Shaped by Encounter: One Student’s Story of Faith and Belonging

By Rosie Garner (B’29)

When I was first accepted into Encounter’s 2025 cohort, my understanding of religious pluralism was limited. To me, it meant coexistence and respectful interactions between people of different traditions.

But when I joined the 2025 cohort, I realized my definition was incomplete. Pluralism, I learned, is not just about understanding and acknowledging a difference in traditions; it is about relating that difference to your own experience by actively seeking commonalities through attentive listening and the courage to express your vulnerabilities. Encounter helped me experience that truth firsthand.

What I discovered was that beneath our differences, we share similar experiences. The same fears and anxieties, and at times, we all believe we are alone in feeling them. Encounter gave me a community that reminded me I would never have to face those feelings on my own again.

One of our first activities was an icebreaker that emphasized listening over speaking. We were asked to find a partner and tell them five things about ourselves, and then hand over our nametag. The other person had to assume their partner’s identity and introduce themselves as their partner. It was a simple but powerful exercise in seeing through another’s perspective.

These values of listening and respect were the foundation of everything we did. Later, we were asked to hold a 20-minute conversation with a partner about our religious traditions and practices—though nearly every group spoke much longer.  Afterwards, we chose an excerpt from the conversation to share with the group on behalf of our partner. Initially, the assignment terrified me. Being Muslim from a suburb in Arkansas, I haven’t exactly had an open platform and community to speak about my religious background before, so I wasn’t sure how to express myself. 

Once my partner and I settled into a quiet place on the spacious grounds of the Calcagnini Contemplative Center, something shifted within me. Instead of the usual anxiety I feel when speaking about religion, I felt admiration and excitement. I couldn’t wait to affirm what my partner was saying and to share my own thoughts. Blended into the breeze and the embracing mist of the mountaintops, we both reached a level of vulnerability I had never experienced.

Religion has always been deeply personal for me, and  I once believed that only other Muslims could truly resonate with the passion I feel for my beliefs. Encounter proved me wrong. Throughout the retreat and our time back on the Hilltop, my peers asked me questions about my beliefs with a care and respect that no one before my experience with Encounter had ever shown me. Instead of being something to fear, sharing my faith became a source of connection. 

Every exercise, every conversation, and every scheduled moment was designed to push us beyond the surface of what we thought religious pluralism meant. One conversation led to the next, each deeper and more thoughtful than the one before. Being welcomed to Georgetown with the sense that I’d be among peers—like my friends from Encounter, who weren’t afraid of introspection and who stepped outside their own comfort zones to help me out of mine—gave me hope for the kind of community I would find on the Hilltop.

Encounter has instilled in me a confidence that reaches beyond the fear of not fitting in or finding my place. The friendships and connections I formed not only strengthened my personal beliefs but also gave me faith in encountering new experiences. Encounter hasn’t just added to my Georgetown journey—it has shaped it entirely.

Rosie Garner is a first-year student who plans to study Marketing. 

Photos courtesy of Rosie Garner.

The Encounter program equips incoming first-year students—whether they identify with a particular religious tradition or none at all—to build relationships across difference, engage in interfaith dialogue, and collaborate on the most pressing concerns of our world.