Announcing 2025 Young Alumni Changemakers

We welcomed Justin and Nala back to campus on January 22 for Changemaker Day where they shared about their work during a special assembly and visited individual classes throughout the morning. Read more about our honorees below:

 

Justin has participated in student government for his four years at Drew and has created a pipeline of future student leaders whom he mentors. In his role as Student Body Vice President, he has created seminars on independent problem solving, conflict management, prioritizing, and public speaking. Additionally, he works on The 415, a school-wide music and food festival that hosts 500+ attendees. As manager of the Student Cafe, he donates the profits back to the school to subsidize event fees such as prom tickets. As co-founder of Drew’s Geography Club, he works to create intercultural understanding and appreciation among its members. As an Admissions Intern, he works on New Student Night which he transformed into an interactive experience that better aligns with the experiential pedagogy Drew.

 

Nala was selected to participate in an Ethnic Studies Working Group for her four years at Lick. Nala and her team’s goal has been to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement for all students at Lick. She advocated for the importance of Ethnic Studies to the school community, helped craft the curriculum for the pilot class, hosted forums for students to give input, refurbished the working group mission statement, and nominated students to lead when the seniors graduate. Additionally, she co-led a community meeting about Indigenous Art which included inviting an artist to speak about her art, her indigeneity, and how to use one’s voice for others. The Ethnic Studies course will launch in Fall 2025.

📷 Head shots courtesy of Drew School and Lick-Wilmerding High School


Watch the Q&A with Head of School Virginia Paik and the Young Alumni Changemakers: