This past December, I had the opportunity to speak with a group of students during a roundtable hosted by Mr. Sorensen’s sociology class at Reynoldsburg High School at the Livingston Campus. I was joined by Patrick, our Columbus Regional Field Director, and Nyah, his service dog, who quickly became a favorite in the room.

What I walked away with that day was simple but powerful. I felt hope.

The students were asked to think critically about issues in their own communities and to share ideas for meaningful change. Many focused on reducing inequality, improving school attendance, and addressing everyday infrastructure problems like potholes. Their ideas were thoughtful, grounded, and rooted in lived experience. It was inspiring to meet them and reassuring to be reminded that the world can still be a better place.

Too often, young people are underestimated simply because they are young. They are overlooked or dismissed, as if their ideas belong somewhere far off in the future. In reality, they hold an enormous amount of power when they are encouraged to use their voices. They see problems through a less jaded lens, bringing a kind of clarity and brightness that our communities need. Many also have the time and energy to engage deeply in local issues, time that adults often wish they still had.

One moment that stood out was a conversation with a student who was deeply concerned about truancy. It genuinely stopped me in my tracks. Truancy is not always the first issue adults think of, but it is a real and pressing problem. From there, the conversation expanded naturally. Students began connecting attendance to access to free breakfast and lunch, disciplinary policies like suspensions, and the broader systems that either support or fail young people. Watching them build those connections together was incredible.

These students are not just kids. They are changemakers, right now.

My hope is that they walked away from that conversation understanding how capable they already are. That they can do far more than they think. That small ideas, when nurtured and acted on, can lead to meaningful change.

This kind of engagement matters deeply to me because I was once that student. I remember what it felt like to realize that my voice mattered and to see how small wins could grow into real victories over time. Being able to witness that spark in the next generation, and to help affirm their potential, is one of the most rewarding parts of this work.

After the event, Patrick and I received emails from students thanking us for speaking with them, and for sharing t-shirts, stickers, and kazoos. (The students had to teach me and Patrick how to use the kazoos) Those messages were a reminder that when young people are taken seriously, they rise to the occasion.

The conversations we had that day were a powerful reminder that change does not require a title, a degree, or permission. It simply requires the willingness to care and to act.

If you are a young person reading this, find something you can do, even if it feels small. Small actions build momentum, and momentum creates change.

If you know a potential changemaker, encourage them. Listen to their ideas. Take them seriously. Sometimes all it takes is one person believing in them for that belief to take root.

The future is not something we are waiting for. It is already here, and it is sitting in classrooms like this one.