About 50 Dos Pueblos High School students walked from DPHS to Evergreen Park on Tuesday, in response to the United States presidential election results. The walk out, which took place between the conclusion of first period and the end of lunch, was planned by Isabel Vasquez (11) and Kassey Chacon (11).

According to Vasquez, the goal of the walkout was to give students a platform to make their voices heard.

“We felt silenced after the election, and we felt like a lot of the policies do affect us and we didn’t want to feel that way,” Vasquez said. “We wanted to be able to speak up and we wanted to inspire other youth to know that they can speak up, and [that] they’re not being silenced.”

While only four students planned speeches prior to the walk out, four additional students ended up speaking on a variety of topics including climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, and reproductive health care.

Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez also attended the walkout, and commended students for their participation, naming them the “future generation of leaders.” 

Vasquez felt that the walk out accomplished its goal of amplifying student voices.

“A lot of people told us that they did feel heard after that, and it did show when … we opened it up to more people speaking at the walk out and they did speak up,” Vasquez said. “They felt like they had a voice, so I think it was successful.”

In regards to whether or not she will do more advocacy work, Vasquez said she is unsure, but she would consider it, since she believes it is important to speak up against injustice. 

“When you feel passionate about something, don’t let anybody stop you from doing it,” Vasquez said. “When you’re determined and when it’s your voice, don’t let anyone silence that. It’s yours and no one can take that from you.”