From San Jose to Santa Clara: How College Student Nicholas Kenny Champions Interfaith Unity
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Nicholas Kenny, a junior at Santa Clara University who is leading interfaith efforts to foster understanding and unity within his community.
Growing up in the multicultural environment of San Jose has profoundly shaped Nick’s perspectives. Our conversation ranged from his upbringing to his reflections on masculinity. Nick’s mission is to unite people by emphasizing that, despite our differences, we share many similarities that should be celebrated. Capturing Nick’s story is a privilege, as his efforts to create a peaceful world through active community engagement embody a key aspect of healthy masculinity.
Check out the full interview below.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Suraj: Hi Nick! Thank you for chatting with me today. I started The Multicultural Man to capture culturally diverse stories of healthy masculinity, and I’m thrilled that you are able to share your story. Do you mind introducing yourself?
Nick: Sure! I’m Nick Kenny. I’m a junior at Santa Clara University and I work for campus ministry. I work both on the liturgy team and on the interfaith team. I love my job!
Suraj: Awesome! Could you share a bit about your cultural and religious background?
Nick: My parents are both Indian. They grew up in what is now called Mumbai. They can trace their lineage back to Goa, which was a Portuguese colony. The Portuguese brought over Catholicism with them. All my ancestors, that I can remember, are Catholic. I’m cradle Catholic, so I was born and raised in the Catholic Church in San Jose, California.
Suraj: What was it like growing up in San Jose?
Nick: San Jose has a large Latino, Filipino, and Vietnamese population. Through church, school, and just living in San Jose, I meet a lot of different people. Working in a multicultural and interfaith environment has always felt natural for me because that is the only thing I know.
Suraj: Can you say more about that?
Nick: Interfaith work was always present in the background for me. Now, it’s been moved out into the limelight. Working in interfaith spaces helps me understand more and be more intentional with how I act, how I meet new people, how I organize things, and more. It helps me be more aware of the spaces I’m in and eager to learn about people’s religions.
Suraj: What is something you have learned from working in interfaith spaces?
Nick: I learned that there is something to learn from everyone. We have to treat everyone with the same respect and put our assumptions aside. Just focus on them as people and really open up to them. Expect to get value. Expect that they have something interesting to say. Not in a way you are putting pressure on them or that they have to teach me something, but just opening yourself up to conversation and seeing where it goes.
Suraj: Totally. Going into conversations without preconceived notions and being open-minded can be fulfilling. I also appreciate that your multicultural upbringing allowed you to move into interfaith work so seamlessly. In terms of your upbringing, what have your experiences or perceptions around masculinity been?
Nick: I’ve heard messages about men doing all the hard labor or dirty work like changing a toilet. But I’ve also seen a very loving relationship between my parents where my dad is always taking care of my mom. He is always there for her. I learned that masculinity is about putting your pride aside and being there for those you care about. That is most important.
Suraj: I believe that showing compassion towards loved ones is a healthy way to express masculinity. How would you define healthy masculinity?
Nick: You have to be assertive with certain things that you care about. If you have a family, protect your family and be there for the people you care about. In a public setting, stand up for what you believe in and stand up for your values. But, you also have to not get carried away with your assertions and your confidence. You have to be open to being wrong. That’s a big part about being masculine. You are always learning and reshaping yourself.
Suraj: I like how you phrased that. It seems like there needs to be a healthy balance between protecting your loved ones, but also not letting that confidence turn into a power-hungry mentality.
I really enjoy hearing what values are important to different people. You eluded to a few like respect and open-mindedness earlier in the conversation. Can you speak to why those are important to you?
Nick: There are so many reasons in this world for why we can be divided and I want to create more togetherness in society and get people to see that we really aren’t all different from one another. We all kind of want the same thing, just in different ways. The conversations today tend to lean away from that and into divergence, which helps no one.
Suraj: I wholeheartedly agree. I know that you have taken these values and funneled them into community-based projects. Can you share one that you felt was really impactful for you or the community that it served?
Nick: In this recent season of Ramadan, we were able to reaffirm our solidarity with the Muslim Student Association. We did snack bags to break fast, the Ramadan dinners, and the Eid banquet. We were able to reach a lot of hearts and minds through these efforts. And they were seen as efforts from campus ministry, which was cool. One of my proudest accomplishments is being there for the community and showing campus ministry as someone who really does stand for and with others.
Suraj: I love that. Thank you so much for sharing your perspectives and experiences with me today!
Nick: Anytime!