I never imagined that trying to start a student club would lead to intimidation and even threats to my fundamental American rights. My name is Marcos Meléndez Carrasquillo, and I’m a senior at University Gardens High School. I set out to create a space where students who value the dignity of every human Life could gather and exchange ideas: a Students for Life group. Instead, I encountered serious concerns about how schools, especially mine, treat students of faith. 

In April 2025, I met with Ms. Keishamarí Rodríguez, the teacher in charge of student clubs. I brought along a classmate and another teacher who agreed to serve as a witness and potential advisor. During that meeting, I explained my interest in starting a Students for Life group affiliated with Students for Life of America (SFLA), which has nearly 1,600 pro-life groups on campuses nationwide.  

Ms. Rodríguez told me the club couldn’t be created because it was “political” and “religious.” That statement caused the teacher who had offered to advise us to withdraw. I immediately recognized the unfairness of this decision, especially since other clubs at our school, like Living in Harmony, UNICEF, and the United Nations, also affiliate with nonprofit organizations that promote specific causes and share the same legal classification as SFLA. 

I refused to let that setback stop me. About two months later, at the start of the new school year, I approached the principal directly. After I followed her guidelines, she approved the club and even agreed to serve as its moderator. With her support, I officially introduced the Students for Life group at the school’s Club Fair on September 12th. Students responded enthusiastically.  

Within just a few hours, forty-seven students, from grades 9 through 12, signed up!  

I felt proud to lead a genuine exercise in freedom and leadership, where students could unite around shared values. 

Just three days later, the principal sent me two urgent emails during calculus class, ordering me to report to her office “immediately.” When I arrived, I found four adults waiting: the principal, three teachers, and later the same teacher who had witnessed the April meeting. I stood alone without a parent or representative. They told me to dissolve the club, accused me of misrepresenting its nature, and warned that I could face suspension. The atmosphere felt tense and intimidating, like you could cut it with a knife. 

I explained that Students for Life of America is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, just like other clubs at our school affiliated with international organizations. I provided documentation and proof, but they insisted the group could only continue if it severed all ties with Students for Life.  

Their inconsistency baffled me.  

The principal, who had previously agreed to advise the club and affirmed her own pro-life values, accused me of lying, even though she had signed the affiliation agreement herself. I felt betrayed. 

Throughout the meeting, I felt cornered. As the only student in the room, I faced a group of adults who questioned my integrity. They refused to let me record the conversation and asked me to hand over my phone. When the meeting ended, I felt humiliated and powerless. What should have been a positive, student-led initiative turned into an effort to silence me. I watched my hard work unravel before my eyes. 

Soon after, hate messages flooded our group’s social media page. These messages, which were filled with insults and threats, came from outside the school, mostly from alumni. The school’s mishandling of the situation triggered this hostility. Instead of promoting respectful dialogue, the school’s actions fueled aggression toward students with faith-based views. 

Puerto Rico’s Constitution, the U.S. First Amendment, and Law 14-2025—known as the “Fundamental Right to Religious Freedom Act”—guarantee equal treatment and protection for religious expression in public schools. These laws ensure that religious student clubs have the same rights to organize and meet as any other student organization. Sadly, the school failed to uphold those rights in my case. 

I don’t ask for special treatment. I ask only for equal treatment. I want to create a group where students can share pro-life values. Freedom of speech and religion means nothing if they apply only to certain viewpoints. 

This experience hurt me, but it strengthened my resolve. With the help of SFLA legal counsel, we sent a demand letter to the school requiring University Gardens High School to immediately recognize University Gardens Students for Life, cease the intimidation tactics aimed at Meléndez Carrasquillo and any other interested students or staff, and desist from any attempts to prevent them from doing so. 

I believe students should never fear standing up for their convictions, regardless of whether it’s popular. I hope my experience sparks reflection and reform.  

No student should ever feel intimidated or punished for peacefully expressing their faith or their beliefs about Life, but if these are the hardships we must endure to stand up for the preborn, so be it. 

We are ready for the challenge.   

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