California State Seal of Civic Engagement Students

What steps are needed to receive the SSCE?

Preparation (ideally completed by January):

• Review the self-reflection prompts to determine your civic engagement project (see here for sample projects reflections).
• Contact your site coordinator to share your interest and solicit advice.
• If possible, do a quick self-evaluation of your civic engagement skills with this optional Civic Engagement Self-Assessment Tool.

Civic Engagement Project/Activities (ideally completed by the end of March):

• Identify a meaningful issue that you want to address or fix.
• Build awareness of the issue and advocate for feasible solutions.
• Engage with key decision-makers to address the problem and to advocate for your conclusions and ideas.
• Complete a self-reflection (in written, oral, video, or other media formats) to reflect on how you have grown, what impact you had, and how you could improve.
  
  Note: Community service projects can be great entry points for earning the State Seal of Civic Engagement. However, community service hours will not suffice to qualify for the SSCE unless evidence of the SSCE requirements above are demonstrated.

Application (due April 17th):

• Fill out this quick application.
• Complete and share your self-reflection (in written, oral, or different media formats) with two recommenders (a non-family mentor and a peer).
• Verify that two letters of recommendation (one from a mentor and one from a peer) are completed.

Sample Student Projects:

• Reflections:
  Climate Change, Youth Mental Health Service, Student Apathy 
   
• Student Group Presentations
  STEM Pathways, Mental Health Resource Awareness, Menstrual Products

Listen to Sky Tusé: 

• A SCUSD student, as he speaks about the value and importance of civic engagement learning and the State Seal of Civic Engagement.

Application Materials and Evidence: 

• SCUSD SSCE Application Form
• Self-Reflection Prompts
• Optional Civic Engagement Self-Assessment Tool to support student self-reflection before and after project
• Endorsement Form for mentor and peer recommenders to provide testimony of student civic engagement activities and skills
  • Non-familial Mentor (such as teacher, advisor, supervisor, community partner)
  • Peer 

Need extra help?

• Contact your SSCE Site Coordinator for advice and more information
• Watch SCUSD’s 2024 SSCE Kick-Off Event PowerPoint or Video

Meet Our Student Ambassadors!

Amarie-Sanaa Owens
Senior at School of Engineering and Sciences

“My focus is to bring more women of color to the STEM field through my high school’s robotics team. I joined Team 3598 located at the School of Engineering and Sciences last year. Alongside my team members and mentors, we noticed the lack of girls not only in our team or our school but the STEM field as a whole. Women only make up about 28% of the workforce and we are aiming to make a difference. In the past year we have implemented project 3598 where we host monthly workshops with a goal of diversify the STEM field ethnically and genderly.”

Contact: owensamarie00@gmail.com

Leo Hsu
Senior at West Campus

“Last year, to help address the historical underfunding of Sacramento’s most vulnerable youth, I campaigned to pass Measure L, which would establish a permanent children’s fund in Sacramento. I canvassed door-to-door and developed campaign strategies, social media posts, and community outreach events. Measure L passed and will provide funding to prevent youth homelessness, violence, and substance abuse, and to support youth mental health and youth ages 0-5.”

Contact: pleohsu@gmail.com

Marissa Gong
Senior at John F Kennedy

“For my Junior year project I created a sustainable reading program for students at a title-one school (low income). I researched and concluded that elementary students who are not reading grade level far more likely to dropout of high school—  one of the the leading contributors being income. So I met with school administrators to create a free book swap program and two 24 hour book boxes to allow all students equal access to literature.”

Contact: marissa-gong@student.scusd.edu

Adriana Vargas
Senior at West Campus

“For my project, I changed the dress code at my school. I started the Dress Code Committee along with my school’s ASB and the Vice Principal. We met many times over the course of several months to discuss how to make the dress code more modern and inclusive, including incorporating student and staff opinion, and then rewrote the dress code.”

Contact: adrianalgvargas@gmail.com

Zeeshawn Khan
Senior at Health Professions

“In light of unfolding crises and conflicts around the world, I addressed the mental health of refugees and immigrants through (1) social media to reach more than 10,000 Sacramento residents with facts and statistics on the mental health of Middle Eastern and Latin American refugees and immigrants and local supportive resources, (2) volunteering at local agencies to provide hands-on support to Afghanistan and the Middle Eastern refugees and immigrants, and (3) presenting findings to representatives from the Sacramento City Mayor’s Office, Sacramento City Council, Sacramento City Unified School District, Kaiser Permanente, and UC Berkeley.”

Contact: zeeshawnkhan7860@gmail.com

Tristan Alexander
Senior at C.K. McClatchy

“This year I have decided to try and help my local mercy housing by fundraising and teaching general hygiene at a couple of the facilities. To help me aid in my goals I have gotten help from other students who got there civic seals last year and  they are helping further the fundraising to buy better supplies.”

Contact: Tristan-Alexander@student.scusd.edu