Students reflect on NOBLE Youth Conference experience

Even as a high school junior, Cayden Bristow is a confident public speaker. He’s appeared on stage in multiple Woodland Hills Performing Arts Department productions, performs every fall Friday night with the Woodland Hills Marching Band, and has led discussion sessions as a leader at the annual Woodland Hills Student Summit.

But in late July, the normally affable and charismatic Bristow found himself fighting a rare case of nerves in a strange city mingling with a bunch of adults he didn’t know. Bristow, senior Emmalee Russini, and peers from Pittsburgh Public Schools had been invited to participate in the Youth Conference at the 50th Annual National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) training conference in Dallas.

“The first day, I was nervous to talk to people. The second day, they put us into groups of people to start doing different activities and things. I started opening myself up more,” Bristow said. “It was great to see all of these people from different backgrounds being together here at once.”

NOBLE brings law enforcement and community leaders together in a mission to promote excellence, equity and justice in communities throughout the nation. As part of its annual conference, it also invites high school students from around the country to take part in their own discussions. Bristow, Russini, and the rest of the students exchanged perspectives with other students, developed their leadership skills, connected with potential mentors, and more during the multiday conference.

Both students recently served as leaders for the seventh annual Woodland Hills Student Summit, which was founded by English teacher Ms. Erin Wall, and which has received generous support from the HEAR Foundation. The foundation invited Bristow and Russini to participate in the NOBLE Conference and generously covered their expenses. It opened new doors for each of them, as they were encouraged to network and introduce themselves to as many people as possible.

Fascinated by criminal justice since she was 10, Russini valued the chance to connect with a handful of mentors, including multiple retired members of the FBI who counseled her on majoring in forensic psychology and life in the agency. Another detailed her path into law enforcement, while Emmalee explained the purpose of the Woodland Hills Student Summit. At one of the social gatherings as part of the conference, Russini was struck by U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett’s path to the nation’s capital.

“It’s just inspirational to see how she started off as the quiet, smart kid and she’s a congresswoman,” Russini said. “That’s such a big leap and it gives me faith that I could possibly do that one thing.”

The two Woodland Hills students were like sponges, trying to soak up as much information and advice as they could. It didn’t matter if it was something they could use as leaders of the Student Summit, as members of their other clubs and organizations, or in their personal lives. Every idea and interaction was valuable.

Read more about the students’ experience on the district’s website.