On Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28, sixteen 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 in education.
StudentPSEA is a division of PSEA that is available for college students aspiring to become educators and pursuing a career in education. Resources available are liability insurance, leadership opportunities, networking, and advocacy outlets.
The overnight event started with dinner and opening announcements, and then attendees split into breakout sessions tailored for specific topics and interests.
The Keynote Speaker for Saturday’s lunch session was Kim A. Anderson, the Executive Director of the National Education Association (NEA). NEA is “America’s largest union, representing more than 3 million educators” (nea.org). Anderson is the first woman and first person of color to serve as NEA executive director. She gave an inspiring address to attendees about fighting for what they believe in, and how future students may be affected by changes in the government in the future.
“These things aren’t political – they’re personal,” Anderson said during her speech, which received a standing ovation after she finished her remarks.
All attendees were informed on social and political issues happening currently in education during the meetings and speeches, with SPSEA even having a separate Political Action Committee for Education (PACE) for students to donate to. This committee helps with student advocacy for education, and helps PSEA promote the election of pro-public education candidates.
In addition to having the PennWest Cal chapter of SPSEA and being a part of state PSEA and NEA, education students are a part of the Southwestern region of SPSEA. Other schools in this region are 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 the regional meeting on Saturday morning and vote on regional leadership positions.
Two California students were elected as regional positions: freshman Abby Garber is the new regional Vice President, and freshman Niko Tomasino will be the Secretary. They will serve alongside three students from Pitt Greensburg who were elected as President, PACE Chair, and House of Delegates Representative.
A highlight of many of the attendees’ weekends were the three breakout sessions. When students registered, they were able to choose which rooms they would go to. Breakout rooms were taught by some influential forces in education, including several past and present Pennsylvania Teachers of the Year.
Current 2026 PA Teacher of the Year, elementary educator Mrs. Maddie Loring, taught a session on Friday night entitled “SLAY: Sustainable Learning, Authentic You”. She walked attendees through her journey becoming the educator she is now, and what worked to keep her students engaged in lessons. She was also on a panel for a session on Saturday afternoon.
Some of the sessions focused on engagement of students and making a difference in their lives, including 2025 PA Teacher of the Year Mr. Leon Smith’s breakout room.
His advice was to attend family and community events and try to connect with students one-by-one, but still making sure that new educators are taking time for themselves and setting boundaries for their students and school.
Many of the sessions focused solely on tips for new educators. A popular session on Saturday afternoon was entitled “Teach Happier”, hosted by Mrs. Suzanne Dailey, an instructional coach. She had a moving session about prioritizing teachers’ mental health, preventing burnout, and leading with gratitude and kindness.
Overall, most attendees found the conference beneficial, and felt the work that was done over the twenty four hours Student PSEA was together would be impactful for the upcoming year.
Next year’s conference will have a location change: the 2027 Student PSEA Conference and Convention will be held April 8-10, 2027 at the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport.
