In California, Student Speeches
Spark Conversation & Change
Tess, a high school student at Riverside STEM Academy in Riverside, California, has always been passionate about the environment and fashion. During the pandemic, Tess, who plans to become a fashion designer, was noticing more and more online clothing retailers selling clothing for rock-bottom prices. These companies caught Tess’s attention.
“I noticed a lot of different brands that were selling clothes for like $5 a piece and I sew so I know that just isn’t even possible – both with the cost of fabric but also paying people to make clothes,” Tess recalled. “So I researched and found out that the process of fast fashion has all of these human rights implications, but also has a huge effect on the environment.”
A few months later, her AP Language Arts teacher tasked Tess and her classmates with a civic engagement project.
“We were doing a project where we got to choose anything we wanted to change in the world and try to find a way to change it,” Tess recalled. “Because it was going to be a year-long project – maybe more – I wanted to do something that I cared about.”
For Tess this was an opportunity to dive deeper into the information on fast fashion’s negative effects. Her research involved studying the supply chains of different companies, different brand’s environmental impacts, and alternative and sustainable options such as thrift stores. Soon after beginning her research, Tess felt compelled to apply for her school's Project Soapbox showcase. While the turnaround for composing her Soapbox speech was tight, Tess remembers feeling that it was imperative to share her perspective on fast fashion to a larger group of peers and community leaders .
“We don’t have a lot of influence right now. As a teenager you are not really listened to unless you raise up your voice,” Tess said. “Having opportunities like the Soapbox showcase is one way to make people aware of what teenagers are thinking about and what we care about.”
“Because we have to go into the world and fix all of these problems,” Tess continued, “it’s really important to have an avenue to talk about what’s on our minds.”
For Tess the impact of her fast fashion speech on the audience was immediately evident. Not only did audience members talk with her for hours after the event about what they learned, many have since told her that her speech inspired them to change their fashion consumption.
Tess plans to continue her advocacy for the environment and sustainable fashion. When she graduates Tess plans to pursue a career at the intersection of public policy, government, fashion and the environment. She also continues to support student advocacy by mentoring Soapbox students and even served as an MC for more recent Soapbox events.
“Having speaking skills and being able to stick up for things that you care about is so important,” Tess said. “Getting that confidence from doing something like a Soapbox speech really will help you for the rest of your life.”