Students For Peace wants to continue to inspire and empower students to become social justice activists, by striving to make a difference on campus in hopes of impacting college students’ experiences with a call to action.  

Since the organization started in 2019,  they have seen immense growth in membership among its leaders and general body members. In the beginning, the club didn’t have many members, but in comparison to the number of members now, the club has grown significantly in becoming a prominent club at FAU.

The club supports many different coalition groups and leaders that help them achieve positive representation. A coalition is an organization of various interest groups. Their mission is to join together human material and resources to promote a change that can not be delivered as independent individuals. Students For Peace have coalition groups for political issues, mental health awareness, environmental protection, nature and wildlife preservation, and spirituality. There are also a few coalition groups that fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and animals. 

The coalition leaders will lead with a topic they are passionate about in relation to their coalition, and discuss it with the rest of the general members of the group to empower their overall goal with the community on campus, to help bring attention to extreme social justice issues on campus for students to be educated on. 

“If you are passionate about publicly speaking about social justice issues this is the club for you! We are always looking for more people to start new coalitions and lead,” said Trystine Fellman, a current member, former vice president, and public relations manager for Students For Peace. 

Fellman is a senior set to graduate in the spring of 2024 as a political science major. She first joined the club in March 2021 as a member and moved her way up to becoming the public relations manager in the fall and then vice president.

“I love the club. It’s super fun and very interesting, although it can get a little sad sometimes because we talk about some really emotional topics,” said Fellman. 

Fellman also expressed that the reason she decided to join the group was that she wanted to be involved in a student organization that was both environmentally oriented and social justice-oriented, so when she found Students For Peace she was super excited about getting involved.

“When I first joined I didn’t really know what to expect. But there is so much opportunity for growth for everyone there. I definitely got more out of it than I thought I would,” said Fellman.

Another thing that made Students For Peace stand out to her; she said that they are a club that is so unbiased and willingly open to connect if you just seek them out. 

The club hosts various community service events to help give back to the community. They have done beach clean-ups, a car wash fundraiser event for Sandy Hook Promise, going towards the ending of gun violence around the world, as well as raising awareness for Pitbulls during Pitbull Awareness Month by taking dogs to the dog park.

“We all want peace for everyone, and we all want everything in the world to be good again,” said Ava Gigliltti, the president of the club. 

She stated that her reason for joining was to make a difference in the world by striving to bring cohesiveness and peace onto campus, as well as promote equality for everyone including the environment and animals. 

Gigliltti joined Students For Peace last spring. She started off as a member, and eventually made her way up to becoming vice president in the fall of last year, and is now the president. 

“Students4Peace is an opportunity for people to voice their opinions on different social injustices in the world, and to create a well-known community that is safe, welcoming, and accepting for all in whatever they want to do or discuss within the club,” said Gigliltti. 

Students4Peace is not only about changing others’ perspectives about the world around them but also about embracing and celebrating people’s differences.

 “We not only acknowledge people’s differences, but we also celebrate them,” said Abby Wadleigh, the LGBTQ+ coalition leader.

Wadleigh is a junior and a secondary social science education major. She joined in January and has expressed her love for the club earnestly and passionately. She explained that she has always had the desire to meet and interact with different kinds of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles. 

“I just want to absorb all of that in. I want to give people the respect they deserve, rather than judge them for being different. I like to celebrate differences,” said Wadleigh. 

She explains some of the hard times she’s had in the past being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and her mental health which also led to her desire to join the group.

“To be able to talk with people in a safe space about my struggles with things like my mental health, and to be able to feel comfortable enough in an environment that accepts me for who I am, and how I identify after being suppressed for so long for being purely me is amazing,” said Wadleigh, “I am out and proud, and I had fun! That is what I am trying to put out into the world.” 

For the members, Students For Peace is a community of like-minded individuals working together for a better future at FAU. While making a lasting impact on the world, the organization also creates an unforgettable college experience. Members encourage students to join given that being a part of this organization will create positive, lasting memories for years to come. 

“If you are passionate about the human condition, if you are a humanist at heart, and you want to see the human race succeed, I would say

join this club, because it will broaden your perspective on life, and give you the tools needed to help make a positive impact for people on campus,” said Wadleigh.

On Wednesday, April 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Students For Peace will be hosting their end-of-semester banquet at the Diamond Palm Room in the Student Union. FAU students are invited to attend the event. The banquet is to celebrate everyone and their differences and to recognize all of the hard work the members have done this past semester. The event theme will be Scooby-Doo-themed and free food will be provided. Additionally, there are activities are planned such as mystery games.

For more information about the club’s upcoming events, and their overall mission on campus at FAU of bringing more of a community together to promote inclusivity, peace, love, and acceptance on campus, email them at [email protected] or contact them through their Instagram.

Shianna Campanelli is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information on this story or others email her at [email protected] or on Instagram @shianna_campanelli.