George Mason student Noella Mongony has received second prize in the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics essay contest, the Elie Wiesel Foundation has announced.
Mongony, a global affairs major, was recognized for her essay, “Stones that remember: When does silence protect dignity and when does it betray it." 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.
After visiting the Zanzibar Slave Museum in Africa and reflecting on her identity as an immigrant, Mongony chose to write about “when silence protects dignity and when it betrays it.” She focuses on language, assimilation, colonialism, and how silence can be wielded to conform but also can serve as a valuable tool to “preserve memory, reverence, and survival.”
“Winning this award means a great deal to me as an immigrant because Elie Wiesel’s story of resilience and speaking out against injustice deeply resonates with my own journey of finding my voice in unfamiliar spaces,” Mongony said. “Being 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.”
Mongony heard about the contest after taking English 202 "Passion in Lit: Coming of Age" with instructor Leeya Mehta, the director of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center. The class wrote an essay “Something Personal” in the footsteps of the book, “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin and Richard Avedon.
"What Noella has done is add a dimension and clarity all her own, owning her story and the complex ethics of silence itself," Mehta said. "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."
The class was run parallel to the center's Baldwin100 project at the Cheuse Center and an exhibition by visionary curator Don Russell with Mason Exhibitions. The exhibition, was one of many programs around Baldwin’s centennial, with a university grant providing the university and region to dig into Baldwin's works. Through 24 partners and 36 events, the exhibition provided curators and student audiences with the remarkable framing of intergenerational and intercultural friendship and ways of seeing
“Something Personal."
"The university’s grant funding provided to the Baldwin100 was instrumental in developing cross fertilization into the classroom allowing professors like me to familiarize myself in ways with James Baldwin in partnership with other professors and staff at George Mason - Keith Clark, Don Russell, Djola Branner and so on," Mehta said. "Having President Gregory Washington launch the Baldwin100 in his and Nicole Washington’s home, made for a deepening of community engagement across the generations of students, alumni, faculty."
In addition to scholarships, the 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.
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.
“This year’s essays were outstanding and presented the jury with an exciting opportunity to engage with a range of ethical issues and deepen their own thinking,” said Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie Wiesel and chairman of the Elie Wiesel Foundation.