Earlier this month, I attended the 2026 World Conference Against Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to represent Peace Action New York State. When I first found out that I was selected for this opportunity back in June, I was nervous and filled with self-doubt. It would have been my first time traveling outside the country on my own, and I doubted my ability to deliver any interesting or worthwhile speeches. Afterall, I was only a student organizer at Peace Action Macaulay Honors College for a single semester, and had no grand stories to share with nuclear abolition activists in Japan. I considered that perhaps the opportunity would best be given to someone else.

On February 20-21, student organizers from across the state traveled to Macaulay Honors College in New York City to attend our annual Student Peace Conference. Representatives from a number of local and international peace organizations came to give inspiring talks and workshops which the student attendees can use to inform them as they keep organizing on campus.

The Fall 2025 cohort of the Peace Action Fund of New York State Campus Organizing Program carried out a number of important initiatives on their campuses, spreading awareness about ongoing peace and justice issues. This semester, our 12 chapters continued focusing on the genocide in Gaza, the mass deportations of undocumented people and ICE presence in their own communities, the cutting of SNAP benefits during the nation’s longest government shutdown, nuclear weapons and the expiration of New START in 2026, and more. Each chapter developed their own innovative ways of educating their peers on these issues and providing opportunities to participate in acts of resistance.