CLEVELAND – The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage has announced the winners of its 17th annual Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out and Youth Sing Out contests during a ceremony held on April 3rd at Tri-C’s Eastern Campus.
With over 400 attendees, the ceremony celebrated students from across Northeast Ohio who created essays, poems, and songs addressing hate and discrimination. This year’s contest saw participation from more than 4,400 students representing 160 schools throughout the region.
Solon High School junior Nandita Srikumar claimed the $20,000 grand prize scholarship in the essay contest for her powerful work examining dementia patients’ social isolation and her personal journey to develop solutions. Her school will also receive a $5,000 anti-bias education grant.
In her winning essay, Srikumar wrote about witnessing the exclusion of dementia patients and feeling compelled to act: “I began to research the costly toll that impacts both the patient and the caregiver. I realized that while caregivers make every effort to help their loved ones, the simple, yet profound, fact that dementia has no cure leads to caregivers feeling more and more hopeless.”
The 2025 ceremony also marked significant milestones, with Aaron Petersal, Executive Director of the Maltz Museum, noting: “This year marks a special milestone, as we celebrate 20 years of the Maltz Museum and 17 years of Stop the Hate, a program so essential to our mission. Nearly 50,000 students have participated in this program, bringing the Museum’s vision to life by upholding respect and understanding.”
The museum also announced a new partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the launch of the Stop the Hate Alumni Network, which will allow past participants to stay connected and continue their work promoting inclusion.
Since its inception, the Stop the Hate program has awarded $1.7 million in scholarships, prizes, and anti-bias education grants to Northeast Ohio students, teachers, and schools. This year’s contest invited participants to reflect on a quote by Marc Chagall about love being the single color that gives meaning to life and art.
In addition to the grand prize, other major winners included Rania Rafiq of Aurora High School (first runner-up, $10,000 scholarship), Sana Hameed of North Royalton High School (second runner-up, $5,000 scholarship), and Cara Miller of Garfield Heights High School (first place in high school poetry, $2,500 prize).
The Maltz Museum also recognized two Teachers of the Year: Helena Toplak from Horizon Science Academy Cleveland High School and Matthew Thompson from Garfield Heights Middle School. Each received a $1,000 cash prize for their commitment to anti-bias education.
Additionally, three schools received $6,000 anti-bias community grants: Incarnate Word Academy, Urban Community School, and Windham Jr/Sr High School.
Those interested in learning more about the Stop the Hate program or reading the winning essays, poems, and songs can visit www.maltzmuseum.org/sth25.
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