Once a passionate Lake Highlands High School student, Andrew Mayo knew his interests would someday lead him to politics.

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After “defecting” to Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and graduating in 2004, Mayo found himself deep in the political science realm of Austin’s Southwestern University. Fascinated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mayo came up with the idea to hold a campus conference titled: Building Bridges: Discussing the Realities of an Israeli-Palestinian Peace.

“The situation there is truly advantageous to no one,” Mayo says. “There’s the geographically and politically divided Palestinian entity, plagued with hopelessness and corrupt leadership, alongside an Israeli state under constant fear of violence from its neighbors. This tragedy has practical solutions not vigorously pursued in any meaningful sense because of various short-sighted interests on both sides.”

Determined to shed light on the conflict, Mayo applied for and garnered the Southwestern University King Creativity grant, which funds “innovative and visionary projects” that otherwise may never come to fruition.

“We chose to hold a conference on this topic because education and constructive discussion can only help stop the cycles of violence,” Mayo says.

He adds that dialogue helps people remember that despite conflicting interests, only one thing has the power to heal: peace.