Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A weekend trip to Washington, D.C., usually means sightseeing for high schoolers. But for a group of Jonesboro High School students, it meant stepping onto Capitol Hill to advocate for human rights.
The JHS Amnesty International club recently returned from Amnesty International USA’s hybrid Human Rights Conference and Annual General Meeting 2026 (AGM ’26) and Youth Lobby Day. The trip was funded entirely by the organization.
Hannah Simino, the club sponsor, initially signed up to ensure her students safely navigated the trip. However, once they arrived, she quickly realized they didn’t need her help.
“I did almost nothing,” Simino said. “I just sat in the corner and supervised. They really commanded the room.”
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Before setting foot in the nation’s capital, senior Elvin Dow and juniors Elizabeth Sifford and Aubrianna Hirsch prepared through evening Zoom meetings with Amnesty’s legislative coordinators.
For the students, the reality of the trip was a mix of excitement and intimidation.
“It was just more nerve-wracking talking to such official people and advocating, because I don’t want to say the wrong thing,” Hirsch said. “But it was really cool. Just like, ‘Oh, this is where real laws and bills get passed.'”
Sifford, who attended a journalism camp in D.C. last summer, felt her nerves had already been settled and was simply eager to see the lobbying process in action.
The students researched complex topics, specifically focusing on an investigation into maritime killings in Latin America and the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act (H.R. 6397), which aims to establish civil detention standards.
While the students did not meet with their representatives firsthand, they engaged in discussions with legislative assistants, including James Hodges, an assistant to Rep. Rick Crawford. They also dropped off information at Sen. Tom Cotton’s office.
When it came time to present, Hirsch introduced the basis of the bill, Dow managed the notes and detailed background data, and Sifford brought a community perspective. During the meetings, Sifford highlighted the story of an El Dorado, AR, man who was unexpectedly deported to Guatemala due to a miscommunication about a rescheduled immigration meeting.
Hodges pressed the students with questions, wanting to know how their high school peers back home were reacting to issues surrounding ICE, detention, and immigration. Dow noted that Hodges seemed genuinely interested in the youth perspective and specific details of the congressional investigation they were proposing.
“They didn’t even miss a beat,” Simino noted. “They are very informed.”
The Jonesboro students stood out even more, given that they were one of the few high school groups at the national conference, which was largely dominated by university chapters. It also became apparent that they were the only Amnesty International chapter representing Arkansas.
The trip proved to be an inspiration for the students. “It gave me more hope to see that there are people still fighting for human rights,” Sifford said. “Around here, it’s very easy to be in sort of an echo chamber. It was really refreshing and honestly hopeful to see that change is being done.”
Now that the students are back in Arkansas, they are carrying that momentum into the rest of the school year. The club recently participated in a National Week of Student Action, during which they wrote more than 150 letters about international human rights violations. They are also planning a craft party to create stencil-designed tote bags to further spread their message.
Both the students and their sponsor hope their trip inspires other Northeast Arkansas youth to act. For Simino, watching her students tackle these challenges on a national stage was a profound reminder of why she teaches.
“It really kind of lit a spark in their ability to build their confidence in themselves,” Simino said. “You can do whatever you set your mind to.”
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