Over a decade of impact: How GCE-US shapes the next generation of education advocates

Since 2013, the Global Campaign for Education-US Youth Engagement Program has trained over 150 young advocates who now shape education policy from courtrooms to Congress, from local school boards to international development agencies.  On October 14, GCE-US hosted a panel discussion featuring three alumni who shared how their experiences with GCE-US transformed their understanding of advocacy and their careers.

For Melina Hettiaratchi, a 2013 Youth Advocate now running for Kentucky's State House of Representatives, the program was a revelation. "I had never been to DC before," she recalled. "That was my first moment where I thought, ‘wait a second’… I can do something in a different seat and make a difference in a different way."

Now a family lawyer specializing in special education advocacy, Melina credits GCE-US with showing her that youth voices matter today. "Adults at those sessions were saying, your voice matters, and your voice is important today, you don't actually have to wait till you're old enough," she said. "Ever since then, my dream job is to be a U.S. Senator."

Stephanie Peña, who served as GCE-US's Inclusive Education Coordinator before becoming Director of Global Education Program Development at Special Olympics International, described the mentorship that helped her overcome self-doubt. "A lot of times I thought, should I be at this table?" she admitted. "But I had amazing mentors like Jennifer Rigg (former GCE Executive Director) who told me ‘You should absolutely be here; you're leading this.’"

Stephanie spoke candidly about the current threats to inclusive education, noting cuts to the Department of Education. "Now more than ever, we really do need to continue to have advocacy at the center of all of this," she emphasized.

Pierina Anton Lopez, former USAID Education Foreign Service Officer, reflected on how GCE-US shaped her approach to government work. "Having not just a voice at the table but having a decision-making role at the table was a real game changer for me," she said.

Her advice to current youth advocates? Start local. "I encourage young people to think about the problems or the issues within their vicinity that directly affect them," Pierina explained. "That's where you can see the impact in a more immediate and concrete way."

She urged young people to engage with school boards and local representatives: "Your experience matters, and it's really about amplifying it and making sure you're loud about it, even though it is a scary time to be loud and proud of your experiences."

The Path Forward

All three panelists emphasized the importance of mentorship and networking to amplify youth action for change. Melina offered practical advice: "Ask people you admire for coffee. People want to talk about their lives to people who don't want anything from them. Figure out who makes the decisions, sit next to them, and then eventually take their seat."

Pierina encouraged young people to "think of your mentors as your board of directors for your life," or advisors who can help navigate big decisions while recognizing that "you're the chair, you're the executive director."

Stephanie weighed in on challenges related to choosing a career path saying, “'Whatever you decide will work, you don't know how it'll work or which paths it'll lead to, but you'll make it work."

As Grace Mariana Rector, GCE-US Program Director of Youth Engagement, quoted, "One is not born into the world to do everything, but to do something” (Henry David Thoreau). And as we've seen in our panelists today, they've chosen something, and they're excelling at that something."

Join the Movement

Applications for the 2026 Youth Advocacy Program will open in March 2026. The program brings young people to Washington, DC for intensive advocacy training, meetings with policymakers, and the opportunity to join a global network of education advocates.

At a time when youth voices are being silenced, investing in the next generation of advocates has never been more critical.