Students Who Will Make Change Happen

1/“Prerequisites” for Public Service

written by Sofia Templos

The legislative process is often viewed as complex. As someone who had never been involved in the usual prerequisites for pursuing public policy, I did not know I could be involved in legislation. I have been working for two years as a nursing assistant.

Like many, I’ve seen firsthand the cost of the opioid crisis. In fall 2024, I participated in the Youth Summit, organized by Catalysts for Systems Change, designed to identify the issues most important to young people. That is where I realized I could transform my grief about opioid loss into a call for legislative action.

One of the students I met there was Maitreya Reeder, and I would spend much of the next year working with her. We had the same goal: to ensure that there would be policies in place to teach youth how to react in the event of an overdose. We introduced our idea to the other students at the summit, and it was voted by peers as the top legislative priority.

After that, I participated in the 2025 legislative session, connected with my former local representatives, and met with my Apple Valley city council members. I eventually testified at the Capitol on behalf of House File 2023, Senate File 2234, and Senate File 1687, which were all related to naloxone training and access.

In May 2025, a bill passed that, among other things, offers naloxone training to middle and high school health classes. Since then, I have continued to stay involved, including at The 5th Annual Overdose and Fentanyl Poisoning Day.

This experience has taught me that I offer a unique and lived perspective on public issues. I am excited to be a youth leader in the 2026 legislative session, with another bill idea in process. I will do this while in my spring semester at the University of Minnesota, where I’m majoring in sociology of law, working as a nursing assistant, and lining up a potential Senate internship. I have big plans for 2026.

I have learned that the most powerful tools we have are our voice and lived experience. It’s never too late to make a difference, including from the inside, and there is no prerequisite for doing so.

---

---

2/My Fight for Cultural Respect

written by Isabella Stensrud Eubanks

I am a 17-year-old Ojibwe student living in Hinckley. I am a backup singer for the Native American Student Association drum group. In 2023, we were invited to sing the “Traveling Song” at the local high school graduation ceremony. The Traveling Song carries deep meaning in our culture. Sharing our music with the school community was a beautiful moment. It felt like acceptance — that our culture mattered and our presence was valued.

The following school year, we were informed that the Traveling Song had been banned from future graduation ceremonies. About 75 Native American community members attended the next school board meeting to voice concerns. The board ended the discussion without addressing any of the points raised. When community members continued to speak up about the harm this decision caused, the school called the police to remove us.

That moment lit a fire in me. I organized silent walkouts for the final ten minutes of every school day. We held daily peaceful marches around town, hoping to raise awareness about what was happening. I organized a social that brought about 200 people together in solidarity. Despite our efforts, the school still refused to lift the ban.

So we created our own space. To honor the 2024 Native graduates, we held a powwow on the school parking lot.

Not long after, I visited the Minnesota State Capitol for Legislative Day. I was told something that left me speechless: lawmakers were drafting a bill to protect Native American ceremonies in schools across the state.

Soon after, I was asked to testify in support of the bill. I worked closely with Chief Virgil Wind of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Senator Mary Kunesh to bring our story forward and to make sure Native students everywhere would be protected. Thanks to the efforts of many, the bill passed its initial stages — and officially became state law. This new law ensures that Native American ceremonies can be held in schools, in partnership with the tribal nations whose students attend them.

My story began with a song that was silenced. But it ends with a law that ensures our voices will never be silenced again.

---

We are building a new series called “Future Forward” to showcase student-led journalism. To support this series: