Building Bridges of Understanding at United Nations International Day of Peace Student Conference

Red Bank Students Share Messages of Peace

Red Bank Catholic High School Principal Vanessa Pereira (center) and history and social science teacher Gary Gleitz (far right) at United Nations with students (L to R) John-William Zziwa, Mia Schultheis, Brandon Ruiz and Victoria DePasca.

By Pathways to Peace

Originally Published September 17, 2025 at 3:00 AM TAPinto Red Bank

RED BANK, NJ – Ahead of International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, a group of students from Red Bank Catholic High School (RBC) participated in a roundtable discussion last Friday on promoting peace at the United Nations in New York City.

The students, representing their school club, Pathways to Peace, shared their views with about 50 high school and college students from across the greater New York region on what peace means to them and how they can create peace in their own communities.

“One thing I took away from the trip was the diversity in the room and how everyone came together despite being from different backgrounds and really formed a way to talk about peace in a safe space. We were really cohesive,” said Mia Schultheis, 15, a sophomore at RBC.

Schultheis and club members Victoria DePasca, Brandon Ruiz and John-William Zziwa, were accompanied by Principal Vanessa Pereira, Ph.D., education, and history and social science teacher Gary Gleitz.

Their participation was organized and led by George Anthony, of Middletown, an educator, peacebuilder, and the primary representative of United Nations non-government organization Pathways to Peace. He works with the RBC club twice monthly on building communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills, strengthening public speaking abilities, and how to engage with UN protocols, partners, and global conferences.

In addition to participating in the roundtable, the RBC group joined with high school students from Newark School of Global Studies, also affiliated with Pathways to Peace, and with International Day of Peace moderator Providence Thusabantu, a Zimbabwe International Studies student at McAllister University, serving as an intern with Pathways to Peace.

“This experience gave students the chance to strengthen their skills while pairing up with peers from another part of New Jersey, showing them the power of collaboration in building peace,” Anthony said.

Learn more about Pathways to Peace and Peace Dynamics.