City leader encourages Scott students with community engagement speech

January 30, 2026

Scott Middle School students learned about the value of community connections this winter after listening to one of Lincoln’s leaders share elevating words with them.
 
The Stars honored Ishma Valenti with a spot in the Martin Luther King Jr. Wall of Honor during a schoolwide assembly. Valenti, the director of community engagement and teen programs at the Clyde Malone Community Center, spoke to hundreds of students about the importance of servant leadership. He became the 29th person to be recognized for his public contributions during Scott’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. event.
 
Seventh graders Elise and Aliya felt the assembly provided students with many useful leadership tools for their daily activities. Both are members of Scott’s TIE (Teens Influencing Equity) Club and helped plan and host the event. They said Valenti’s uplifting comments had been inspirational for many people in the audience.
 
“I learned that I shouldn’t wait to take a chance to make a difference,” Aliya said. “I can start doing that now.”
 
“I learned what Ishma was trying to share, that we should find a need and fill it,” Elise said. “It showed me that I can make a big difference in this world.”

 
Scott teacher Cassidy Sostad said she was delighted with how the day went. Sostad, who is in her first year of sponsoring the TIE Club, watched with pride as more than a dozen students led the assembly. TIE Club members interviewed Valenti in early January, introduced him to the audience and explained how he was following in King’s civic-minded footsteps.
 
“I thought it went really well,” Sostad said. “I was so proud of all of the kids, because we only had a couple of rehearsals. They really took ownership of this.”
 
Staff members, parents, students, community members and past honorees nominate citizens for Scott’s Martin Luther King Jr. Wall of Honor each fall. Teachers, administrators and student representatives from all three grade levels selected Valenti for the award in early December. They were impressed with his optimistic approach to life, impactful youth mentorship skills and efforts to reduce multi-generational poverty in Lincoln.
 
Valenti encouraged students to make their own heartening marks in the city. He said they were fully capable of completing life-altering actions for their friends, classmates, neighbors and fellow residents. Those deeds could be as simple as sharing a smile with someone new in the school hallways, volunteering at a food bank or providing a listening ear to a friend in need.
 
“Do something about it,” Valenti said. “Make a movement. Work to better not only your position, but those around you. That’s what servant leadership is to me, and that’s what equity is really about. Finding a need and filling it.”

 
Elise and Aliya are among those who are putting Valenti’s words into action. TIE Club students learn how to build personal and interpersonal leadership skills by meeting twice a month at school.
 
Sostad, who is also a volunteer with the Lincoln-based Launch Leadership organization, guides the Stars through activities that involve real-life scenarios on equity-based topics. They discover how to make decisions, apply their actions and overcome obstacles that may happen.
 
“It’s just a good, safe place for kids to explore and get a chance to lead,” Sostad said. “They really enjoy it.”
 
The school assembly gave TIE Club members a chance to shine in front of the whole building. Students like Elise and Aliya auditioned for speaking roles that gave them an opportunity to step up to the podium. They also joined a larger choir that sang midway through the morning. The choir’s song incorporated many of King’s famous quotes into the chorus and verses.
 
“I really enjoyed showing everyone what we’ve been working on and what we’ve been trying to represent in the school,” Elise said.
 
Aliya felt many students were empowered by what Valenti told them. He spent a portion of his speech sharing examples of how thoughtful actions and equitable solutions can benefit everyone.
 
One illustration involved the 400-meter race in track and field. Officials stagger the starting points of athletes in all eight lanes of the race to ensure everyone runs the same distance. If this were not done, the runner in lane one would cover 400 meters and the person in lane eight would cover 453.6 meters, which would likely affect the final results.

 
“I enjoyed seeing people smiling because they were happy,” Aliya said. “I just think they felt inspired to do something after hearing this today.”
 
Valenti told students they did not have to wait until they were older to engage their community. He said they have the talent, intellect and courage to fill present-day needs in all corners of Lincoln.
 
“You cannot only make a change, but you can lead the change,” Valenti said. “You can lead the change. Your ideas are not only changing the world – and I love this – not just tomorrow, not just the future, but right now today.”
 
LPS students are gaining confidence and leadership opportunities through community engagement activities. View the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan to learn more about this important piece of the educational puzzle.
 
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