LEAD California

Well, this was an awesome group of people at our SoCal Convening! What a great way to kick off June!

A big thank you to the team for hosting at the Playa Vista Campus! ☀️🌴

Meet our cohort of Community Engagement Student Fellows (CESF) who just completed their Spring term of service!

You might recognize Kirsten and Emma from . If you missed your last chance to meet them, spend 2 minutes getting to know them now and what they gained through their CESF experience.

📺 link in bio.

We can’t wait to introduce you to the rest of the Student Fellows!

It’s the beginning of June, and there’s still time for you to apply for 1-2 students from your campus to be part of our next cohort of Youth Voice Youth Vote (YVYV) Student Fellows!
🔗 Link in bio.

Students will benefit from a great experience, and...
✅ Upon successfully completing a term of service of at least 35-50 hours, students receive a $500 scholarship from LEAD California.

Don’t let us be the only one to tell you why you should apply. Check out the YVYV highlight in our profile and spend 2 minutes with one of the fellows from our most recent cohort. 🤩

With The Alliance for Campus Community Engagement, we are pleased to announce funding from , in coordination with , to support campus volunteer projects and events during the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. 🇺🇸

Grants of $1,250 and $2,500 will be awarded to selected applicants from ACCE member campuses - which includes all LEAD California members.

🔗 Application link in bio.
⏰ Apply by Friday, June 26, 2026 at 5 PM PT

ICYMI - Catch the playback of May’s Dissertation Dish with Dr. Colette Ankenman now: link in bio!

The purpose of this study was to explore what programmatic aspects of a nonformal service-learning and community engagement program contributed to youth being authentically engaged in their communities and how youth participants define engagement.

📣 If you’re a recent doctoral graduate interested in sharing your own research on service-learning or community engagement, we hope you’ll submit a proposal to present on an upcoming Dissertation Dish! You can find that link in bio too.

🌴 You saved the date, now it’s time to save your spot: link in bio!

Join us and for our latest Southern California Regional Gathering to explore how to center hope and joy in our work as colleagues, with students, and with campus and community partners. Together, we will reflect, explore, and share practices that bring us hope and joy, creating a space to learn from each other.

⏰ Save the date: Monday, June 8, 2026

We hope to see you at our Southern California Convening at Loyola Marymount University! We welcome members from our entire state to the convening (looking at you Central CA and NorCal 👀), especially since LMU is 5 minutes from the LAX airport and the beach!

🏆 We are excited to share that we have selected Jenny Fukunaga, Associate Director of Community and Academic Engagement, the Pam Rector Center for Service and Action, Loyola Marymount University, as the recipient of the 2026 Richard E. Cone Award for her impact on community-campus partnerships throughout the Los Angeles area.

Dr. Patrick Furlong, Loyola Marymount University Director, Pam Rector Center for Service and Action, shared, “Jenny Fukunaga is the kind of emerging leader our field needs. She brings a deep understanding of community partnerships from both sides of the work, having worked at one of our community partners for a number of years before joining us at Loyola Marymount University. She approaches every relationship with humility, curiosity, and care. Jenny invests the time to truly listen to students, faculty, and community partners, and because of that, the partnerships she builds are thoughtful, authentic, and lasting. She is a driving force for community engagement at LMU, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for Jenny and for all those who benefit from being in relationship with her in this important work.”

👇🏽 Say congratulations to Jenny in the comments! If you know Jenny, share a memorable moment that has stuck with you.

We look forward to celebrating Jenny at the upcoming SoCal Convening.

Learn more about the award and Jenny - link in bio!

Get ready for the next 🍽️ Dissertation Dish 🍽️ with our next speaker Dr. Colette Ankenman, Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Saint Mary’s College of California.

Colette Ankenman, Ed.D. is a research practitioner dedicated to positive youth development and community engagement. Her dissertation topic is Authentic Youth Community Engagement in Nonformal Service-Learning and Community Engagement Programming. The purpose of this study was to explore what programmatic aspects of a nonformal service-learning and community engagement program contributed to youth being authentically engaged in their communities and how youth participants define engagement.

📌 Learn more and RSVP using the link in bio!

This Dissertation Dish will be moderated by Dr. Sarah Beth Dempsey, Director of Engaged Learning and Visiting Professor, School of Liberal Arts at Saint Mary’s College of California.

Did you miss the latest 🍽️ Dissertation Dish 🍽️ at the end of February? Don’t worry!

▶️ Play it back now - link in bio!