Student summit held at Chatham University to discuss mental health, other issues

PITTSBURGH — According to the CDC, one in five students has seriously considered suicide.

Monday, with more than 100 gathered at Chatham University to discuss gun control, racial injustices, and mental health, it felt like a safe space and a step in the right direction.

“As someone who has struggled with mental health before it was cool to know that other people struggle too and it’s not just me,” said Julia Clement, a high school senior at Westmont Hilltop.

For high school students like Clement, attending the student summit was a life-changing experience.

“Doing the summit year after year just brought me into a new perspective a new light and other ways to think,” Clement said.

Now a student leader she and dozens of other students and experts gathered at Chatham University to plan for next year’s summit. The program was started by Woodland Hills teacher Erin Wall after the shooting death of a former student Antwon Rose.

Now, the program is in its fifth year and has grown from just Woodland Hills to 15 districts.

“Our kids come to school, and they focus mainly on curriculum a lot of these kids need an outlet to talk about issues that are very important to them. A focus of our summit is having urban, suburban, and rural students where normally they are in competition vs collaboration, and this allows them a time to collaborate on topics that are very important to them,” Wall said.

Regarding important topics like race relations and gun control, the CDC said gun violence is the leading cause of death for U.S. Children ages 1 to 19.

“I know a lot of people or have friends who know people who have been killed by gun violence,” said Penn Hills senior Brice Peeler.

Students said the summit helps both them and their districts get real about the issues that matter.

“That has helped a lot of people, just having somewhere to go having someone to talk,” said Woodland Hills senior, Bree Boyd.

Next spring’s Student Summit is projected to expand to 15 urban, suburban, and rural school districts from five counties in western Pennsylvania. Schools that will take part in the summit, either as participants or as student leaders, include Aliquippa, Avonworth, Belle Vernon, Carlynton, Greater Johnstown, Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley, Shaler Area, Upper St. Clair, Westmont Hilltop and summit host Woodland Hills. Additional schools will be formally announced in advance of the full summit in March.

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