Civic Leadership Series: Students Shaping California’s Future

From students to changemakers!

As California marks 175 years of statehood and the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this three-part series is designed for high school and college students across the state who are ready to turn awareness and passion into action.

Through sessions focused on California’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches. You’ll learn how the government actually works and how students can engage with each branch during a critical election cycle.

The series highlights TK–16 education as a powerful entry point for civic action, illustrating how policy decisions impact learners, educators, and communities—and how your voice can help advance a more inclusive, accessible education system for all.

Hosted by the UC|CSU Collaborative, this series connects research, policy, and practice, demonstrating how civic engagement strengthens communities, supports student well-being, and expands opportunity. You won’t just learn about civic engagement, you’ll practice it!

Designed for students approximately ages 16–25, this series explores how to engage with California’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches to create meaningful change. Opening remarks will be provided by Dr. Alison Yoshimoto-Towery, member of the California State Board of Education and liaison for Civic Learning.

This webinar features Brooks Allen, who serves as the Governor’s Education Policy Advisor and Executive Director of the State Board of Education. He previously worked as the Director of Education Advocacy for the ACLU of Southern California and as a Skadden Fellow and staff attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. He also served as a Deputy City Attorney in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California. Before attending law school, Brooks was an Upward Bound program coordinator, an admissions officer with Stanford University, and a policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Education. He has a B.A. in Political Science with distinction from Stanford University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

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