On June 12, 2025, Dr. Deborah McKoy and Ruby Kosewicz-Strickland hosted a panel at the 2025 21CSLA (21st Century School Leadership Academy) Leading for Justice Summit. This Summit focused on centering politically targeted students and communities, reimagining school leadership, transforming systems, and holding hope, joy, and care in these efforts.

The CC+S Panel, Students as Co-Leaders: Centering Housing-Insecure Youth Agency in Equity-Driven Change, built off of the 2025 Y-PLAN Community Development Studio in partnership with Berkeley High School’s Academy of Medicine and Public Service. Centering intersectionality and student agency, the panel starred three BHS High School Scholars who spoke to their experience and insights developed over the course of their semester-long Y-PLAN project analyzing the potential for Berkeley Unified School District and the City of Berkeley to expand support for students and families experiencing homelessness.

Students shared the concept of Targeted Universalism, and reflected on how this experience expanded their understanding of the assets of their school site could be better utilized in support of politically marginalized students, including those experiencing housing insecurity.

Finally, Panel attendees were invited to reflect on how school leadership might apply these insights to their own districts, and what efforts might be undertaken to bridge theory, research, and practice to uplift marginalized communities at school.