Duc Tran ‘26 

I was a member of the Healthcare track. In SJW, I learned a lot of interesting things like how to perform CPR and first aid correctly from Rae Asbridge. I also had a crazy time at the Mütter Museum, where I saw many skulls and parts of the human body in a jar of chemicals. I think Thursday was my favorite because I was in the museum to see the human bodies.        

Sam Goldwert ‘25

I co-led the Healthcare track alongside Maria Emerick. Having led Disability Justice last year, I had some experience designing and leading a SJW track, but this group presented its own unique challenges and experiences. I was definitely grateful to have such an incredible team of leaders and advisors all working together to create a great week. Every experience we had went beautifully, but funnily enough, I thought some of our most successful and memorable moments were the ones that came together at the last minute, like an insurance budgeting activity and a CPR workshop led by Rae Asbridge. Our group was also very focused and engaged with great personality, which made leading the group every day exciting for me. 

Carl Heyne ‘27

I was a member of the gun violence & domestic terrorism group, with the best parts being our guest speakers. Lt. Young from the PPD and Rep. Rabb from the PA House of Representatives. Lt. Young was a very engaging storyteller with genuinely interesting stories, and Rep. Rabb was very capable of speaking in front of high schoolers. The most impactful thing I heard was actually from a keynote speaker, with the archeologists and their project to prove that their work doesn’t just concern ancient history but can uncover things that never got recorded a few decades ago. 

Serena Krouk ‘28

I was a part of the incredible immigration reform track. Throughout the week we had many incredible opportunities to learn about immigration and how it relates to the United States. We had many informative presentations about the different steps of immigration and how drastically it will change under the new presidency.  We did many activities throughout the week, including taking a Cambodian dance class at CAGE and creating festive masks at Taller puertorriqueño. This track helped me learn about immigration, and feel more connected to the experiences of my family who immigrated here. After the week of learning, I feel more educated on how to handle an uncomfortable situation

Joely Kaplan ‘28

I was a part of the environmentalism track group. We spent half of our week camping at French Creek State Park. I especially enjoyed taking hikes through the snowy outdoors and cooking delicious food. I found myself reconnecting with the outdoors and connecting with new people. The cabins were spacious and heated, but the beds were quite uncomfortable. We took two hikes, one each day. The first hike was around 5 miles, and the second hike was about 3 miles with a detour to visit some old buildings where we also saw animals. In the future social justice weeks, we should go camping again, along with similar in-school activities which were also fun. 

Maddie Orr ‘28

I was part of environmentalism and reconnecting with nature. We spent the first half of the week in French Creek State Park in cabins. We were there for two days, and each day we took a hike. This was the reconnecting with nature part of the course. We also spent some of the second day talking to a park ranger about her job, and then about identifying different conifers. After we got back we learned about a native tribe, salmon food chains, and protests for the environment. We had a speaker come and talk to us about her experience and an activist fighting for land near her school. We did activities like making paper chains and presenting to learn more. We learned about water and sewage pollution by rewriting Jolene by Dolly Parton to be about sewage and water pollution.

Daphne Klose ‘25

This year, I was a part of the Immigration Reform track. Despite the fact that I was battling the flu, I was able to spend 2 incredible days learning about immigration. Over the course of the week, we went on various trips; one of my favorites was when we took a dance class by CAGE, a Cambodian dance group, learning both a flower dance and a coconut dance. As a group, we also had a middle-ground discussion, based on the Jubilee YouTube Channel. Everyone would stand around a circle, and then one of the leaders would say a phrase about immigration, such as “the immigration process should be easier.” If people agreed, they’d step in the circle, they’d be given an opportunity to talk about their opinion, and then everyone would step in and discuss. I really enjoyed this week and I think I learned a lot about the immigration process and the lives of people who have immigrated.

Maya Vakharia ‘26  

This year, I was in the Women’s Empowerment track group. I learned a lot about injustices that women face, specifically regarding abortion rights. We also discussed some of our own experiences as women at our school and talked about what we would like to see in our community moving forward. I really enjoyed the trips we took. We visited Casa Mexico where we spoke to Chef Cristina Martinez and made tortillas. We also went to Uprising ACM yoga studio where we talked to the owner, Achola Simkins, about being a female business owner. I had a great experience talking to her, and she gave us some really inspiring advice. We also took a self-defense class where we learned some crucial skills and techniques and practiced them with each other. Overall, I had a great time in this track group, and it was clear that the leaders put a lot of hard work into planning it. 

Sophia Le ‘25

This year, I co-led the Immigration Reform track with Jawad Ahmad and Khalea Robinson. This was my third time running the track. In the planning process, we wanted to prioritize having students interact with immigrant communities in Philadelphia. We visited Cambodian American Girls Empowering (CAGE), a Cambodian dance group in South Philly, to learn how art and culture evolve through immigration. We also heard from many speakers and organizations including Joanne Gottesman, Rutgers Law Professor; Make the Road PA; Rocio Cabello, an artist from Germantown; and Thorne Holder, former Philadelphia Union player. I have really loved leading a track for the past few years! It has taught me many professional skills and it was fulfilling to learn about immigration relating to my own life. I hope Immigration Reform continues to be a track in the future!

Cole Semel ‘25

This year I was a part of the Healthcare track group. This was my second time in this track group, as I was in it freshman year, but this new experience was different and exciting. This year our track group learned all about injustice in the healthcare system, including healthcare insurance, vaccines, nutrition, mental health, and more. We spent time at the Mütter Museum looking around and taking in all the wonderfully creepy artifacts they had on display. We also had the opportunity to make stir fry as a part of our lesson on injustice in terms of nutrition, which was a very fun and delicious experience. All in all, I had a great time in the healthcare track group learning about injustices in the healthcare system and what we as FSS students can do to help. I strongly encourage people to give this track group a chance if it sticks around next year!  

Grace Salmon ‘27

This year I co-led the Injustice in the Justice System track with Kauveri Shah. It was my first time leading a track and it was a very rewarding experience. When planning for Social Justice Week, we wanted to focus on topics including juvenile detention, prison gerrymandering, the death penalty, healthcare, solitary confinement, and more. We had two speakers, one of them was Marsha Levick, an alumna, who came in to talk with us about the juvenile justice system. The other speaker was Brianna Remester from Villanova, who came in to talk to us about prison gerrymandering. We also took a trip to Eastern State Penitentiary on Thursday where we learned about solitary confinement. On Friday, we had some delicious pizza from Down North Pizza, which hires only formerly incarcerated individuals. Overall, I think that the week was a success and lots of fun!

Anna Masino ‘27

This year, I was part of a new track called Drama & Social Justice. During the week we talked about social justice issues within the drama department at FSS, and in theater as a whole. Issues like the lack of diversity in our drama program and the portrayal of minorities in theater productions came up. We got to listen to different playwrights and creative people speak about their experiences, such as LaNeshe Miller-White from Theatre in the X, and Erlina Ortiz, the co-artistic director at Power Street Theatre. We also got to do fun acting challenges as a group. Overall. I had a lot of fun with the track and I learned a lot about the different issues within the drama department that I didn’t know of before.

Jessica Li ‘27

I was in the Asian American Experiences track, and I learned a lot about South Asian culture. We went to BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, a Hindu temple in New Jersey, and heard all about the symbolism behind the architecture. In addition, we went out to eat every day, which was fun. During the trip to Chinatown on the first day, we learned about the history and visited important sites.

Abby Davenport ‘27

I led the Drugs and Opioids track. I learned a lot about societal issues and skills in leadership, teamwork, and planning. I feel very grateful to have had the experience and learned what I did. I’m not sure that the months of stress, fatigue, and frustration were entirely worth it – culminating in a single week with no service hours or college credit. 

Chloe Kozuch ‘28

I was a part of the Education Reform track led by Alden Otis and Jeremy Landau. Unfortunately, I was sick for the last two days, but either way, Monday and Tuesday were fantastic. I could visibly see the work that our track leaders put into the week, as there were some great guest speakers and interactive activities. During Day 1, an esteemed UPenn professor Dr. Jon Zimmerman came in to speak with us about critical thinking in the school system and made us question how we discuss current events in school. During the rest of the day, we debriefed about the visit and listened to a compelling documentary about the injustices in the US public school system called Waiting for Superman. On Day 2, another speaker named Deborah Gordon Klehr, who is a non-profit lawyer with the Education Law Center. She spoke with us about different cases she has handled over the years, including a long battle against the state for more funding for Pennsylvania public schools. We also created slideshows for our ideal school, which were funny and interesting to listen to. Overall, the two days I attended were incredibly interesting and informative about education, specifically in the US.

Leah Pessin ‘27

I was in the Environmentalism track group. The first two days we went camping at French Creek State Park. I think other people may not have liked it, but I love hiking and it was so beautiful, and we got to take a nap in the snow!

After the hike, we hung out and chilled in one of the cabins, and Spring and Luisa bundled up in their sleeping bags while we talked about (talking about) love and astrology. Then we ate dinner, made microwave smores, and tried (yet ultimately failed) to make brownies. 

The next morning, we went on another hike! Halfway through, I crumpled to the ground! Yes crumpled! I have no idea why. I was standing, not walking, on flat ground, it was really embarrassing and funny. Despite my violent meeting with the ground, I persevered, and I decided to go on the longer section of the second half of the hike. We walked on a frozen lake AND got lost. 

Eventually, we arrived back to our cabin, to the most delicious meal EVER. Luisa made this incredibly delicious pasta. We met with a very informative park ranger, and we learned a lot!  Then, the saddest part of the trip, the ride back, I almost cried. 

One lunar-new-year-day-off later, we were back at school. We learned a lot of stuff, watched a documentary, and ate our weight in cookies! Then, for the first time in my life, I peeled an orange, I didn’t even know you could peel oranges. It was so juicy, it changed my life. On the final day, we worked to make our own presentations about environmental issues in Philadelphia. Overall, I learned a lot and had a lot of fun.