Forged by adversity: Student activists fight for change on campus and beyond

Published Feb. 4, 2025, 11:32 p.m., last updated Feb. 4, 2025, 11:32 p.m.

Kylie Price ’28 has always known how to endure. As the daughter of a disabled immigrant mother who had survived cancer, she and her mother have experienced egregious treatment by U.S. Customs and Border Control. 

When she was in eighth grade, her district experienced a school shooting. Her school went into a lockdown, with students sheltering in place, unsure if the shooter was on their campus or not. Seeing what was happening in her community empowered her to step up as an activist to face society’s issues. 

Beginning her activism journey, Price started a Students Demand Action Chapter in her hometown that comforted students who were affected by the shooting. She also created a non-profit organization that targeted gun violence and the lack of laws preventing the violence nationwide. 

“I didn’t expect it to be emotional, but a lot of people were impacted and a lot were affected so we put [a victim poster] up at my school, and it is still there,” Price said. “It’s a reminder that things need to change and my entire school wants to not be afraid of gun violence anymore.”

Student activism plays a crucial role in Stanford’s history, from the civil rights movement in the 1960s to the anti-war movement in the 1970s, the student body has always been actively involved in various social movements.

Having personally witnessed the decades of student activism at Stanford, political science and sociology professor Larry Diamond ’74 M.A. ’78 Ph.D ’80, a Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs senior fellow, wrote to The Daily that “students tend to be very idealistic and are often drawn to political and civic engagement. That’s a good thing.” 

According to Price, activists are “courageous people who go out of their way to make a difference in the world.” Being an activist continues even if your representative is no longer in office, Price added.

When Price was in middle school and high school, she emailed then-Senator Kamala Harris about gun legislation and hosted rallies in Washington D.C. to raise awareness for gun violence. Creating change does not happen overnight, Price said — it takes late nights, weeks and months.

In her first year at Stanford, Price is already continuing her activist pursuits, mainly related to campus issues. Her focus is on Stanford’s anthropology department, which possesses the property of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe for research purposes while not offering those communities to view the bodies and belongings. 

“I definitely want to see Stanford take more steps to recover our relationships with Indigenous communities and one way we can do that is by returning remains of Indigenous people back to their communities,” Price said.

David Sengthay ’26, who serves on the Undergraduate Senate (UGS), has also been drawn to fighting for more just policies. Beginning in high school, he fought against Stockton Unified School District officials who allocated more money to their paychecks than to the struggling schools in the district, during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating for more district transparency on where school funding was going. 

Sengthay’s activism journey was started by the death of George Floyd in 2020, which led him to dive further into systemic racism and national issues of gender, race and religion. Even before 2020, Sengthay has long been inspired to speak out against injustice. His grandfather was murdered in Cambodia after speaking out against the authoritarian regime, and his family was forced to flee after the country fell to communism.

“Part of my history and my heritage, of course, is something that I hold dear to my heart while I organize…[as] an activist,” Sengthay said. 

Two generations later, Sengthay serves as an Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) undergraduate senator, appropriations chair and New Student Program Coordinator at Stanford’s First-Generation and Low-Income Student Success Center (FLISSC). Sengthay works closely with the Stanford administration to advocate for students’ right to free speech and protest.

“It’s always going to be a hard relationship, as activism is disruptive by nature and [Stanford] seeks to stabilize and create order within,” Sengthay said. 

According to Diamond, student activism has changed over time. “The problem comes… when [students] think there is only one politically correct and morally right answer to a question, and when they are unwilling to listen to and respectfully debate different points of view,” Diamond said.

Over the decades, Stanford has made strides to communicate, amplify and aid activists’ voices by pursuing safety measures and connecting administration and activists, according to the newly created free speech website. Diamond said the Haas Center for Public Service has been assisting students with opportunities to become involved in various communities.  

Price and Sengthay agreed that Stanford is hard at work supporting activists and going in the right direction. However, both stressed the role of safety regarding activism on campus. Sengthay believes Stanford has a long way to go, specifically regarding the implications of rules and policies.  

According to Price, the essence of activism lies in recognizing that anyone has the potential for change regardless of any circumstances.

“For activists, the hardest thing is feeling like you have political power, or the power to change stuff,” Price said, adding, “but honestly it can be anyone.”



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