Community Engagement Student Fellowship (CESF)
Spring 2024 CESF Student Fellows
Students from California campuses were selected to participate in LEAD California’s Community Engagement Student Fellowship (CESF) program, a 4-month initiative specifically designed to support student leaders advancing service, service-learning and community engagement at LEAD California member campuses throughout the state.
For more information, feel free to contact us at info@leadcalifornia.org.
CINDYANGELES
SACRAMENTO STATE UNIVERSITY
Cindy Angeles (she/her) is a second-year student at Sacramento State and is majoring in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and minoring in Social Justice in Education. She hopes to pursue further education in the audiology program to become a pediatric audiologist! She also works as an afterschool instructor and event coordinator for a comprehensive afterschool program at a local elementary school. In her free time, she enjoys watercolor painting and playing volleyball! She can’t wait to work with the community!
AMANDABRITTER
CSU FRESNO
Amanda Britter is a fourth year at California State University, Fresno, majoring in Religious Studies, and minoring in Jewish Studies, as well as Recreation Administration, and is very excited to be joining the Community Engagement Student Fellowship Program. As someone who has been working at her campus’s Community Engagement and Service Learning Center the last three years, as well as a presenter for the last Continuums of Service Conference (Engaging Students in the Community Through Technology), she is very excited to be getting involved with this program. After obtaining her Bachelor’s, Amanda hopes to go into seminary to become a pastor, and work in the future with nonprofits to serve the community she is in.
ALIYAHBEYAH
COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS
Aliyah Beyah is a Psychology major at College of the Canyons transferring to a four-year university in the Fall of 2024. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and continue her education in graduate school. She has been a part of the PLACE (Partnerships for Listening and Action by Communities and Educators) Project since the Fall of 2022. She is motivated by advocating for students’ needs, mental health, and sense of belonging in their community. The well-being of both individuals and communities is essential to each other. By working with the PLACE Project she has further learned the value of this relationship. She has witnessed the importance of having a strong connection with the community to an individual’s sense of identity and belonging. Sharing resource information, advocating for fellow students’ needs, and promoting opportunities for involvement in civic engagement are some of the ways she has worked toward helping sustain her community. Elevating the voices of locals and non-profits promotes the interconnectivity that is needed for everyone to thrive.
BRANDONCHAMPION
COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS
Brandon Champion is a senior at The Master’s University located in Newhall, who is also involved with coursework at College of the Canyons (COC). Having honed his copywriting and copyediting skills through the TMU Communication program, he seeks to apply that experience to groups like COC’s PLACE (Parnerships for Listening and Action by Communities and Eductators) Action Team. Brandon is committed to building connections with various communites found thorughout the Santa Clarita Valley. Beginning his second semester with the PLACE Action Team, he looks forward to developing more content directed to assisting new and prospective COC students in locating local resources.
NATHANMOLINA
SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Nathan Molina is a Communications Studies major at Sonoma State University and he has had lots of hands-on blogging experience thanks to his choice of major and overall interests in media-related activities. Nathan will be graduating in May 2024 and looks forward to the next few months of engagement in the community.
SANIYAPATEL
SACRAMENTO STATE UNIVERSITY
Saniya Patel is an international student at Sacramento State, originally from India. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in computer science with minor in mathematics. She has a passion for technology and loves problem solving, so she knew that a STEM career was the right path for her. She loves travelling and she knows two more languages, which are Hindi and Gujarati.
SHAILEYSHAH
CSU FRESNO
Shailey Shah is a third-year Biology major and Spanish minor at California State University, Fresno. After college, she is hoping to matriculate into medical school in order to provide underserved patient populations in the Central Valley with quality care. Shailey is very passionate about community service as she believes service is a two-way street. Shailey believes that when one serves the community, they gain so much back in the form of professional and personal growth. At the 2023 Continuums of Service Conference, Shailey presented on this very topic while describing the work of the Richter Center Service Leadership Academy at Fresno State. Now, she is planning a student track at the 2025 Continuums of Service Conference to broaden access to this experience. She feels very privileged to be a part of the Community Engagement Student Fellowship Program and is excited to share her love for service with others!
EMILIETORRES
STANBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
Emilie Torres joined Stanbridge University in the Fall of 2023 to pursue a career as a Registered Nurse. She grew up in Pasadena and later moved to Bath, England where she received a BSc in Biology and Jazz piano. After completing a work placement at a hospital in Phitsanulok, Thailand, she was inspired to pursue a career in the medical field. Her further experience as a volunteer instructor in Ghana has taught her to adapt to different environments, and how to work within the community in a culturally respectful manner.