Prep students were given the opportunity to attend the Northwest Ignatian Advocacy Summit from March 5-7, 2026. This is an annual summit hosted by Jesuits West CORE with goals of empowering youth to be powerful advocates for racial equity and justice.  

During the summit, students connected with fellow Jesuit students around the Pacific Northwest to learn about and fight for three key issues: housing, immigration, and environmental justice. Through guest speakers, educational workshops, and an exciting lobbying experience, students gained exposure to powerful advocacy work. 

Below, each student reflected on their time at the Advocacy Summit. 

 Ashley Huang ‘28: 
On the first day of the summit, we arrived at Bellarmine Prep and met with Jesuit students across Washington and Oregon. After an hour of ice breakers, we got introduced to one-to-one meetings. These meetings consisted of two people having intimate conversations regarding justice issues they deeply care about. We practiced these meetings with four people, and it gave us exposure to different perspectives involving our issue. It was an impactful experience that showed us how people from various backgrounds can unite through justice advocacy. 

On the second day, the summit was held at Seattle University. We split into three workshops, each focusing on a different issue, and listened to a guest speaker talk about their experiences with it. Ruth Thomas ‘28 attended the housing workshop, whereas Kidist Wesenu ‘28 attended the immigration workshop.  

Ruth Thomas ‘28: 

In this workshop, I learned how hard it is to find livable but affordable housing across both Seattle and the United States. After the educational lecture, I did a firsthand simulation that put me into the shoes of people who are struggling to find housing. The simulation was based on true stories, and it showed me how incredibly difficult it is to find affordable housing. Then, I learned how to take action to help others that cannot advocate for themselves. The speaker in our workshop shared volunteer opportunities at Mercy Housing and other affordable housing institutes. 

The workshops and guest speakers during Peace and Justice week align with the work that we did during the summit. These programs help students further understand immigration/housing/healthcare injustice and how to combat it. Students gain important skills that aid in future advocacy work.  

Kidist Wesenu ‘28: 

Unlike Ruth, my group/workshop focused on immigration. I listened to someone who had spent time with asylum seekers and learned about the challenges they face after leaving their countries. I also learned about the several reasons people might be forced to leave their homes.  

After these impactful learning experiences, all summit participants walked around the Seattle U campus advocating for others and sharing personal stories relating to immigration, housing, and the environment. This experience brought us together as a community, even though we had only met the day before. There was a bond that was formed because we all had a strong commitment to bringing justice to these issues. We each understood the importance of advocating and creating a change in our world, which strengthened our connection. 

“Making Room at the table” means understanding that there are many different injustices in the world, and sure every issue is recognized, we can create a more just world . At Prep, I believe we can use this theme as an example of how strong we are as a community to bring peace and justice.  

 Ashley Huang ‘28: 

On the last day of the summit, we hosted a town hall at Seattle University. This town hall allowed us to use our advocacy skills to speak to a county representative about the three issues (immigration, housing, and environment) we had been focusing on throughout the summit. Students stepped up to speak about how these issues affect our community and what action we would like the county to take. Although not every summit participant was able to directly speak to the representative, they made an impact by simply showing up. As we learned the day before from Annie Fox, the Provincial Assistant for Social Ministry Organizing for Jesuits West, very few people attend county meetings. By simply being present, it has an influence on the actions that the county decides to take. In total, there were over one hundred audience members/participants at the town hall; now that’s a big impact!. 

This work has provided the bedrock for advocacy programming offered during Peace & Justic Week. Students were given the opportunity to meet with a staffer from Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s office to talk about humane migration & refugee policies. By attending this practice, students gained critical advocacy skills to fight for immigrants and refugees rights. And were heard in the process! 

Both the advocacy work done at the summit and this week at Prep, supports the theme of “Making Room at the Table for All.” By actively endorsing and fighting for humane immigration policies, housing rights, environmental justice, students create an environment that welcomes everyone no matter their migration status, race, or socioeconomic status.