Now in its third year, national youth fellowship has engaged students from across the country to build civic leadership skills and explore how civic education can become more relevant to all youth in the United States

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Thirty talented high school students from across the country recently formed the newest cohort of the iCivics Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship (ECYF). The fellows are selected on a competitive basis and must be nominated by a teacher to be considered. 

Now in its third year, the program works with students to research and explore how civic education can become more equitable for all students. Fellows utilize their own lived experiences to become ambassadors for better civic education and to shed light on how civic education can include student voices from every background. 

The program, which is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, is part of a broader initiative to explore equity in civic education. Throughout the course of the 2021-22 school year, fellows will engage virtually in group discussions with their peers, as well as in workshops and lectures with experts in the field and in projects designed to strengthen listening and collaborative skills—all centered around ensuring that civic education is available and relevant to all students in the United States. 

“I am very excited for the ways in which this amazing group of students will lend their unique voices to the conversation surrounding equitable civic education through this Fellowship,” iCivics Youth Fellowship Community Lead Michael Reyes said. “They will all be learning from each other and engaging their ideas through various activities throughout the year. Most importantly, I look forward to seeing the ways these Fellows will take their experiences into lifelong civic engagement.”

iCivics is proud to announce this year’s Equity in Civics Youth Fellows:

• Joshua Adegoke, 11th Grader, Challenge Early College High School, Texas
• Joshua Anderson, 10th Grader, Leominster Center for Excellence, Massachusetts
• Marley Best, 12th Grader, Redbank Valley High School, Pennsylvania
• Georgia Bullard, 10th Grader, Sequim High School, Washington
• Jasper Chavarria, 10th Grader, Junction City High School, Kansas
• Elena Correa, 11th Grader, Central High School, Nebraska
• Jemieka Findlay, 12th Grader, Bronx Collaborative High School, New York
• Alani Sanchez-Flores, 11th Grader, Normal West Community High School, Illinois
• Tasneem Ghadiali, 10th Grader, Lexington High School, Massachusetts
• Stella Haag, 9th Grader, Sandpoint Highschool, Idaho
• Tianna Hunt, 12th Grader, City Neighbors High School, Maryland
• Howard Jongkyu, Kim 9th Grader, Conestoga High School, Pennsylvania 
• Brendan Kaminski, 10th Grader, Baldwin High School, New York
• Kimtee Kundu, 12th Grader, Bravo Medical Magnet High School, California 
• Darren McQueen, 12th Grader, Christopher Columbus High School, Florida 
• Dieudonne Mfaume, 12th Grader, Lindbergh High School, Missouri
• Diamond Moore, 11th Grader, Jones Senior High School, North Carolina
• Surya Panyam, 10th Grader, Jesuit High School, Oregon 
• Tiffany Peck, 12th Grader, Alameda High School, Colorado
• Pedro Pena, Jr., 12th Grade, Anne Community High School, Illinois 
• Sarah Rivera Rivera, 11th Grader, South County Highschool, Virginia
• Rowan Jackson Sanborn, 9th Grader, Orono High School, Maine
• Sophia Schmidt, 12th Grader, Ocean Springs High School, Mississippi
• Milan Shah, 9th Grader, Westview High School, California
• Sean Shelbrock, 12th Grader, Hill McCloy High School, Michigan
• Amylia Tra,10th Grader, Collingswood High School, New Jersey
• Leo Veatch, 11th Grader, Agate High School, Colorado
• Ishta Wabaunsee, 11th Grader, Seaman High School, Kansas
• Joy Washington, 11th Grader, Florida Virtual School, Florida
• Elfin Wiriyan, 11th Grader, James Madison Memorial High School, Wisconsin