Twenty-five high school students from 15 states learned how to lead their states’ fights for student press freedom as part of the Student Press Law Center’s seventh annual New Voices Student Leaders Institute this summer. Learn more about what they learned here.
The institute’s message was clear: Student voices can pass the New Voices laws needed to protect students’ First Amendment rights. Now, the new leaders are ready to put their strategies and new skills into action to do just that.
Mira Thakkar is one of those students. She is a senior at Lambert High School in Georgia, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Lambert Post for the 2026-2027 school year. She shares her experiences at the Institute and what comes next in her advocacy work.
I applied to NVSLI this year because, as I became more involved as a student journalist in my community, I learned how much our voices matter in helping inform our youth.
I had known about the issue of censorship, but as I researched more about how student journalists make an impact, the more I realized how many of our voices are being silenced through direct or self-censorship. Researching this issue more is what led me to learn about the New Voices mission, and I soon understood I wanted to fight for my and my peers’ rights through the movement, starting with the summer institute.
Now, I look forward to working alongside my fellow Georgia advocates this legislative session to keep fighting in Georgia for student press freedom.
The institute gave me countless memorable experiences, from team-bonding to speaking with professionals. My favorite activity we did was when we were able to make our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis with other students, because I think it helped me get to know other student journalists who share my passion, and it also helped make a far-away goal seem a lot more realistic.
Through this activity and many others, I was able to come to a couple main takeaways that are guiding and shaping my upcoming year of advocacy. First, I learned how important community can be when fighting for a cause, which is what is motivating me to find other student journalists facing censorship and gather their testimonies. I also took away valuable knowledge about our legislative process, guiding my planning for the year ahead.
This institute as a whole was incredibly valuable for me not only as a journalist, but as a leader. We spoke extensively on how much your voice and reasoning matter when speaking to legislators and how to make them care, a lesson I think is valuable no matter where you go. I also think developing our “Story of Self, Us, and Now” helped me learn how to advocate for myself and tell my story, as well as others’.
These lessons, takeaways and activities have all boosted me as I start my year of advocacy with New Voices. I’m currently in talks with Georgia advocates to hopefully set up a conference and am reaching out to legislators soon.
New Voices is a student-led, nonpartisan movement working to end censorship of student media by passing state laws that protect students’ right to report freely. The Student Press Law Center powers this movement by convening coalitions, educating lawmakers, sharing model policies and equipping students with the training and confidence they need to stand up for press freedom. Learn more about how you can take action to restore and protect student press freedom in your state.