On April 17, Edison High’s RISE Student Leadership hosted the RISE Student Leadership Conference, a dynamic event that brought together student leaders from every school within the Edison Township Public Schools district.

The conference, held at Edison High’s Frank N. Cangelosi Gymnasium, aimed to foster unity, collaboration, and leadership skills across the community. Themed around the mission to “Amplify, Impact, and Inspire Change,” the event featured student-led workshops and breakout sessions, specifically designed to develop future leaders and encourage students to see themselves as agents of change.

“It was a nice conference, as we got to mix with other schools within the district,” said Bibi Hadia Jalali ‘27. “I learned about different people’s experiences and stories, which helped me understand the need to speak up against discrimination.”

Teachers from across the district worked together to organize the conference, creating a space for students to celebrate authentic leadership and empower one another.

“Not all leaders have to be loud or extroverted; there is joy in having leadership opportunities for those who aren’t always academically inclined or a part of a particular social group,” said Dr. Hithisa Patel, the coordinator of Access and Engagement. “Anyone can be a leader, and they should be encouraged to take that one step forward to establish change and empower others.”

Patel, along with district staff, was hopeful that the conference will have a transformative impact on the students.

Throughout the day, a variety of interactive activities challenged the students’ thinking and pushed them to consider different perspectives. To anchor these lessons, every student was given a packet at the beginning of the event to log their insights and complete tasks during the session.

The first activity, “Unpacking Me: Identity Paper Bag,” asked students to decorate paper bags with symbols, words, and images that represented their identities. After completing their bags, students compared their bags with others’ and reflected on how, despite differences in appearance, each identity was valuable.

The second activity focused on identity and connection through a collaborative hexagon exercise. Students wrote phrases that described who they are or what is important to them inside paper hexagons. Then, they connected their hexagons with those of other students who shared similar experiences or values. As more connections formed, the individual pieces came together into a larger visual display, symbolizing unity and the idea that people are interconnected even in their differences.

The third activity, “The Heart of the Matter,” was a student-led presentation that aimed to reveal how microaggressions in daily life are often insufficiently discussed. Each student received a paper heart at the beginning of the activity. As presenters read aloud common insulting phrases and comments, students were instructed to tear a piece off each time they recognized something they had heard or experienced before. The activity left every heart broken, showing the real damage of hurtful words. Students were encouraged to reflect on empathy, awareness, and the importance of being mindful of their language.

The last activity, “The Power of Our Words: When Words Take Root,” asked students to confront harmful ideas and stereotypes that are present in today’s society. Students were given white posters featuring a tree diagram and were asked to identify issues or behaviors that are hurtful and perpetuate negative stereotypes.

This hands-on approach resonated with the participants.

“The tree activity stood out the most to me, as it was interesting learning about the different stereotypes and what has been told to other people,” said Syesha Fraser ‘26. “Specifically, the statement ‘go make a sandwich’ stood out, as it showed the misogyny and the gender roles that are taught to children. Statements like that perpetuate the cycle.”

Following these workshops, the conference shifted from self-reflection to showcasing long-term action, as students presented original videos and projects they had worked on in the weeks leading up to the conference. These presentations served as a powerful conclusion to the day, highlighting that participants were ready to impact their peers and inspire lasting change.