Steve Thornton has spent his adult life as an activist and organizer, working with various groups for social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. He is the author of A Shoeleather History of the Wobblies: Stories of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Connecticut (Red Sun Press, 2013), Wicked Hartford (The History Press, 2017), and Good Trouble: A Shoeleather History of Nonviolent Direct Action (Hard Ball Press, 2019).

Snigtha Mohanraj is a rising senior and volunteers with local climate groups, conducts independent research regarding water contaminant removal and works on addressing educational disparities in New Haven. She enjoys the intersection of civics with other fields such as environmental science. Yasmeen Galal, who graduated high school in May of 2024, took on various advocacy roles, including serving as the president of Connecticut Student Council and as a student representative on Connecticut's Board of Education. She's interested in the intersection between technology and policy, to ensure that society can advance technology while keeping humanity at the forefront.

Melissa Zablonski has taught social studies at Putnam High School for nine years, including U.S. History, AP U.S. History, Psychology, Anthropology, and the Black, African-American, Puerto Rican and Latino studies class. In 2022, she earned her doctorate degree in education after completing research on building capacity of teachers to serve English learners in their mainstream classrooms.