the world at large.”

2016-2017: Roza Al Barznji, Senior

As a member of a Kurdish community from Iraq and Iran currently living in the US, Roza dedicates herself to bringing understanding of her often misunderstood heritage. Roza has used her skills as a photographer to present her classmates with images depicting the Kurdish culture, religion, and government.

Now 21, Roza came to the US three years ago as a refugee from Northern Iraq. Her knowledge of English was little more than the ability to recite the alphabet. As Roza’s skills in English progressed, she published seven stories that describe her personal journey as a Kurdish American, the plight of the Syrian people, the refugees in our communities, the value of mentoring in a school community, and the lost voices of the third party voters in the 2016 US election. She also created a documentary on American Thanksgiving traditions after she interviewed three generations of a family. Her writings can be viewed at http://mtviewmirror.com/author/roza-al-barznji/.

Using the international reach of her school’s online newspaper, the Mountain View Mirror, Roza’s peacemaking has grown with technology. She makes internet connections with Kurdish artists and musicians and fellow students in Kurdistan to create a cultural bridge of awareness between the Kurds and the Mountain View community.

Social Studies Teacher Mike Hardy summarizes, “As her teacher I am excited about the learning we are doing together and the message that Roza brings to all of us to create peace through cultural awareness and understanding.”

awareness and recruit new members by participating in activity fairs at Langley and Cooper Middle School. Chrissie and Donya have raised money though bake sales and the club prepared feminine hygiene packages for ‘Days for Girls’ to be distributed to adolescent girls in developing countries.

Hannah Wolff notes, “When girls are empowered, it benefits all of us. Investing in girls is key to reducing poverty: girls who receive an education marry later, have fewer children, and are more likely to get healthcare for themselves and their children.”

2017-2018: Brayan Geronimo Perez Brito, Senior

Brayan Geronimo Perez Brito was forced to flee Guatamala at age 16, embarking on a journey that would take him 70 days to complete.  Brayan received asylum in the US two years later.  Attending school while working as a day laborer, his English skills have greatly improved, and he has become a leader at the Centreville Immigration Forum representing his colleagues in many events such as the US World Meeting of Popular Movements in Modesto, California. The gathering brought together hundreds of grassroots leaders who are working to create an “economy of inclusion” including care of the environment, dignity of workers, living wages, housing, and racism.

2018-2019: Romina Soleimani

Romina Soleimani started her peace work in her home country of Iran. She worked with Youth Spiritual Empowerment, a global Bahá’í-inspired program that encourages youth to grow spiritually, develop a strong sense of purpose, and engage in meaningful social action.

Romina has worked with teens and younger children of various faiths, noting that even the games played during the program sessions foster peace. As a teen in Iran, Romina was a participant and then a leader in Youth Spiritual Empowerment. She explained that her involvement put her at risk because she taught tolerance in a country that persecuted tolerance. The police repeatedly entered her classroom and demanded that she sign a paper promising that she would not continue her teachings. Romina always refused. She also observed the police harass and arrest people of her Bahá’í faith, even when they were helping people impacted by an earthquake.

Romina feels that children must understand kindness, empathy, and trust in order to work toward a peaceful world and to prevent wars. She feels called to this work, even when she must take risks. When forced to leave Iran because of her beliefs, she continued her peace work in Turkey, sometimes meeting in parks. She and her mother then moved to the U.S., having been granted asylum as religious refugees. Romina again became a leader in the Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program, and she hopes to continue her work while in college. Her social studies teacher, Peter Garvey, notes that she has “a unique combination of intellect, empathy, and strength through perseverance.”

2019-2020: Betsabe Pardo, Senior

As President of the Mountain View Environmental Club, Betsabe Pardo has promoted peace through environmental advocacy. For the past two years, the Mountain View Environmental Club has partnered with George Mason University students to raise money for Thirst Project, a nonprofit that is the world’s largest youth-led water activism organization. Thirst Project aims to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world with a primary focus on building wells across Africa. With Betsabe’s leadership, Mountain View has become a legacy school, contributing to Thirst Project for two years. Last year, the Environmental Club raised over $600 through fundraisers such as selling water bottles and sweatshirts made from recycled plastic. They have increased their goal to $1000 for this school year.

Betsabe has also worked on local environmental issues by helping to design, build, and maintain two gardens at Mountain View High School. One of the gardens is designed to attract butterflies, bees, and birds and is certified as a native plant garden. The other garden is used to provide the Mountain View students and staff with fresh vegetables and fruit. Career Center Specialist Jenelle Lee reports that Betsabe picked the produce primarily by herself and made it available to the students and staff.

Betsabe’s interest in science has been fostered by hands-on projects that support and nurture the environment. When asked why she chose to assume a leadership role at Mountain View, she says, “Throughout my life I've been taught that giving is better than receiving, and if I can start giving and helping people less fortunate than I am while still in high school, chances are my future will be dedicated to efforts toward the greater good.”