Junior Denzel Augustin attended an all paid expenses trip to Washington D.C. on Sept. 26 for an iCivics Youth Fellowship symposium, being one of 34 high school students selected from over 500 applicants.   

     ICivics is an organization that provides educational games and lesson plans to educate the youth on civics. The purpose of the program is to encourage young people to become active citizens when the time is right. 

     During the four-day symposium, students were able to collaborate with other iCivics members in their cohort.

     “In the grand sense of it, I was looking forward to meeting new people,” Augustin said. “In D.C. my personality was amplified because it’s filled with so much rich history and that’s my favorite thing.” 

     Once Augustin arrived in D.C, he went on a tour of the capital, visiting places like the Supreme Court, the Jefferson memorial, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial. 

     Throughout the trip, Augustin traveled D.C. and was able to get together with everyone in the organization and learn about the current circumstances of civic engagement.

     “I was able to speak to Supreme Court docent Kat Shepard and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” Augustin said. “We were able to ask questions about the inner workings of the Supreme Court and I learned that there’s a lot of pressure that comes with these jobs, but the officials have truly learned to balance it well.” 

     Since joining the program in 2022, Augustin has been an active member, discussing civic engagement and education nationally in an attempt to encourage teens to become interested in civics. 

     “I heard about iCivics from my 7th grade civics teacher at Madie Ives,” Augustin said. “She made learning an interesting experience for me, especially through the games on the website, which allowed me to gain an interest in civics I never had before.” 

     Augustin started as a member and was able to apply for a higher position each year, becoming an alumni and eventually an alumni mentor. 

     Being able to experience the iCivics program in D.C. allowed Augustin to flourish in his knowledge with history and civics. Now Augustin is able to spread his knowledge to the current alumni of the organization, and help them build a better understanding of our government.

     “Learning about civics is something I never want to give up,” Augustin said. “I just hope to be able to pass my knowledge onto other youth by creating a space where people can talk to me about the processes of the government.”