<p>Class participation is integral to student learning as it promotes engagement and the expression of student voices. However, attempting to ‘get students to talk’ without acknowledging their diverse identities and needs can inadvertently reinforce oppression. Grounded in a heutagogical framework, this action research was conducted to address this limitation and advocate for diverse participation formats, such as inviting students to share relevant news, introduce innovative learning materials, or create social media content related to the subject field for broader audiences. Surveys with quantitative and qualitative measures, along with instructor journaling, were used to assess students’ perceived empowerment and to identify specific highlights and challenges from both students’ and the instructor’s perspectives. The results indicate that students find authentic ways to voice themselves through contributing to collective learning in formats aligning with their skills and comfort and perceive a stronger sense of empowerment afterwards. The findings contribute to the discourse on student voice implementation by highlighting the significance of varied participation formats in empowering students to develop adaptive leadership and boost engagement and agency in higher education.</p>