By: Pamela Honey
From Seeds to Solutions: Inside TFFJ’s 2025 Student Leadership Conference
On May 30, 2025, more than 100 students from 14 schools across New York City gathered at Teach for America for Teens for Food Justice’s annual Student Leadership Conference (SLC). This year’s theme—From Seeds to Solutions—celebrated the full journey of student impact, from growing food in school-based hydroponic farms to advocating for a more just and nourishing future.
Across workshops, presentations, and mentorship sessions, students showed what happens when they’re trusted to lead—with clarity, purpose, and community at the heart.
By the Numbers:
- 103 students
- 16 schools
- 13 student-led advocacy projects
- 15 NYCPS teachers and paraprofessionals
- 4 district partner farmer-educators
- 4 workshop facilitators
- 11 speed mentors
- 2 alumni volunteers
- 5 TFFJ board members
- All NYC-based TFFJ farms were represented
Keynote Speaker: Author Ebony LaDelle
We were honored to welcome Ebony LaDelle as this year’s keynote speaker. Ebony is the author of Love Radio—named People magazine’s best book of the summer, a 2023 Audie Award Finalist, a 2023 Michigan Notable Book, an Apple Books Best of 2022 pick, an Amazon Editor’s Pick, and a featured title on the Today Show.
Before becoming an author, Ebony worked in book publishing as a brand marketing director, with experience at Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and more. Born in Michigan, shaped by her time at Howard University, and cultivated in Brooklyn, Ebony brings a deep sense of place and purpose to her work. She’s known for showing up, speaking truth, and—by her own admission—being the undisputed Mom Friend of any group.
Her message to students was clear: your story matters. And it can be a force for change.
Workshops That Inspired Action
Students participated in hands-on workshops led by:
- Claire Deshaies | Unpacking Factory Farming with New Roots Institute
- Chef Corey | Knife Skills 101 with Chef Corey of Cooking With Corey
- Leah Eden | Advocacy and Action with Equity Advocates
- Chef Persefoni Vordokas | Storytelling & Recipe Writing with Brigaid
Mentorship Across the Food System
In a high-energy speed mentorship session, students connected directly with professionals working across food policy, health, and community justice, including:
- Alice Ivashina | TFFJ Alumna, NYU
- Allison Marino | Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, Inc.
- Isaiah Blake | Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
- Iyeshima Harris-Ouedraogo | Green Guerrillas
- Howard Brown | The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH)
- Ian W. Forster | TFFJ Board
- London Dejarnette | “The Table” at NYU Langone
- Mirem Villamil | USDA Farm Service Agency
- Quiana James | Building a Brighter African Diaspora
- Robert Lee | Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
- Rosa Marruffo | Harlem Grown
- Wascar Soriano | TFFJ Alumn, Hunter College
Thank You to Our Community
We extend our deepest thanks to:
- Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson for championing youth-led food justice
- Our workshop leaders, speed mentors, and alumni who guided and supported students
- Our volunteers who made this day possible
- TFFJ Board: Bridget Alameda, Brooke Brenner, Raymie Fernandez, and Ian W. Forster for their support
- Alex Muñoz-Suarez and COTE Korean Steakhouse for their generous support
- New York City Imagine Awards for uplifting our work
- And our extended community of partners, including WiLde Flowers & Books, for connecting us with Ebony LaDelle
- Teach For America for sharing their space with us and for their helpfulness throughout the planning process
Experience the Conference
Official 2025 Student Leadership Conference Video
2025 Student Leadership Conference | Photo Gallery | Photos & Video By: Jennifer Cuciti
From seed trays to policy proposals, this year’s conference showed just how powerful student leadership can be. These young advocates are growing more than food—they’re growing solutions.❦
Pamela Honey is the Communications & Content Coordinator at Teens For Food Justice.
