Editors Note: For our final post after a school year of activism and advocacy, we wanted to showcase opinions of high schoolers from across Montgomery County.
“Student advocacy means actively seeking a say in decisions that affect you and your peers, and working to correct injustices that affect you/them.” – senior Phoebe Chambers, Winston Churchill High School
“To me, student advocacy means including diverse students at the forefront of conversations and decisions that are traditionally and historically made by adults, but whose outcomes directly affect students and young people.” – sophomore Sam Lev, Bethesda Chevy Chase High School
“Student advocacy means actively seeking a say in decisions that affect you and your peers, and working to correct injustices that affect you/them.” – freshman Abby Nega, Winston Churchill High School
“Student advocacy is one of the most important ways for students to demand their voices to be heard. In a society where the youth are seen as just children, student advocacy promotes decisions that are made with students, instead of about them.” – junior Victoria Koretsky, Richard Montgomery High School
“I think it is the students showing their public opinions for topics or policies.” – senior Katherine Hults, Walter Johnson High School
“Student advocacy means fighting for equality among all students regardless of your background.” – senior Sophia Barro, Bethesda Chevy Chase High School
“To me, student advocacy is one of the major ways that we as young people get to voice our opinions and actually act upon them. There’s been so many times in so many instances where young people, particularly those in school, are brushed aside or not taken seriously due to their age or lack of experience. But, we have just as much of a place in any type of movement because we all occupy different identities and communities. Some of the work that we have been able to do has truly been able to show adults what we are capable of and that we are sometimes even able to go further than they ever have by bringing new ideas and points of view to the table. The community aspect of student advocacy has been able to bring me to so many people and create a sense of camaraderie among so many different individuals, which is probably the most meaningful aspect. As a young woman of color, that has been invaluable in building my identity and being able to act upon the obstacles I, alongside many others, face.” – junior Isra Qadri, Thomas S. Wootton High School
“Student advocacy means to me that as a group of students, we must provide awareness, support causes, and call for change for the better of the community. Although we are students, we leave behind valuable knowledge that someday someone will hear and want to partake in, whether it is a student, a teacher, a parent, etc.” – junior Hailey Gray, Walter Johnson High School
“For me, student advocacy means educating yourself and others about important topics, talking to friends about what’s going on in the world, and joining other people in volunteer and activism organizations at school to make a change in the greater community.” – senior Kylie Norris, Walter Johnson High School
“Student advocacy means pushing for causes I’m passionate about and making lasting change in the community we live in.” – sophomore Saniya Malhotra, Northwest High School
“It shows me that I have a voice and I can influence the county and state education policies.” – junior Fatemeh Naghavinia, Winston Churchill High School
“It means students being able to have their voices heard and affect change in a way that positively affects them.” – sophomore Ella Tzeng, Walter Johnson High School
“To me, student advocacy means being able to use my voice to speak up about issues I’m passionate about, whether it be raising awareness or inciting change.” – sophomore Anna Li, Poolesville High School
“Student advocacy is about giving the students the tools and platforms to create opportunities for improvement of the entire student body’s lives. County officials can observe classrooms, look at statistics, get input from staff, etc., but nothing beats the perspective of actual students who see the challenges and benefits of our school system first-hand. We have the most to lose and the most to gain from change being effected in our schools, so student advocacy means being a part of a community that’s ready to take action to see that the well-being of our peers doesn’t take a back seat.” – freshman Gretchen Gilmore, Thomas S. Wootton High School
“I think it’s important that students voice what they care about most, and that can be different for everyone. To me, student advocacy means sharing issues people care about with people around them to create a safer, more informed community.” – senior Alexia Kallmes, Walter Johnson High School
“Student advocacy is an outlook for young people who are looking to create change. This mind-opening experience has allowed me to immerse myself in the deeply rooted foundations of student education in order to bring attention to issues that are barely talked about. In this way, I can create a voice for underrepresented students and see my advocacy work benefit myself and others like me.” – freshman Aves Hasrat, Gaithersburg High School
“Bringing the important topics and problems students are facing into my own hands instead of completely handing it over to adults (many of which do not have the same perspective and first-hand experiences as I do). Pushing for change by sharing my own voice and thoughts as much as possible, since they should and do matter.” – sophomore Katherine Sorokin, Thomas S. Wootton High School
“Student advocacy is the aspiration towards equal consideration of youth voices. Whether it be issues of racism, gun violence, misogyny, homophobia, climate change, or any other issue that affects students, student advocacy has always aspired to give our voice the volume and weight it deserves.” – senior Anand Chitnis, Richard Montgomery High School
“Student advocacy gives me the chance to help my peers and my community. Also, I am given the opportunity to stand up for others when faced with adversity.” – senior Anya Dhuria, Walter Johnson High School
“To me, student advocacy means recognizing the problems around us and in our community and standing up to solve those problems. It also means giving a voice to those who are not regularly included in important conversations surrounding those various issues.” – junior Josie Bedore, Quince Orchard High School