EAST BRUNSWICK – A young high school student will have her essay published in a literary journal.
Isabel Velarde of East Brunswick, who is a junior at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, won second place in the Seton Hall University Year of Mercy essay competition.
Isabel recently returned from Rome where she participated in UNIV, an international conference for young adults, for 10 days. She said one of her most impressionable experiences while in Rome was hearing Pope Francis speak on Holy Saturday.
In her essay, Isabel focused on the true meaning of experiencing mercy in our lives. Noting that she once thought large feats such as starting an organization to help others were the only ways that could be accomplished, she said, “But, I realized that real mercy is found in the little things that can be found in our everyday lives.”
She will be honored on April 28 at the university and her essay will be published in “Arcadia,” The Department of Catholic Studies Scholarly Journal.
