Upper School Student Participates in New Voices Student Leaders Institute

This Summer, WordsWorth Co-Editor-in-Chief Charlotte Nesevich ’25 participated in the Student Press Law Center’s New Voices Leadership Institute. Charlotte took time to summarize her experience in the two-week program:

“This summer, I worked with the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), a non-profit of lawyers and student journalists that works to protect student journalist speech from censorship, under the First Amendment. “New Voices” is the name of the legislature that SPLC has introduced in many states (including New Jersey) to further protect these rights. In particular, New Voices aims to reestablish the rights that student journalists lost in the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court Case.

I participated in the New Voices Student Leaders Institute, a two-week initiative that SPLC hosts virtually every summer. I worked alongside other student journalists to learn about the intricacies of freedom of speech for student journalists and the actions that we can take to further establish, expand, and protect these rights. Specifically, I was a part of the New Jersey cohort, alongside two students from North Jersey – if you scroll far enough on the link I sent directly to the Student Leaders Institute, you can find me! While NJ already introduced and passed the New Voices Legislature, we talked about our experiences as Student Journalists and how we can ensure that student journalists and advisors of student news organizations know their rights.

The Student Leaders Institute helped me to learn about student press rights, which I feel has made me a better Co-Editor-in-Chief for our MFS Wordsworth staff. Hearing other students’ stories about their experiences with censorship not only showed me how lucky we are at MFS Wordsworth, but also made me feel more prepared as I took on the role of Co-EIC this year. It was also really interesting to connect with other passionate student journalists across the country who were united behind a common goal. We also met Cathy Kuhlmeier (from Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeir) and Mary Beth Tinker (from Tinker v. Des Moines), two influential activists whose stories have been incredibly impactful within student journalism.”