Every so often, a student shows up with an idea—an idea that makes people say, “Why didn’t we already have something like this?” This year, senior Adi Weissman (’26), whose organization, Students Together, has become a name that you hear when walking in the hallways and see tagged on Instagram stories. It’s not just a club; it has quickly become the student-led movement everyone seems to talk about. 

The idea of the organization is simple enough: bring students together to stand against hate and give teenagers the opportunity to have their voices be heard in big conversations which they are sometimes silenced in. But behind the scenes, there is an extreme amount of planning, vision, and passion that goes into every single thing done in the organization. Weissman didn’t just start Students Together because he had extra free time or because he needed stuff to add to his college applications. He started it because he saw a gap in his community and chose to step up and fill it. 

“I started Students Together because I saw there was a big gap between college students and high school students,” Weissman said. Colleges have no shortage of clubs that students can join that make an impact, and he wanted high school students to experience that same sense of leadership and involvement in their communities. With Students Together, he has built a bridge that empowers students to start meaningful conversations, ultimately helping the organization to succeed in its mission. 

Weissman began this journey by attending countless community events throughout the year and  older students and adults participate in activism; that’s when it all clicked. Teens are the future generation; they should get a platform to express their beliefs and advocate against the spread of hate.

At first, Weissman was the only person in the organization, but ideas definitely have the ability to attract people and helped him build his team. He began by mentioning his plan to his friends, asking them questions, seeing who was the right person to help him. He had a sense of who would really be committed and passionate about this organization. “There were definitely people who stood out as very motivated,” Wessiman said. “I did ask some questions and did a few questionnaires, but honestly, most of them were people I already knew. I knew which friends were passionate and willing to put in the work. That’s how the team came together.” With a full team, Students Together quickly became much larger than expected. 

Of course, with Weissman now in his senior year, the main question is: what happens next? He gets asked this often, and he answers the same way each time: “My goal is actually to keep Students Together focused on high schools. I want it to spread to different high schools, with presidents and chairmembers at each location. High school students are very impactful, sometimes even more than college students, so I want the organization to stay here.” 

Students Together has already made its way outside of New Jersey and has reached California and Florida, with nearly 20 schools joining the organization. What started has an idea a student had has now grown way bigger than what was originally planned. 

This is most definitely not the end. Weissman hopes that Students Together will eventually bridge communities across the country, using social media to spread awareness and even build connections with industries such as entertainment and music, which teens rarely get access to. In those areas, he feels that Jewish students many times don’t have a say in. “There are others speaking for us who shouldn’t be speaking for us,” he said. “I want Students Together to push into those places.”

It’s a very ambitious goal, which is a very common theme with this group. What began as a small vision has turned into something that feels less like a club and more like a voice, run by the students, for the students. 

People, whether they join or not, recognize that there is a sense that something real is happening here. Students Together is just the beginning.