April Ursula Fox (Education) proposed and moderated the student-centered panel What is the Message? Punk Expressions in School and Community at PunkCon 2026. The roundtable brought together UNLV students to explore what a punk way of thinking can mean within school and community spaces, with particular attention to questioning authority, DIY creativity, mutual aid, resistance, authenticity and student voice.
Fox framed the discussion around creating space for students to speak for themselves rather than having others speak about them. Panelists considered issues including curriculum, identity, discipline, mental health, equity and community belonging, while exploring how punk-related expressions can offer alternative ways of imagining education and challenge compliance-driven approaches to schooling.
The panel featured:
Evelin Leyva Herrera, a UNLV undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Herrera brings an interest in punk culture and identifies as a ska-punk mosher.
Trisha DelaRosa, a second-year UNLV student pursuing a degree in secondary education who aspires to become a history teacher. Her interests include critical thinking, civic awareness and student self-advocacy, informed in part by her experience working with tutoring programs.
Kaylee Notterman, a second-year transfer student at UNLV pursuing secondary education with an emphasis in social studies. An aspiring history teacher, Notterman is interested in student voice, creativity, project-based and simulated learning, and creating classroom environments that support engagement and critical thinking.
