This summer, high school students nationally and globally participated in one of our four summer programs – The Gene A. Burd Institute on Media & Politics, Stern Civics Immersion Program, Civics Institute Micronesia, and the Young Women’s Leadership Institute.
The Gene A. Burd Institute on Media & Politics
This one-week residential summer program occurred from June 23 - 30 at Occidental College. Students examined the intersection between media and politics through instructional time led by university faculty. They were tasked to work in groups to create a three-minute social media project to present at the program's culmination. Guest speakers included: Dan Schnur, professor at UC Berkeley, Pepperdine University, and the University of Southern California; Julie Mastrine, writer and director of marketing at AllSides; and CBS Tech and Politics Reporter Musadiq Bidar.
Civics Institute Micronesia
High school students from the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands spent a week on Saipan taking college-level courses in media and democracy at Northern Marianas College (NMC) from June 25 - July 1. The program’s core course was on media and democracy, and it was taught by NMC adjunct instructor Thomas Mangloña II, an alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley and JSA. Students visited the Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature, the CNMI Supreme Court, the CNMI Superior Court, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. Read the official press release.
Stern Civics Immersion Program
Students spent three weeks on the campus of Stanford University from July 7 - 27, exploring and learning about the issues facing our democracy today and focusing on solution-oriented action. We had 65 students travel from the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States, Asia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to attend our summer program. Students chose from one of three elective college-level courses: Campaigns and Elections, Global Poverty, Inequality and Justice, and Democracy and Social Media and all students participated in the Argumentation and Political Communication course. All courses were led by university faculty and academic experts. Read the full blog.
The Young Women’s Leadership Institute
A diverse set of young women in high school came together to learn the characteristics and skills to become strong leaders in their communities. The one-week residential summer program took place from Aug. 1 - 7 on the campus of Simmons University. Students strengthened their critical thinking and leadership skills and connected with like-minded peers. They also heard stories and advice from women in leadership positions. Students worked in groups to develop a community organization and action plan. Guest speakers included: Chief of Innovation and Outreach Officer at Universidad San Francisco de Quito Claudia Tobar, Vice President of University Real Estate Development and Facilities Management at Simmons University Laura Brink Pisinsk, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Katrina M. Mulligan, Washington University in St. Louis Sophomore student Bella Gomez, student at Duke University Felicity Rodriguez, and University of California student Nancy Chavez-Jacobo.
