At the beginning of August, the New Roots Institute community gathered to celebrate the culmination of the 2025 Leadership Academy.This six-week educational fellowship guides high school and college students through an in-depth exploration of our food system and the interventions needed to rebuild it.

During the festivities, we heard fellows reflect on their growth as leaders, watched a moving advocacy poetry performance, and learned about community building from Executive Director, Monica Chen.

In case you missed it, discover six highlights of the festivities below, featuring a cameo from Joaquin Phoenix!

Fellows Expressed Gratitude For Discussion Groups

As part of the program, groups of ten fellows met twice a week to process and expand on their learnings. Staff facilitators posed questions that dug deeper into the curriculum topics and invited fellows to share their thoughts openly. Fellows formed close bonds during this group time, which they cited as a highlight of their experience. 

Maulik shared, “I loved my discussion group, which acted as a brave space where we reflected on the lessons together by sharing our experiences and stories, building trust, and learning a lot from each other.” 

Kai added “We truly built a close-knit community together and I now consider them like family. Their kindness is what helped me keep going and finish this program.”

Fellows Reimagined What It Means to Be a Leader 

Fellows began to see themselves as leaders during the program, which involved shifting their definitions of leadership.

Mariko said, “I used to think that effective leadership entailed being a decisive leader: someone who could quickly make the right choices with confidence, but now I understand that great leaders hesitate, they stop to question themselves, actively ask for feedback from their team, and create space for people to feel comfortable sharing their ideas.”

Monica Offered Insight on Building Intergenerational Community

Although our programs are centered around youth leadership, Executive Director Monica Chen emphasized the need to collaborate across all age groups and roles. She said, “One thing I often hear in youth spaces is: ‘Youth are the future,’ ‘Youth are so inspiring,’ ‘Let youth lead.’ While those words are meant to uplift, what I sometimes heard was: It’s all on you. Your generation has to fix this. 

The truth is, as inspiring as each of you are, you can’t end factory farming by yourselves. You need support. This fight is too big, too urgent, and too deeply embedded in our systems to rest on one generation’s shoulders.”

She urged fellows to stay connected with the many wonderful organizations present at the celebration—partners and allies who are eager to uplift young leaders.

Joaquin Phoenix Motivated Fellows For the Difficult Work Ahead

Attendees were treated to a surprise video message from Joaquin Phoenix, who prepared a speech for our graduating cohort of fellows. The actor, who notably used his Oscar speech to call attention to cruelty within the dairy industry, thanked the young advocates for their commitment to ending factory farming. 

“Please continue on this journey, even when times get tough. It’s always the right time to fight for the vulnerable,” he said.

Underscoring the need for resilience when tackling these destructive systems, he continued, “We’re up against so much. Corporations that are putting profit over the wellbeing of humans, animals, and the environment. But you’re doing such important work. Please stick with it.”

Group Poetry Was a Tool for Activism

Each summer during the Leadership Academy, Senior Educator and spoken word artist Keith Allison hosts a session called "The Power of Poetry in Activism." He cultivates a comfortable, accepting space where fellows write and recite poetry together in response to a prompt. This year’s theme was “I’m fighting for a future where...”

Keith shared a powerful video compilation of the students’ responses, which included lines like: “...where compassion, justice, and wellbeing is all-inclusive for all life on earth” from Michelle, “...where a human meets an animal’s stare and sees one of us, not one for us” from Chloe, and “...where we don’t need to fight anymore” from Bonden.

Fellows Looked Toward Future Campaigns

Following the Leadership Academy, fellows are encouraged to join the Academic Year Fellowship, where they lead campaigns to shift norms and systems away from factory farming in their communities and build lasting advocacy skills. During the celebration, fellows shared their plans for driving change.

Erin said, “Noah and I aim to introduce plant-based meat alternatives in Cornell’s dining halls. We plan to build a diverse coalition of students and faculty and push for culturally inclusive meals that represent a variety of culinary traditions. We’re excited to continue advocating for a food system rooted in equity and justice — a journey that began here, at the Leadership Academy.”

“Seeing all the different people in New Roots—from the other fellows to the educators and teachers—helped me continue learning and stay open to new perspectives. This deeper understanding will strengthen my advocacy at UMN by helping me connect more meaningfully with students and decision-makers as I work to shift the campus towards a more sustainable, plant-forward model,” said Ronan. 

Noah said, “Through the academy I felt empowered to deepen my knowledge and began developing a legislative proposal for redeployment programs to help slaughterhouse workers. I felt motivated to reach out to people, and even scheduled to interview a former slaughterhouse worker I found through New Roots for the college course I am creating.”

We can’t wait to continue mentoring these remarkable fellows as they work to bring about a just and sustainable food system, through the Academic Year Fellowship and beyond.

​​New Roots Institute is a nonprofit empowering the next generation with knowledge and training to end factory farming. Through our leadership development programs, fellows take what they learn about the food system and put it into practice by launching campaigns that challenge industrial animal agriculture. We are strengthening the movement—spreading change from individuals to their communities, and expanding outward into wider systems-level change.