The Peer Leader team at Friendship Technology Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. is driving change at their school in more ways than one! All four Senior Peer Leaders currently serve on the Friendship Tech Prep Student Government Association, where they are making a positive impact on their classmates and the wider D.C. community.
During Friendship Tech Prep’s Homecoming week in January, these SGA leaders joined forces with the Varsity Basketball team to volunteer at Martha’s Table, a D.C. non-profit dedicated to delivering education, food, and health services to families in need throughout the city. Volunteers sported their SGA gear while assisting with food and clothing distribution drives.
Peer Leaders have also been leveraging their student government platform to advocate for access to safe drinking water at their school. In October 2021, they launched a campaign for at least four water bottle filling stations to be installed in school hallways, to replace the water fountains that had been closed in accordance with COVID-19 precautions. Watch their campaign video to learn more about their petition.
College preparation is also at the top of the team’s agenda this year, and thanks to their efforts, 89% of their fellow seniors have applied to at least one college, while 67% have applied to three or more.
Latoya Harper, a Peer Leader and member of the SGA Senior Senate, reflected on her leadership goals:
“The type of change I want to inspire in my community is the idea that all youth have the ability to be leaders and hold the skills needed to positively influence those around them. I aspire to lead by example while also stepping back, when necessary, to give others a chance to speak.”
Evan Thompson is also a Peer Leader and SGA Senior Senate representative on a mission to support his classmates:
“The change that I want to inspire in my community is motivation. My goal is to inspire and give the youth comfort and stability. I want to be a democratic leader. I want others to go through their own experiences, and I’ll allow them to make mistakes, but I’ll definitely be there to comfort them. You can’t make people’s decisions for them, you can only give them the advice they need in order to make the decision.”
This PeerForward team has gone above and beyond in their service to their community this year. Well done, Peer Leaders!
