HWS News
13 February 2026 Turning Learning into Impact
Students share insights and focus on how to support resilient communities.
Twenty-one Hobart and William Smith students joined peers from other colleges and universities to discuss how to enact meaningful change in their communities during the 5th annual Social Justice Summit at Colgate University on Saturday, Jan. 31. Workshop topics included “Climate Anxiety and Carework: Building Community Resilience,” “Intergroup Dialogue: A Critical Part of Campus,” and “International Students and Educational Justice on American Campuses.”
The summit brought together students and educators to explore social justice issues through dialogue, critical inquiry and action-oriented solutions. This year’s theme, “Live the Values and Lift Each Other,” asked participants to align their work with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of justice, compassion and collective care.
Director of Colgate’s ALANA Cultural Center Esther Rosbrook P’29 welcomed attendees and encouraged them to act with intention and “activate knowledge, build connections and ask meaningful and critical questions.”
Social Justice Summit
Nate Morgan ’27 and Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning Katie Flowers co-presented on “From Classroom to Community - Leveraging Learning to Strengthen and Empower Non-Profit Organizations” based on the “Nonprofits, Philanthropy and Giving,” a course where students research local organizations and decide where to spend $25,000, funded by Mike ’92 and Christina Gantcher P'27 and the Gantcher Family Foundation.
Leah Riewerts ’28 presented on how bias can show up in AI outputs while Nicholas Jones ’26 shared on HWS’ Food Recovery Network and its mission to save food that would have otherwise been thrown out and support food pantries.
“Being given the opportunity to engage with varying collegiate communities was incredibly powerful for me,” says Jack Tafolla-Garcia ’28. “I learned so much during this conference, including the idea that positive change can become tangible in many different ways.”
“When we all gathered together from different backgrounds and experiences, the room became filled with authenticity and hope,” says Willow Lewis-Moskowitz ’27. “I’m so thankful for the people who spoke today and to the ones who listened, creating such a safe and heartwarming space with shared values and a change-centered mindset.”
For Nehemiah Wagner ’29, the work of promoting social justice is hard, but like the other students, seeing so many individuals passionate about creating change can provide the inspiration needed to implement it. “It is with jubilant anticipation that I await the opportunity to exercise the tactics, skills and information which I was able to accrue through the Colgate Social Justice Summit,” Wagner says.
Other students who attended include: Hayley Ross ’29, Lucius Ruiz-Power ’28, Julianna Thornburg ’28, Bella Diamandis ’28, Ela Gardiner ’28, Madeline MaKinster ’28, Kendall Wilcox ’26, Christian Flowers ’26, Lilly Andrews-Edwards ’29, Stacia Bialowans ’29, Connor Ransford ’29, Ayesha Bachcha ’29, Avery Reiss ’29, Leah Hurlbut ’28 and Jacqueline Connolly ’27.
Top: Students, Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning Katie Flowers and Associate Director for Disability Services Shanelle France '11 pose for a picture at Colgate University during the 5th annual Social Justice Summit.
