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Smith Jewish Academy alum Avital Krebs gave a speech marking her senior year at Breck School. She traces her advocacy leadership to third grade at Smith.

From a young age, I have loved campaigning. To me, campaigning is advocating for the candidate I prefer. It involves explaining exactly why I prefer said candidate, from their policies to their qualifications. It begins with an internal conversation about what I believe, why I believe it, and what I hope to see for the future of the institution or office the candidate is seeking to lead.

This began in third grade. 2016. It was the fall. And it was time for the presidential election. The stakes were high: Donald Trump, as portrayed by an eighth grader at my school, versus Hillary Clinton, as portrayed by my eighth grade sister. Now you might think I cared because I wanted to see a female president take office. Maybe I liked her policies better? No. Hillary Clinton, as third grade me understood it, was my sister. There was no difference. So in this mock election, Clinton, also known as my sister, HAD to win. There was simply no other option. And thus my quest for Clinton’s victory began.

I immediately took to the elementary school hallways, telling every person I saw to vote for Hillary Clinton. When we would line up before going out to recess, I would command the attention of my peers and outline exactly what made Clinton so special in this election. Sure, all my reasons were about why my sister was great, but it was where I started to learn what it means to stand up for what you believe in — no matter how trivial it may seem.

In the fall of 2024, the Breck Bugle took on the challenge of educating about the presidential election while providing students with the opportunity to articulate their political perspectives. To remain an entity with journalistic integrity, the Bugle chose two journalists to present each side. I wrote about why Kamala Harris was the appropriate candidate — focusing on her qualifications, policies, and values.

Writing this article required me to interrogate my beliefs in a way I had not truly done before. To be perfectly candid, prior to this article, I knew I supported Harris largely because she was merely preferable to her opposition. Yet I had not fully elucidated, to myself, what made her deserving in her own merits. What policies she had that earned my support. In researching and writing this article, I was compelled to ground my views in evidence and policy analysis rather than instinct or contrast.

This process reminded me that advocacy demands more than opposition — it demands a deliberate effort to educate oneself and speak thoughtfully and responsibly. When we speak without being informed, all we do is add to the noise. When we speak with preparation, we add to the conversation.

The current climate is one where informed advocacy is crucial. We have seen basic rights taken away as the current administration, which marks its one year anniversary today, challenges the basis of morality. I have watched as President Trump employs the justice department to settle personal scores or investigate enemies. I have witnessed the transformation of our immigration system from a matter of border security to a campaign of internal, community decimation. The list could go on.

These national shifts are not just headlines. They are a heavy backdrop of my day-to-day life. This weight was palpable last Friday, when Student Diversity and Inclusion Council met to discuss what our actions would be with regard to approaching the ICE shooting the previous Wednesday. As we went around the table, sharing our thoughts and emotions, I felt jaded. It felt — and sometimes continues to feel — like nothing will change. There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from caring deeply about things that feel so beyond your control. As I looked around that SDIC meeting, I thought about how our generation is a witness to history. To things that will be written about in textbooks. Sometimes that history feels like it’s moving backwards. It is tempting to let the sense of weariness turn to silence. Because I often wonder what can one 17-year-old actually do against the entire government?

And the answer to that question is nothing.

There is no guarantee that I can effect change. But I can fight for it. I can speak up. I can collaborate with others. And the possibility that all that does nothing cannot be the reason I stay quiet. We often mistake a lack of immediate result for a lack of impact. Speaking up builds a foundation for the people who come after. It can provide others with the courage to advocate. It builds community. Looking back to my third grade self, I realize she had something that I should never have outgrown; she held strong in her convictions and always believed in her ability to make an impact.

Sometimes you may win — like when my sister won the mock election in elementary school — and sometimes, you may lose — like when Kamala Harris lost in the fall of 2024. But what matters is that you take an educated stand for what you believe. That is how we become a generation that actively works for our own future.