Peren is a 15-year-old junior at Lakeridge High School in Oregon. At 13, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting shocked them into the world of gun violence prevention. She attended her school walkout and learned through the March For Our Lives. That summer, they discovered Students Demand Action on the internet and joined the Text Team. They soon became a Text Team Captain and started a student group at their school, which they lead. She also started and leads another local group in the area and is a leader in the Oregon Virtual Field Office. In her free time, she enjoys creating art and participating in musical theater. They are glad to further their work towards ending gun violence and explore their future in activism.
Get to know Peren even more in her Q&A!
Name: Peren Tiemann
Pronouns: she/they
Age: 16
Astrological Sign: Libra
Location: Lake Oswego, OR
School: Lakeridge High School
What do you hope to pursue after you graduate?
I hope to pursue a career in politics and social justice to keep improving our country and our world.
Why is gun violence prevention important to you?
Gun violence prevention is important to me because a person’s identity and our moments of personal crisis should not mean the difference between life and death.
What are you most proud of working on as a Students Demand Action volunteer?
I am proud to have overcome my anxiety in order to start the first Students Demand Action group in my state and to work with our local Moms Demand Action volunteers to pass a secure gun storage resolution in my school district.
While all people have their flaws, and I’m not sure that I’d ever be able to choose one public figure that I admire most, I certainly admire Elizabeth Warren. She has spent her life working her way up, working in one of the jobs that I hold the most respect for, that of a public school teacher. Her voice and story is one that reminds me of my family, and she never fails to inspire me to “Dream Big, Fight Hard.”
If you could only eat one food for a year, what would you pick?
English muffins with vegan margarine.
What do you do for self care?
I spend time listening to music and working on my schedule.
What motivates you to keep going?
I am motivated to keep going by the incredible youth activists and gun violence survivors across the country who work tirelessly to end this epidemic.