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Student Civic Leaders shieldStudent Civic Leaders

2026 Solon Founding Pilot

The community decides.
We make it real.

Five Solon students. One year. One civic venture, chosen by the people it serves.

See our missionSee how it works
The five founding Student Civic Leaders gathered around a laptop

Leadership. Execution. Impact.

Student Civic Leaders (SCL) is a selective, year-long civic leadership and social entrepreneurship program in which students work as a startup-style team to solve a real community problem and build a civic asset that lasts.

Mission

To empower students to become purpose-driven leaders, entrepreneurs, changemakers, and philanthropists who create and execute initiatives that generate measurable impact in their communities.

Vision

To build a global network of student leaders who think like entrepreneurs, act with compassion, and create lasting impact.

The 2026–2027 founding pilot

Students apply individually; SCL selects a five-person founding team that validates one community problem through a 100-Voice Listening Sprint, then designs, funds, executes, and reports on a real civic venture over the year.

The Year

Apr 2026 → May 2027

One founding year, built around one team, one problem, and one community.

The Team

Five executive roles

CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, and CAIO, chosen by individual application to run as a civic startup.

The Cost

No participation fee

The cohort secures $5,000 in venture support through grants, sponsorships, and partnerships.

The Outcome

Real proof of impact

A live civic venture, an executive portfolio, and a Certification of Civic Leadership.

We listen, build, and deliver.

One founding year, three honest stages, from the community’s choice to a real civic venture with measurable proof of impact.

  1. Student Civic Leaders in a working discussion at the table

    01 · Jun – Jul 2026

    We Listen

    One hundred community voices choose the mission. The work begins with the people it will serve.

  2. A Student Civic Leader presenting the team's plan

    02 · Aug 2026 – Feb 2027

    We Build

    A real venture with a real budget, not a simulation. Assets, partners, and value built to last.

  3. The five founders presenting their work to the room

    03 · May 2027

    We Deliver

    Measurable proof of impact: a real civic venture, an executive portfolio, and a Certification of Civic Leadership.

The community chose Foster Launch Hub.

Our founding venture helps aging-out foster youth get on their feet, with the four things they need most: documents, mentors, jobs, and housing.

Foster Launch Hub

Helping aging-out foster youth get on their feet with documents, mentors, jobs, and housing.

Now building
What we'd build
  • Independent Living Support. Track and replace vital documents, plus a guide to budgeting, work, school, and living on your own.
  • Local Mentor Framework. Dedicated adult mentors and peer support groups for professional and emotional guidance.
  • Business Partnerships. Local employers offering entry-level jobs, interviews, and housing assistance.

Voted in by 100+ community voices, from three finalists: Foster Launch Hub, Student Futures Network, and Life Skills Lab.

Real need. Real venture. Real impact.

Student Civic Leaders is a selective, year-long program in civic leadership and social entrepreneurship. Five Solon students find a real community need, build a practical solution, and secure $5,000 in venture support through grants, sponsorships, and partnerships to fund it.

Over a single founding year, that mission becomes a live civic venture with measurable proof of impact, delivered by May 2027.

The five founding Student Civic Leaders
See our mission

Why this matters in Solon.

We do not wait for permission to improve our community. We build assets that outlast our tenure.
From the Student Civic Leader Oath
Solon gave us the classroom, the field, and the neighbors. This is how we give something back that lasts.
Why we build here
Real need, real venture, real impact. The community names the problem, and then we go solve it.
The SCL promise

In Memory of Maya Nayar

I am a Student Civic Leader. I do not wait for permission to improve my community. I build assets that outlast my tenure. I create value that sustains my mission.

I am un-unemployable because I am a problem solver by trade and a leader by choice.

We build in Maya’s memory, carrying her belief that one person who refuses to wait can change a whole community.

A Maya’s Way Initiative · Live Now. Love Forever.

The students building it.

  • Samipa Patel, Chief Executive Officer

    Samipa Patel

    Chief Executive Officer

  • Minghao Gu, Chief Operating Officer

    Minghao Gu

    Chief Operating Officer

  • Chisom Ezetendu, Chief Marketing Officer

    Chisom Ezetendu

    Chief Marketing Officer

  • Avery Andrews, Chief Financial Officer

    Avery Andrews

    Chief Financial Officer

  • Jonathan Parran, Chief AI Officer

    Jonathan Parran

    Chief AI Officer

Meet our Advisory Council

Want to Help Make a Difference?

Help us build something Solon keeps.

Three ways to stand behind the founding five and the mission the community chose.

Follow the journey

Watch Parul's climb and see the mission come to life on her page.

See her journey

Mentor

Lend your expertise to five students building a real venture this year.

Email us

Help fund the $5,000

That budget turns the chosen mission into measurable impact. Give as little or as much as you like. Every dollar helps.

Donate

Follow the build.

Watch a Solon community venture come together over one founding year, from the first vote to a finished civic venture the whole community can see.

Reach out: info@scl.global · sclfoundingcohort@gmail.com

From the community

Be part of the story

Tell the community what Student Civic Leaders means to you.

Share your story