Sabrina Bender’s schedule was already pretty full with marching band in the fall and Woodland Hills High School’s annual musical in the spring. But when her friend, Aubrie Moon, encouraged her to participate in the Woodland Hills Student Summit last March, Bender decided to give it a shot. She listened as her peers spoke about mental health issues, LGBTQ issues, and climate change. Bender was hooked.
“It definitely inspired me to come back this year and be a leader for creating positive change, because I realized I want to branch out,” Bender said. “I wanted to meet kids from other schools and work with them so we can start making changes.”
The Woodland Hills junior was one of approximately 100 students from 16 schools in Southwestern Pennsylvania who descended upon the Community College of Allegheny County’s North Side Campus on Tuesday, October 29 for a student leadership session that laid the groundwork for the sixth annual Woodland Hills Student Summit in March 2025. The student leadership workshop provides student leaders a platform to learn more about each other and to examine their topics in detail as they prepare presentations, materials, and activities for the student-led discussions that are the hallmark of the Woodland Hills Student Summit.
“It’s nerve-wracking, talking to a bunch of different people, kind of getting to be the teacher when we’re so used to sitting and listening,” Woodland Hills junior Calise Cowan said. “I love that it’s so early because it gives everyone a chance to just be really prepared for March.”
Cowan has experience as both a student leader and as a participant. Recent events in her life drew her to the Trauma Informed Care group this year, where she’s hopeful her experience will be valuable.
“I was a participant last year because I had a lot of struggles with my mental health and I just couldn’t find a way to balance everything,” Cowan said. “A lot of things have happened from then to now that have really made want to educate other people on all the things they can do to help themselves.”
Each topic for the Woodland Hills Student Summit is hand-picked by students. This year, the groups are focusing on Racial and Social Equity, Mental Health, Creating Positive Change in Schools, Human Rights, LGBTQA+, Athletes’ Mental Health and Responsibilities, Voting and Democracy, Trauma Informed Care, Social Media Influence, and AI For Good.
The student leadership session, which included a workshop led by Penn State 4-H Extension educator Matthew S. Crutchman, helps students refine the focus of their discussion groups and connects them with mentors and experts in their respective fields. It also helps prepare students like Woodland Hills junior Mackenzie McPherson as they make the transition from participant to leader. McPherson said the ability to address topics like women’s rights, access to healthcare, and adoption in her Human Rights group, appealed to her, as did the chance to hear from students in other districts.
“It feels really special to me to be able to make a personal connection with things that other people also have a personal connection to,” McPherson said. “It’s really nice to get to know people that you would never meet outside of a school-organized event. There’s something magical to just be able to talk to other people.”
Personal connections drive many of the students to become leaders for their discussion groups. Senior Troy Akins and junior Scoop Smith are active in several activities and organizations at Woodland Hills, where they take on leadership roles. But this will be the first Student Summit for both, as they’ll serve as leaders in the Athletes’ Mental Health and Responsibilities group.
“I feel like I’ve been through a lot of different experiences and situations in my life through sports and outside of sports,” Akins said. “I think I can add personal insight and also learn from other people’s ideas to see how I can help my own situation and grow.”
Smith said he’s been inspired by other Woodland Hills student-athletes who have been active in the Student Summit and wants to follow their path in raising awareness and fostering positive conversations.
“People on the outside don’t really understand what goes on in an athlete’s brain. There’s a lot going on,” Smith said. “You have school, you have sports, you have all the things going on in your outside life. It’s just a lot and it can build up.”
Akins, Smith, Bender, McPherson, and Cowan all said that Tuesday’s session played a critical role for students to lay the groundwork as they prepare for the full session at Penn State Greater Allegheny on March 14. Over the next couple of months, the student leaders will work virtually to further hone their discussion topics, develop PowerPoint presentations, and refine activities for their groups. They’ll have one more in-person session in February at the Heinz History Center.
Founded by Woodland Hills English teacher Erin Wall, the Woodland Hills Student Summit initially served as a platform for Woodland Hills students to speak out following a series of community incidents, including the death of Antwon Rose II. The sixth annual summit will feature approximately 300 students from over 20 suburban, urban, and rural school districts from all across Southwestern Pennsylvania, all lending their voices to create a positive impact in their schools, communities, and personal lives. The Woodland Hills Student Summit is possible in part thanks to The HEAR Foundation, Penn State 4-H Extension, the L.I.G.H.T. Education Initiative, CCAC, and Penn State Greater Allegheny.
“It’s so important to give the youth a chance to speak for themselves, to advocate for themselves, because I feel like once you get older, you kind of start to forget how it feels to go through certain things,” Cowan said. “It’s important to give people the chance to speak up and to share their experiences and to share how you can help them.”
