In January, a group of LWHS students traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change, the nation’s largest annual LGBTQ+ conference. What they encountered there was more than a schedule of workshops and panels—it was a living, breathing community built on intention, care, and possibility.

Creating Change brought together over 2,000 LGBTQ+ people and allies from across the country to learn, organize, and imagine a more just future. The conference is grounded in the belief that change happens not only through policy and advocacy, but through storytelling, relationship-building, and shared joy. From the moment our group entered the conference spaces, that belief was palpable.

One of the strongest impressions students shared was the sense of presence and engagement everyone felt. Every room—whether a workshop, panel, or informal gathering—carried a sense of purpose. People listened deeply. Facilitators modeled care, clarity, and creativity. One student reflected on a particularly impactful workshop, noting how powerful the facilitation was and how it inspired them to become a better leader in the spaces they hold back home.

Across the conference, students encountered voices and perspectives they don’t always hear centered in their daily lives. Workshops explored a wide range of identities and experiences, offering space to learn across difference and deepen understanding. Many students spoke about how meaningful it was to be in rooms where people shared personal stories—stories that lingered far beyond the sessions themselves and reshaped how students thought about connection, advocacy, and leadership.

Creating Change was also a place of queer joy. Students and chaperones alike reflected on how special it was to be together outside of school, forming deeper relationships and seeing one another in a new context. Being in community as students, educators, and colleagues strengthened bonds and created a sense of mutual care that carried through the entire trip.

Several students expressed gratitude for the balance the conference offered: spaces for serious reflection alongside moments of celebration and connection. Exploring Washington, D.C. together added another layer of meaning to the trip. It served as a reminder that learning doesn’t only happen in meeting rooms; it happens in motion, in conversation, and in shared presence.

When the group came together to reflect afterward, the conversation naturally turned toward possibility. What stood out most wasn’t just what they learned—it was the sense that this experience could ripple outward. Students spoke about the value of intentional spaces, of representation, of community that feels alive and affirming. Creating Change sparked ideas about how to nurture those same values back at Lick-Wilmerding: through clubs, affinity spaces, events, curriculum, and new ways of bringing people together.

At its core, Creating Change affirmed something many students already felt but hadn’t always had the space to name: that being in community and being committed to justice can be sources of strength, creativity, and hope. The conference didn’t offer easy answers, but it did offer connection, understanding, and inspiration.

As one student reflected, Creating Change wasn’t just an experience to remember; it was something to carry forward.

And that may be its greatest impact of all.