Students from English teacher Elizabeth Shulman’s Literature of Peace and Nonviolence class recently had an exciting opportunity in late April. They were invited, along with several other Chicago area classes, to attend the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates at the University of Illinois- Chicago. At the summit, the students listened to a panel discussion that included former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, former Polish president Lech Walesa, and many others, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who opened the event.

Shulman and her students commented on one of the laureates, panel member and speaker Jody Williams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. “She was amazing, telling students that you can get involved even in small ways and can make a difference,” Shulman said.

Senior Hannah Davis commented that, “[Williams] was such a good speaker and she had a lot to say. She was talking about just finding an issue that you are passionate about and really do just as much work as you can for it.”

Class members noted that the Peace panelists focused on different young people can get involved in social justice and peace efforts. According to Shulman, The laureates inspired the students. “Their impression after[the event] was interesting; I think some of them wished that instead of the panel discussion, the Nobel laureates would have talked a little bit more about their personal story as to why they got the Nobel prize. The students were excited just to be in the energy of the event,” Said Shulman.

When Shulman first told her students about the event, they were excited. “We were learning about all these people that are strong and have been through so much and I just thought it would be cool to hear them all in one room,” senior Kaitlin Kolerin said.

Several of Shulman’s students were inspired by the event. The panelists wanted to let their audience know how important it is to get involved in something for which one has a passion. Davis has already begun to work on something that she is passionate about. “The work that I would consider doing would be within the LGBTQ community because that’s something to which I feel really connected and to which I am committed. I also did some work with the Response Center.”

For the students from Niles North, attending the Peace panel was a memorable event, with far-reaching effects.