Community High student virtually connects with inaugural poet Amanda Gorman during National Education Summit

Community High School rising sophomore Erin Kawata joined a national conversation on education Tuesday.

From her Zoom window, Erin appeared as one of three student panelists at the Smithsonian National Education Summit held this week in Washington, D.C. The annual event draws more than 1,000 educators, researchers, and policymakers from across the country, all eager to hear new perspectives, including those of students.

Selected from more than 3,000 participants in the Smithsonian’s Democracy in Dialogue Virtual Exchange program, Erin brought her voice to the “Youth Voices” session, where 389 viewers had pre-registered to listen. Her selection was sparked by a video project exploring the closure of Downtown Home & Garden and its impact on the local community.

“It felt so surreal being on the same platform as the Amanda Gorman!” Erin said, referring to the activist/inaugural poet featured on the panel that day.

As the session streamed live, viewers tuned in from across the country—“from Vegas to Tampa to D.C., and of course, from Ann Arbor and Detroit,” she said.

A recording of the session is available online with free registration; Erin’s portion begins at 34:40.