The Community Engagement Student Fellowship (CESF) connects college students with their communities through community-campus partnerships that address pressing social needs. While working to improve the lives of others, these students awaken to the root causes of complex societal problems and to their own ability to work toward solutions—both now and into the future.
LEAD California, a statewide coalition of higher education leaders, established the CESF program in 2013 as part of its mission to educate students for civic and social responsibility. Since that time, we have deployed more than 150 CESF Fellows on campus and in the community. These students work to address issues affecting California and beyond, ranging from health disparities to poverty and homelessness to college access and success.