RCSD Middle Schooler Earns Spot at National Soapbox in D.C.

Farida Ismael, an 8th-grade RCSD student

Farida Ismael, an eighth-grade student at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, has been selected as one of just 12 students nationwide to participate in Soapbox Nation, a platform that highlights youth voices on pressing social issues.

Farida will deliver her speech during a mainstage event at the National Youth Summit in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

She is the first middle school student from the Rochester City School District to receive this recognition through Soapbox Nation.

Farida will be joined at the summit by Khandhia Smith, a student at School Without Walls, who was also selected to attend.

Farida delivered her speech on deportation during RCSD’s Districtwide Project Soapbox showcase on March 12, where she was one of 45 student speakers presenting across five breakout rooms. Her speech was one of 10 chosen for the event’s mainstage presentation.

Following the showcase, Ken Porter, Mikva Challenge’s partner site director for Rochester and Jefferson County, Kentucky, and Ryan Keating, executive director of social studies for RCSD, nominated three standout speakers for national consideration. A panel of Mikva Challenge staff and partners reviewed the nominations, and Farida was among the few selected.

Project Soapbox is a partnership with the Mikva Challenge, a nonpartisan organization focused on empowering youth civic engagement.

Farida’s advocacy has already made an impact in Rochester—and now, she will share her message on a national stage.