The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and LRN Announce Student Winners of the Prize in Ethics Essay Contest

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Apr 18, 2017) - The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and its partner in the Prize in Ethics Essay Contest, LRN, announced today that Micah Latty, Class of 2017, from Bethel University, is the first place winner of the 2016 Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest.

Latty, a philosophy and computer science major, considered the role of silence in a divisive America in his winning essay, "Welcoming Silence." As Latty writes: "We live in a culture filled with tensions and conflicts, old and new. In order for us to have any hope of flourishing together, we must learn to exercise hospitality toward one another, allowing those who are 'other' to be other in our presence. Fundamental to this practice of hospitality in the face of division and distrust is the simple willingness to allow for silences -- welcoming silences, in which the voice of the other can dwell in all its irreducible strangeness."

Other winning students include: Dana Kiel of the University of Denver, Luiza Lodder of Pennsylvania State University, Devon Flanagan of Boston University and Eliah Medina of University of Houston-Clear Lake. The winning essays can be found on the Foundation's website: http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/2016prizewinners.aspx. 

The Prize in Ethics Essay Contest is an annual competition that challenges college students to submit essays on the urgent and complex ethical issues that confront us in the modern world. The Prize was founded in 1989 by Professor Elie and Marion Wiesel, and since, thousands of young people have written essays for consideration. Professor Wiesel, who passed away in 2016, personally judged this year's contest and hand-selected the winners. The Elie Wiesel Foundation and LRN are continuing the Prize in Ethics in his memory.

"The 2016 winners of the Prize in Ethics exemplify Professor Wiesel's indelible exhortation 'to think higher and feel deeper.' We couldn't be more proud of the students, their winning essays and their commitment to considering the ethical implications in their own lives, asking deep questions about the world around them and taking stands on issues that matter to them but affect all of us," said Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN.

About The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest encourages students to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues and offer rational arguments for ethical action. The contest is open to undergraduate full-time Juniors and Seniors who are registered at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States. All submissions to the essay contest are judged anonymously. Winning essays present intensely personal stories, originality, imagination, and clear articulation and convey genuine grappling with an ethical dilemma.  For suggested essay topics and more information, visit http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/prizeinethics.aspx

About The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion, established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity soon after he was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace. The Foundation's mission, rooted in the memory of the Holocaust, is to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality. For more information: www.eliewieselfoundation.org, "like" us on Facebook, or follow @eliewieselfdn on Twitter.

About LRN: Inspiring Principled Performance
Since 1994, ethics & compliance firm LRN has helped companies simultaneously navigate complex legal and regulatory environments and foster ethical cultures. LRN works with companies to translate their values into concrete corporate practices and leadership behaviors that create sustainable competitive advantage. LRN has offices in major cities and regions around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Mumbai, Paris and South America. For more information, visit www.LRN.com, find us on Twitter @LRN, or call: 800 529 6366 or 646 862 2040.