(Secaucus, NJ––March 9, 2022) Three High Tech students set on taking the world by storm—Sophia Delrosario, Lillian Marsh, and Jeremy Madray—recently hosted a keynote address to over one-thousand students at the NJ Elementary and Middle School Leadership conference, hosted by Kean University on Friday, March 4, 2020, announced Ms. Kathy Young, principal of High Tech High School.
The three seniors were invited to participate in the conference after garnering the attention of the organizers at the High School Leadership Conference, where Sophia Delrosario was awarded the Joy Prescott Humanitarian Award for Student Leadership and Dedication. Sophia won for her work as founder and executive director of Zenerations, a teen-led media organization focused on addressing global issues affecting Generation Z. Although Zenerations is Sophia’s brainchild, the organization relies on the talents and hard work of associate director/director of graphic design, Lilly Marsh, and director of technology, Jeremy Madray. Thanks to their specific vision and commitment, Zenerations quickly became a social media phenomenon, garnering tens of thousands of Instagram followers, after having their stories re-posted by celebrities and politicians including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ariana Grande. The youth-led group used their platform to create the Women of Color Conference, a two-day event in 2020 which brought women of all ages from around the world together in a virtual forum to discuss their accomplishments and share solutions for women in color across industries such as business, performing arts, film, STEM, and more.
Although more narrow in focus, the Elementary and Middle School Conference allowed Sophia, Lilly, and Jeremy to directly address a group of New Jersey’s youngest future leaders. Their keynote touched on the conference’s theme of “global citizenship” and the students encouraged the next generation to take up the mantle of youth activism and use their voices for change.
Both the High School and Elementary and Middle School Leadership Conferences were hosted by the Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship at Kean University. The Diversity Council consists of over 113 school districts who are committed to fostering “the continued growth of active and compassionate individuals in order to reduce intolerance, harassment/intimidation, and to promote social justice in a democratic society.”
You can learn more about the work being done by Sophia, Lilly, and Jeremy by visiting zenerations.org. For more information on the Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship at Kean University, please visit this link.
