Jaslyn Colbert, 17, Pittsburgh Obama

Homelessness and transportation

Pittsburgh’s homelessness crisis and transportation gaps were on Jaslyn Colbert’s mind as she sat at her school’s table during the huddle. 

She said the city needs to invest in infrastructure to support people experiencing homelessness. “You don’t want people to just be freezing on the street or anything like that,” she said. 

Colbert also questioned the effectiveness of Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses, which she said run late regularly. 

“I know some of my friends take three buses to get to school,” she said. “So that second bus could low-key make or break the time that they are getting to second period, and maybe they are failing because of that.”

Dessa Shimko, 17, Pittsburgh CAPA

Public education

Dessa Shimko, a student ambassador for her school with PA Youth Vote, said public education and school funding, including the dollars flowing from districts to charter schools, are her priorities. 

“It hurts to see so much money taken out of our budget when I see places it could be needed in my school,” she said. Approximately 20% of PPS’ budget goes to funding for charter schools.

Jenna Parker, 17, Allderdice High School

Flock cameras and ICE 

Jenna Parker worries about Flock cameras in her neighborhood, and their impact on privacy. 

The City of Pittsburgh does not contract with Flock, but there are a number of private retailers who have installed those cameras around the city.

“I would like to see our officials do either major regulation or even banning of Flock cameras because I think it’s a major overreach on to the privacy of me and my friends and my family,” Parker said. “It makes me feel, even if I’m not doing anything wrong, that I’m being watched.”

Parker was also concerned about immigration enforcement, saying she knew a number of people who were detained by ICE officers. She started working for nonprofit Las Hermanitas Immigrant Resource Fund to raise money to fund legal resources. 

Ashia McGee, 18, Penn Hills High School

Voting and abortion rights

Ashia McGee, who turned 18 today, is excited to exercise her right to vote. 

“The government right now is doing everything in their power to take away my rights, both as a Black teenager, a Black citizen of America, but also as a woman,” she said.

She wants to advocate for abortion rights and participated in the huddle to talk about the importance of voting. 

“That is unbelievably, unequivocally important to me because in my history of being Black, it has been so, just shoved aside that Black women get proper medical health they need,” she said. “And I won’t accept that. I will not allow that.”

Keith Edmonds Jr., 18, Brashear High School

Violence in schools

Keith Edmonds Jr. came ready to talk about violence in schools and local communities.

He said local governments should push for more unity between communities and show up to community events. Referring to the chaperone policies in Market Square and other places in Pittsburgh, he said large gatherings of teens and adults could be better handled. 

He said restrictions are driving people away from public gathering places. “But we want them to come. We want them to have a good time,” he said. “We want to make it safe for them so they can come and not anything happen.”

Dexter Cummings, 17, Woodland Hills High School

Phone bans

Dexter Cummings was eager to discuss phone bans in schools with elected representatives. While there isn’t a finalized statewide phone ban, several school districts in Allegheny County, including Woodland Hills, have full-day or partial phone bans in place.

Cummings said even though phone bans can help students to pay attention in the classroom and may make them less prone to violence, school shootings have been rampant since 2020. 

According to data analysis by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, school shootings have significantly increased over the last few years, reaching an all-time high right after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cummings said phones should be kept close to the students, and not in another room, so they can easily access them during emergencies. 

“There’s so many emergencies where you might need to call your parents, tell the police, ‘Hey, something’s going on,’” he said. “And what happens if something happens at the office and there’s no way for the police to know about it.”

Jamie Holloway, Senior, Pittsburgh Obama

Education equity

Student leader Jamie Holloway facilitated conversations and presented ideas to local leaders. 

As the leader of the environmental club at Obama, she has always felt strongly about environmental issues and equity gaps in education. 

“Our schools are so different across the board. Schools get resources that are, like, closer to Downtown, more so than the ones that are further out in the Pittsburgh area, which is a big issue that we need to deal with because students across the board are always brilliant.”

Claira Matta, 16, Woodland Hills High School

Voting rights

Braddock Hills resident Claira Matta participated in this year’s voter registration drive through her AP Government and U.S. Politics class. She came to the huddle to learn more about local representatives and differing views on issues. 

She emphasized on the importance of voting, saying, “You can’t sit and complain and then not do anything about it.”