Our 2026 Poet Laureate Chloe Weibelt represented Gilbert High School in last night’s District Soapbox Speech competition. She spent the last three weeks writing, practicing, and perfecting her message before presenting it on stage before a live audience of fellow students, teachers, staff, Board members, parents, friends, and family members.
The event was streamed and shared on AUHSD social media. Our school district is one of very few districts who celebrate student voice with this platform. 2025 proved to be a very successful year with very important messages shared, ranging from topics like immigration and human rights issues, voting rights, mental health, student burnout, and more.
The junior high school representatives spoke first, followed by the high school speakers. The event was held from 6:00 to 8:30 PM at Loara High School. Congratulations to all the speakers, the winners, and, of course, to Chloe!
Read Chloe’s powerful speech here:
The Key To The Dream By Chloe Weibelt (Gilbert High School speaker, 2026 AUHSD Soapbox Speech Competition)
Hello, my name is Chloe Weibelt and today I’m talking to you about the lack of emotional intelligence in the world. When I use the term emotional intelligence I refer to being empathetic, showing kindness, and not being judgemental. The reason this is such a big issue is because emotional intelligence is just as important as any other type of intelligence. How do people plan to understand one another without understanding emotions first?
Imagine a future where emotional intelligence dominates our world. Everyone – your teachers, your parents, your world leaders – show empathy, kindness, and are not judgemental. Teachers understand the weight of emotions, your parents understand needed mental days, and see what’s weighing on your shoulders. Where world leaders choose peace over war, and don’t just think for one race, one gender, one social status or class. Where they think for all of their people’s demands and try to make the best decisions to meet everyone’s needs.
Some tools we already have in place include: (SEL) or social emotional learning, meaning schools require an emotional understanding staff and are implementing social-emotional learning activities which could lead to students being more empathetic, being kind, and not being judgmental. Parents are going on learning walks. These parents are becoming more understanding, and may treat emotions just as importantly as grades, and may be the generation of parents who raise more empathetic children. Schools are also making Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement and including Schoolwide Civic engagement and social justice art projects.
But, I’m worried. I’m worried that we are losing the key to the dream. One big problem is right in front of us, and it seems we are incredibly blind to it. I’m worried about Artificial Intelligence being introduced to teachers and students with so much dependency on it. There is no character when you use AI. There is no emotion or spirit. AI is plagiarism, and it steals OUR words. AI has crept into our classrooms, and poisoned the mind of creativity. It has planted the seed of laziness and unoriginal thought.
A new Stanford study reveals that AI therapy chatbots lack effectiveness and can’t replace the connections humans crave. The activist poet John Trudell warned us to protect our minds and our spirits when he described the future of technology as, “TECH! NO LOGIC.”
When will you realize your futures, your children’s futures, and their children’s futures are only hanging on by the choices you make now? There is hope in this. And THAT hope is in the choices you make. The time is now to be emotionally aware, to connect with each other to build a stronger community, and a better world.
I want you to be more understanding and patient with those around you. Doing so can lower the levels of suicide, addiction, violence, homicide, terrorism, and all the many “isms” that hurt people. Don’t rely on machines to do this for you. We have one life, and it does not belong to a machine. In order for us to achieve the dream we must be the key that unlocks the purpose of true emotional education for all, no matter one’s race, gender, social status or class. Where AI might be the end of emotional intelligence, you could be the key that revives it.
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Watch the entire event here, or click to watch Chloe who is introduced at 1:44:09.
