(upbeat music) - Hi, I am Jacqui Tricarico on location at the NJEA convention here in Atlantic City.

I'm so pleased to be joined now by two Montgomery High School students, Stella Cunha and Anuvaa Shah So great to have you both with us.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Well this morning you were part of a panel discussion here with the keynote address who was Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

For people who don't know, Malala is when she was a young girl she was shot in Pakistan for speaking up for girls' rights for an education and she's been doing lots of press lately.

We've seen her kind of all over the place promoting a new book, but she's really such a bold, known global activist.

I wanna start with you Stella.

When were you introduced to Malala's story and what kind of resonated with you?

- I started following her story when I was like probably seven or eight years old.

My mom bought her book, "I Am Malala" and I read it in like a couple days and I've just always been super passionate about civil rights and stuff and I found it really amazing and encouraging that there was a woman or a girl at that time who was only 11 years old and was going through like a terrible attack and something that no one ever should, but she found so much strength through it and ever since then I've just been a huge fan of hers and admirer.

Anuvaa you both were selected to be part of this panel.

I mean that's a huge honor.

Why were you and how were you selected?

Who introduced you to this?

- Yeah, so we were both in Ms.

Stefanie Lachenauer classes at one point during our middle school years.

So Ms.

Lachenauer actually reached out to us saying like, I have this amazing opportunity, you'll have to apply for it, but if you're interested like I can definitely get you all set up.

So we had to send in like our bios, our headshots and like a little bit about ourselves.

So like an informal resume almost.

And then we found out we were selected about a month later.

- That's incredible.

Stefanie Lachenauer was actually the last year in New Jersey state teacher of the year, Montgomery teacher.

She's really doing amazing things.

So tell me about your experience today up on that stage.

I poked my head in.

There were so many people in the crowd.

Was that overwhelming?

- It was definitely overwhelming.

I've done public speaking for like student government and stuff, but that's just like in front of the school with like people I know.

But it was a little nerve wracking but I think I got adjusted well.

- What was the most important question that you had that you wanted to ask her?

- I really wanted to focus on advice because I think right now, especially with the state of our government and our country and our world, I think there's so much chaos and controversy surrounding difference of opinions and just everything recently.

So the most important question to me was when I asked her how she found strength to move through such a tremendous part of her life and like where she found that strength.

And she had told me that just like love and kindness wins over anything else.

And I think that really resonated with me because that's something that's extremely overlooked, especially in politics and all of this stuff.

And it was really special.

- It was a beautiful message.

What about for you Anuvaa?

- For me, I think a big question that I wanted to ask her was about her storytelling especially 'cause I feel like as youth like Stella said, we're often, you know, maybe not taken as seriously because you know, we're still in those teenage years, we're transitional, our frontal lobes are still developing all of that stuff.

So I think like as kids we're always told, oh like it's a story, it's a fable, it's a myth.

And I think it really used that like it was her story, it was her life and she started out storytelling and then like, look where she is now.

We're interviewing her on a massive stage.

It was incredible.

- And Stella, I know part of what you're advocating for is mental health of your peers and that's something that we hear a lot about now because it is more at the forefront for so many educators and people like the NJEA, there's a whole area here all about mental health for youth.

How are you making sure, or just working towards making sure in your school that mental health is at the forefront for your friends and peers?

- Yes, so outside of school I'm a part of Montgomery's Youth Action Board, actually led by Miss Lachenauer and we work directly aside our municipal alliance.

So we do like tables at many events.

We do like the color runs in our town we have tables at and we are primarily on social media because we've realized that that's how we kind of connect with our youth the most.

And I think just ending the stigma and making it more of a casual thing, like mental health is real and everybody goes through it.

I mean like, I was like shaking today.

Like it's real and it's common and I think just ending the stigma about it through social media for my peers has been really, really special to me.

- Anuvaa for you, how are you going to use this experience for your own activism?

Tell us what you're really focusing on right now.

- So for me, I really do wanna go into international law.

That's something I've been like pretty much set on.

I've always wanted to, you know, go to the United Nations, speak to people and for me I think this is really like my starting, this is my stepping stone.

Like this is what got me here and I'm gonna use her story.

I'm gonna start building up, you know, my resume, myself, honestly my character and just getting far.

- How proud are your parents of you?

I met them earlier.

Tell me about your family dynamic and just how proud your parents are of you.

- So I have a twin brother, his name is Santino.

And then I have my mom, Glenda and my dad Bruno and my family, like they're just my best friends.

They've been there for me through everything.

Like I said, my mom's the one who bought me Malala's book in the first place.

They're just my biggest supporters.

And not just that, like they're my best friends.

I tell my parents everything.

I'm also really close with my grandparents so they're some of my biggest supporters.

They were texting me all day.

So, yeah.

- Yeah, family's just so important.

What about for you Anuvaa?

Because I know you are a first generation US citizen, correct?

- Yes I am.

- So tell me how that kind of plays into this overall experience for you.

- I think a big thing for me is like my parents coming from India here and like starting over, that really did give me like a sense of I need to succeed and I need to do well for them, for myself.

Like to end the stigma around what immigrants do and why we are here.

Like they're here to build a life for themselves and they've given me so many opportunities that I want to give back to them and like build myself up in the process.

- What's next for you Stella?

What do you envision for the next couple years 'cause you're both juniors, college is on the horizon.

What's your biggest goal?

- I really want to go into political science and I'd like to be in politics and government and I definitely wanna study abroad because with our Belize trip a couple years ago, like I realized that seeing the difference of cultures has been able to make me learn the best.

And like Malala today, like I'm from Hispanic and Portuguese descent, and I think that like the difference of cultures is really amazing and I think that's how we kind of are able to grow as a community in a world.

- Yeah, and what's next for you Anuvaa?

What are your plans?

- Eventually, so obviously I wanna do undergraduate.

I wanna get my master's.

I do wanna continue my education almost as far as I can.

I do wanna go to law school.

That's something that's like really big for me.

I definitely want to go to law school.

- Practice what kind of law?

- I'm actually debating.

So far I've been set on international law, but I also learned about corporate law recently from an like international perspective, which I think would be really cool.

And same, I like need to study abroad.

Like for me that has to happen.

At least once.

- I could see that happening 'cause you've already done that trip to Belize with Stefanie Lachenauer.

I'm sure that like, you know, put the bug in you to wanna travel and see so many places.

Well we can't wait to see what you both do next.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today about your experience here today with Malala and with the NJEA convention.

Great to have you both with us.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you, we'll be right back after this.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by NJM Insurance Group.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

Stockton University.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

PSEG Foundation.

The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

And by The Fidelco Group.

Promotional support provided by NJBIA.

And by Insider NJ.

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