By: Gia Bharadwaj

On Thursday, September 28, Winsor’s student body gathered in a joint assembly with the Boston Latin School to listen to 26-year-old speaker Vanessa Nakate, a climate activist from Uganda. Nakate is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the Rise Up movement for young African climate justice advocates. Her initiatives to raise climate awareness have earned her a nomination for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Mr. Braxton organized the assembly and invited Nakate to speak at Winsor. He explained that Nakate was in the United States as a distinguished speaker at Boston University’s African Studies Center 70th Anniversary Gala on September 29. As a member of the Center’s teacher advisory board, Mr. Braxton “knew he had to make it possible for Nakate to address the students at Winsor” as well.

Co-heads of the Conserve Our World (COW) club Aoife Beswick ’24 and Zoe Vittori-Koch ’24 played a crucial role in running the event. Collaborating with Quyen Vo ’24 and Hannah Stoll ’25, the heads of Boston Latin’s Youth Climate Action Network, the students introduced Nakate at the assembly and ran a Q&A after her presentation. 

Beswick “really enjoyed the opportunity” to partner with another school, and she hopes that “our newfound connection with them can empower Winsor students to engage with climate activism beyond Winsor.” Mr. Braxton added that “Boston Latin and Winsor students are doing great things in the name of climate justice…think about the impact we could have if we worked together.”

Nakate’s discussion of how her introversion influences her activism also resonated with Beswick, whose experiences fighting climate change have “improved [her] ability to speak confidently and precisely.” Furthermore, she found Nakate’s perspective as an African climate activist “incredibly valuable, because the climate activism space is unfortunately dominated by white American and European activists.” 

Winsor students continue to find inspiration in Nakate’s presentation as they explore their voices and participate in activism. Anaya Raikar ’25, who attended the assembly, admires how Nakate “created such a great global impact while being a student and facing relatable struggles like stage fright.” She added that she now feels motivated to make a similar impact. Ultimately, as Mr. Braxton reflected, “Nakate reminded us that youth are leaders of today; there’s no need to wait. The time is now.”