Last weekend, the University of Cincinnati campus was buzzing with students from across the country — all excited for the 2025 Secular Student Alliance (SSA) National Conference. Friday kicked off with a riveting speech from Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, setting the tone for a conference that truly lived up to its theme: Inspiring Hope, Igniting Action.
For those unfamiliar, the Secular Student Alliance is a nationwide network of student-run chapters in high schools, colleges and universities. Founded in 2000, the SSA supports campus groups that provide community for secular students while advocating for state-church separation.
SSA Executive Director Kevin Bolling and the entire SSA staff deserve tremendous praise for their outstanding work in organizing such a successful conference. From start to finish, the conference highlighted impactful speakers, insightful workshops and some much-needed moral support for students doing the hard work of upholding state-church separation on their school campuses.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation was proud to sponsor the conference alongside many of our partner organizations. Together, we helped keep costs low for students by covering campus housing, meals and travel expenses.
These students came ready to learn, organize and lead. FFRF was thrilled to be part of the speaker lineup offering tools, guidance and a good dose of encouragement. FFRF presented two talks: one on how to effectively engage with lawmakers and make your voice heard, and another on understanding your rights as a secular student, grounded in decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
A major benefit of sponsoring the event was the opportunity to tell students about all that we do at FFRF. We were able to discuss our legislative efforts with students and explain how they can contribute to making a difference in the work we do every day. Several students told us afterward that they hadn’t known they could report state-church violations using FFRF’s “Report a Violation” tool.
One of the highlights of the conference was Ohio state Rep. Karen Brownlee joining us for a Q&A following our workshop presentation. Students were inspired by her thoughtful answers and her advocacy in the Ohio Legislature to strengthen the separation of church and state and defend religious freedom for all.
We were also grateful to be joined by members of the FFRF Cincinnati Metro Chapter. Mark Davis and volunteer extraordinaire Bill Messer showed up strong, helped staff the event and contributed to keeping the conference running smoothly.
The speaker lineup featured an impressive array of presenters, with standout moments throughout the weekend. Biologist, educator and science communicator Forrest Valkai lit up the stage with a high-energy talk on how scientific thinking builds strong character and strong communities. Sasha Sagan, carrying on the legacy of her father Carl Sagan, delivered a moving keynote on “Celebrating Doubt,” highlighting how embracing uncertainty can lead to deeper wisdom. Former evangelical minister turned humanist Bart Campolo shared his compelling vision for building compassionate secular communities. These were just a few of the many powerful voices that made this conference one to remember.
But maybe the biggest takeaway was this: Secular student groups aren’t just clubs. They’re lifelines. They’re where students find their people, find their voice and begin shaping the future.
The SSA conference reminded us that the fight for secularism isn’t just happening in courts or capitol buildings. It’s happening in dorm lounges, cafeterias, student newspapers and campus organizing meetings. That’s why the Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to support the Secular Student Alliance.
To every student we met in Cincinnati: You give us hope for a brighter future. Keep going. We’ve got your back, and we can’t wait to see what you do next!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mickey Dollens is the regional government affairs manager at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, where he fights to uphold state-church separation and protect religious freedom for all.
Ryan Dudley joined FFRF as the State Policy Manager, a new position, in 2022. He has worked in advocacy roles for a number of nonprofits, as well as a nonpartisan legislative research analyst for both the Colorado General Assembly and the Wisconsin General Assembly. Ryan also served in the Army National Guard from 2007-2015. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a Master of Public Policy from DePaul University in Chicago.
