Mercy High School students will see a familiar face when they tune in to watch Pope Leo XIV address U.S. teens at a conference on Friday — one of their classmates.

Mia Smothers, a freshman at the all-girls Catholic school in Northeast Baltimore, is part of a small group of teens who will ask the pope questions during a virtual discussion at the National Catholic Youth Conference. The conference, which started on Thursday and runs through Saturday in Indianapolis, marks the first time the American pope will address U.S. youth. The other four students in the discussion are from Iowa, Nevada, California and Hawaii. At 14, Smothers is the youngest.

Pope Leo XIV, who was elected in May, is the first American pope. A native of Chicago, he was born at a Mercy Hospital, which is operated by the Sisters of Mercy, a religious order that also runs Smothers’ school.

Sitting in a conference room at the high school on Tuesday, Smothers spoke confidently about what she wants to ask one of the world’s most influential religious figures. The 14-year-old referred back to the pope’s previous speeches, where he asked people to be more open and talked about the importance of love and connection.

“How can we try to connect with other people around us?” she wants to ask him. “What would be the best way and who would be able to help us in doing that?”

Smothers said church and faith have been a big part of her upbringing. She started altar serving in the second grade and for years has been involved with Vacation Bible School, where she helps teach younger kids. Smothers is also a cheerleader and participates in clubs at school, including the African Student Association and Black Student Union.

Smothers said her parish’s director of evangelization, Diane Lewis, recommended her to the Archdiocese of Baltimore to help develop questions for youths to ask the pope. Smothers suggested questions about what led the pope to the priesthood and who inspired him. She also wanted to ask about social media and how it can be used to bring people together. Neither Lewis nor Smothers realized it would lead to the teen’s getting chosen to speak with the pope directly.

While speaking at the high school on Tuesday, Smothers wore a pin on her dark red school blazer that read “How’s Your Five? Work, Love, Play, Sleep, Eat.” She said the question helps students connect. The pin is also a symbol that God is doing those same checks on us, “even if we can’t see it,” she said.

The pin goes back to the connection she is searching for with others, and the guidance she is looking for from the pope.

People can watch the discussion, which will be streamed online, on Friday at 10:15 a.m.