Student & Global Leaders

Oakwood School brought together leading human rights activists from around the world for the Gender Justice Summit, a student-led gathering that sparked meaningful exchange between young changemakers and internationally recognized advocates.

Framed by the theme Passing the Torch Across Generations—and the Gender Spectrum—to Light the Way for Lasting Change, the day emphasized shared leadership across ages and identities. Throughout the day, students cultivated an environment rooted in dialogue, accountability, and forward momentum, highlighting how enduring change is built through shared leadership across generations.

The day-long Summit featured an extraordinary lineup of speakers whose work spanned education, grassroots organizing, storytelling, humanitarianism, and public service. Featured guests included Shabana Basij-Rasikh, founder of the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA); Ruchira Gupta, founder of Apne Aap Women Worldwide; actor and advocate Kathryn Hahn; Connecticut State Senator and human rights scholar Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox; Hugo Slim, Director of Oxford’s Las Casas Institute for Social Justice; and Anna Deavere Smith, award-winning performer and playwright of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992.

Many of the student organizing committee members first became involved in gender equity work through Oakwood’s Pad Project. What began as a hands-on effort to combat period poverty and stigma sparked deeper conversations and lasting commitment. Inspired by that experience, students were motivated to expand their efforts, helping to envision and build the Gender Justice Summit as a broader platform for dialogue, education, and action.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in breakout sessions designed to spark dialogue. Topics ranged from reproductive justice and the rights and dignity of trans and nonbinary people to immigration and displacement, mental well-being in relationships, and the power of film and storytelling as tools for social change. The Summit also featured powerful performances from Oakwood students, adding creative depth and personal expression to the dialogue.

The Gender Justice Summit was a reflection of Oakwood’s commitment to student leadership and civic engagement. By convening global voices while centering student facilitation, the event modeled what intergenerational collaboration can look like in practice. For the students who conceived and built it, the Summit was about awareness and responsibility. As conversations developed across classrooms and creative spaces, the torch of advocacy was passed, across generations, across identities, and across disciplines, illuminating pathways toward a more just and equitable world.

Featured Guests/Breakout Leaders/Performers Included:

Jim Astman, Julia Aks ’08, Andrea Berloff, Honorable Fama Ba, Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Melissa Berton, Esme Bianco, Hannah Canter ’06, Jaime Dominguez, Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, Josephine Glass ’19, Ruchira Gupta, Kathryn Hahn, Laura Electra Hayes, Rico Herre, Marta Kauffman, Sacha Maccabee, Barbara Marshall, Mason Maxam ’21, Inez Parra, Joanie Pimentel, Lisa Pimentel, Steve Pinder, Cheyney Ryan EC ’59, Santigold, Jessica Sanchez, Hugo Slim, Anna Deavere Smith, Elizabeth Spies, Candace Clark Trinchieri, Abbey Turtinen, Honorable Daba Wagnane, Peter Wingerd, Lena Winters ’06, Nechelle Wong, and The Gender Justice Student Task Force

The Gender Justice Summit was presented in partnership with The Pad Project and The Oxford Consortium for Human Rights.