Caroline DeHaven, PCC Policy Intern, reflected on her experience as a student advocate attending the 2026 Higher Education Advocacy Day, hosted in Springfield on April 16 by the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding.
Caroline’s Reflection
“Going into Advocacy Day 2026, I set an intention for myself: to help people feel like advocates for the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula and to deepen my understanding of what moving legislation actually looks like in Illinois. I wanted to move beyond theory and truly experience what advocacy feels like in practice, especially as a student advocating for higher education.
From the beginning of the day, the energy was palpable. Seeing 55 people on a bus leaving from Northeastern Illinois University before 7:00 a.m. for a long drive to Springfield was exciting. That shared sense of purpose only grew when we arrived at the Capitol, where we met with our fellow advocates wearing the same blue “Higher Education Advocacy Day” shirts. The never-ending sea of blue put into perspective just how many students, staff, faculty, and advocates were backing the work of the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding.
The day started with a rally, where we heard from a powerful group of speakers. PCC Executive Director Dr. Kyle Southern opened the rally and welcomed advocates. Representative Carol Ammons framed the urgency of the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula, and Marcus C. Evans, Jr. spoke on the broader impact of investing in higher education. University President Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott provided an institutional perspective from Chicago State University, while student voices like Kia Clair (Partnership for College Completion) and Sukanya Ghosh (Young Invincibles) grounded the conversation in lived experience. We also heard from Representative Kam Buckner and Senator Graciela Guzmán, before closing with a call to action to pass HB1581, and increase MAP funding by $71 from Jennifer Juarez of the Latino Policy Forum. Each speaker brought a different perspective, but together they reinforced a shared message about equity, access, and the importance of investing in students across Illinois. Finally, we spent time around the rotunda yelling chants we had learned on the buses, putting these demands and frustrations at our state into a collective, public voice that could not be ignored.
Sukanya Ghosh’s speech particularly spoke to me, especially when I realized we both attend the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. Her statement that “education is everything” stood out, as she used both personal narrative and data to show how higher education shapes not only academic outcomes, but health, economic mobility, and overall well-being. By sharing that higher education can reduce the risk of death and increase access to stable employment and resources, she made it clear that education is deeply interconnected with nearly every aspect of life. Sukanya reinforced that advocating for equitable education policy is not just important, it’s essential to improving people’s lives.
After the rally, I supported our postcard activity, helping distribute handwritten messages from students and advocates to legislators through an engaging (and at times challenging) scavenger hunt. Advocates scanned a QR code with instructions to locate their own legislators, see their stance on the bill, and then wrote personal notes in support of the Adequate and Equitable Funding Act. Once finished, they used the QR code to find the correct office and, when possible, hand-delivered their postcards. Throughout the day, I also helped make sure we had all the supplies needed for a seamless event, giving me a behind-the-scenes look at how much effort goes into making advocacy work.
I especially enjoyed being able to watch a live legislative session and seeing representatives actively advocate and passionately engage in the policymaking process. Through this experience, I could imagine the process of our bill reaching the floor.
A favorite part of the day was seeing Yessica Guadalupe Vargas from the To&Through Project meet with her senator, Elgie R. Sims Jr. Within our group, she had been practicing what she would say. Hearing her share that they came from the same area of Chicago and her hope that he would become a supporter for equitable funding, highlighted how personal and human advocacy work can be.
To close out the day, all of the advocates in blue gathered for a photo by the statue of Abraham Lincoln, a moment that felt deeply symbolic. Standing together in that space and celebrating coming together to make a change will be a moment I keep with me forever. We also took a photo as a PCC team, which was a really special moment of reflection and celebration of coming together and creating this event. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Sometimes, growing up in a time when the political future of higher education, and so many other systems, feels uncertain, it’s easy to feel discouraged. In my life as a queer, white female student who holds many privileges, there are days when it’s hard not to get caught in the emotional whiplash of it all. At the same time, I’m aware that for many students, especially students of color and those from low-income backgrounds, these challenges are not just personal, but deeply structural. As Dr. Southern emphasized in his speech, inequities in our education system continue to create and reinforce racialized systemic barriers.
However, participating in the Higher Education Advocacy Day softened that sense of hopelessness. I was able to see firsthand how change can happen at the state level, and how Illinois could even serve as a model for others. It reinforced just how much the legislative aspects of my policy and planning degree matters. Working in higher education policy has shown me that there are parts of our system that can feel deeply entrenched, even unfixable at times. But this experience challenged that perspective. Through collective action, strong partnerships, and the power of student voices, change feels not only possible, but within reach. Transforming the education system across Illinois, and maybe even something larger, is no longer as distant as it once seemed.”