Vista teen takes to heart message of peace, nonviolence

By: SHAYNA CHABNER - Staff Writer | Sunday, February 18, 2007 8:06 PM PST ∞

VISTA ---- Seventeen-year-old Joseph Murray is not someone who gets lost in the crowd.

In fact, the lanky teen said he not only towers above most of his peers in physical height but also prefers to be upfront and speaking, where he can have the greatest impact.

"To be a leader in the cause sets you apart from other people," he said, noting a newfound love of public speaking.

When in class at Guajome Park Academy in Vista, the articulate senior has been seen teaching alongside a 30-year veteran and is often the student leading a theoretical discussion or debate about innocence, religion or peace.

In the community, Joseph guides his peers through his membership with the Student Peace Alliance and his involvement as a leader in the Seaside Church of Religious Science's international youth council, where he has helped organize summer camps and conventions, and is currently planning a March event to commemorate the Season for Nonviolence.

"What really drives me as far as participation is the reception, the reaction and the emotions that I instill in other people," he explained. "I selfishly act selfless. I come from a place of wanting to help other people, but at the same time I make the effort to please other people for the reaction. That in turn pleases me."

Earlier this month, Joseph was one of five North County youths who traveled to Washington, D.C., for a national Peace Alliance convention, an organization created to campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence, and also helped lobby lawmakers for a bill that would establish the department. The executive branch, Cabinet-level department would work to provide alternative, nonviolent solutions to international and domestic issues.

"It was incredible, all the support that I saw for this bill," said Joseph, who was a youth delegate to the conference. "I come from a peace-oriented, extroverted family, but to hear 700 other people speaking the same language was really, really cool.î

Joseph added that the five-day trip was not only inspiring but also very educational as he got a firsthand look at the ins and outs of Capitol Hill by traveling through lawmakers' underground tunnels and visiting several different congressional galleries.

It's a trip that the outgoing peace activist said he wouldn't mind making again, especially if it was for a similar cause.

ìI look forward to taking this cause for peace to a different level,î he said, adding that he plans to continue to channel his peace efforts in the coming year when he starts college.

Although he is still waiting to hear from schools, Joseph said that his top college choices are the UC Berkeley and Santa Cruz. At either campus, he said, he feels that he could fully pursue his interests in business, science and the arts.

"I have a feeling I will be in college for a while," he said smiling.

While Joseph's list of notable community contributions is long, it is matched by a just as impressive resume of academic accolades.

Home-schooled alongside his two younger siblings until the start of his junior year of high school, Joseph took it upon himself to further his education, his mother Laura said. He nursed a vast knowledge of different cultures and religions, and developed videography, graphic design and computer skills by delving into books and enrolling in a handful of college courses at Palomar Community College. He already has 19 college credits from Palomar to apply to a degree elsewhere.

"He's hungry," Laura Murray said about her son's passion for learning and experiencing cultures around the world. He's like "give me more life, I want more life."

When he did finally enroll in school ---- a decision he made with his siblings because they wanted to broaden their social network ---- Joseph didn't hesitate before signing up for a full course load that covered a wide range of subjects. At the prompting of a teacher, he joined the school's International Baccalaureate Program halfway through his junior year and is now on course to complete four semesters worth of school work in three.

"I count myself as a burgeoning intellectual," he said, noting that although his days are pretty much monopolized by school, studying and working at a local Italian restaurant, he loves every bit of it.

"Iím into a good life," he said. "Iím really devoted to that."

Murray, who said that she and her husband took a hands-off approach to raising the children, exposing them to a variety of people and experiences and then letting them draw their own conclusions, said that she is really proud of the person her son has become. He is self-motivated, environmentally conscious and a leader, she said.

"It's fun to watch his life. I like to watch where his life takes him and the things he has already accomplished at 17 is amazing," she said. "He will go and do great things."

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.

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