On Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, fifteen PennWest California students traveled to the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center to participate in the annual Student Pennsylvania State Education Association (SPSEA) conference.
PSEA is “a community of education professionals who make a difference in the lives of Pennsylvania’s students every day” and has about 178,000 members (via psea.org). The organization and union provide legal resources, support, professional development, and advocacy for education.
Student PSEA is a division of PSEA that is available for college students pursuing a career in education. Resources available are liability insurance, leadership opportunities, networking, and advocacy outlets.
The annual conference is held in a central location in the state, with this year’s being hosted by Penn State University Park.
Hannah Smith, the President of Pennwest California’s Student PSEA chapter as well as the former Vice President for the Southwestern Region of SPSEA, helped organize PennWest Cal’s trip logistics as well as lead the group through the weekend.
“Attending the Student PSEA conference every year inspires and encourages me to be the best teacher that I can be. I have attended three Student PSEA conferences, and each conference was so informative and overall, a wonderful experience.”
Junior Early Childhood and Elementary Education Major Alexis Rodriguez said attending the conference is always the highlight of her spring semester.
“I enjoy being surrounded by passionate educators who work as a team to make the classroom and education system a positive and safe place for all children,” Rodriguez said. “It is absolutely inspiring to be surrounded by such bright and passionate minds.”
The event started with dinner and opening announcements, and then attendees split into breakout sessions tailored for specific areas and majors, such as Secondary Education or Elementary Education.
Rodriguez spoke highly of her breakout sessions, saying all were beneficial. One session she attended was entitled “Building Community in the Elementary Classroom”, hosted by North Hills School District third-grade teacher Ms. Jessica Porter.
“(Hers) was the most beneficial for me and my education journey, as Ms. Porter provided us with several resources to use in our classroom, including lesson ideas, material collection sites, and technology tools that we can incorporate,” Rodriguez said. “I will definitely be using them all in my future classroom!”
Smith also felt that Ms. Porter’s talk was inspiring for her.
“During my breakout session with her, she talked about how to build community in the classroom, as well as all things teaching,” Smith said. “She truly inspires me each day and reminds me that teaching is truly an amazing profession.”
The Keynote Speaker on Saturday afternoon was 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, high school social studies educator Mr. Leon Smith, from Haverford High School in Delaware County.
“He discussed topics such as being a teacher that students can look up to and rely on, and the responsibility that comes with that,” Rodriguez said. “Hearing him speak about the power and impact that a teacher can have on students’ lives was really inspiring to me.”
All attendees were informed on social and political issues happening currently in education, with SPSEA even having a separate Political Action Committee for Education (PACE). This committee helps with student advocacy for education, and helps PSEA promote the election of pro-public education candidates, Rodriguez said.
“It is so important for us to be involved and active in PACE as we need our voices to be heard to create positive changes,” she added.
PennWest Cal members are a part of the Southwestern region of SPSEA, alongside Pitt Greensburg, Washington and Jefferson, Saint Vincent, Seton Hill, and Westmoreland County Community College. PennWest Cal students were able to meet with representatives from Pitt Greensburg during their regional meeting and vote on regional leadership positions.
Several California students were elected regional positions: sophomore Katelynn Hrdlicka as Vice-President, sophomore Kayla Bish as Secretary, and freshman Evelyn Esek as House of Delegates Representative.
“I am beyond proud of the students who ran and got elected for these positions. They will be our leaders of the Southwestern Region for the 2025-2026 school year,” Smith said.
Both Smith and Rodriguez felt that the weekend was beneficial for all attendees.
“Our job as educators is to advocate and support students through their educational journey and early life, and we must help provide a positive support experience for them,” Rodriguez said.
