From Campus to Community: Student Civic Leadership in Action

For many students, civic engagement can feel distant or abstract — something discussed in textbooks or debated online, but rarely connected to everyday life. For Mansur Kasali, it became personal. Through his involvement with Up to Us, Mansur discovered that understanding fiscal policy and the national debt wasn’t just an academic exercise. It was a pathway to leadership, advocacy, and real community impact.

From Campus to Community: How One Faculty Advisor is Inspiring the Next Generation of Civic Leaders

In her role as Assistant Director at Stony Brook University’s Center for Civic Justice, Ashley Liegi has spent years helping students transform lessons on policy and leadership into action. Through her mentorship and her partnership with Up to Us, she’s building a generation of civic leaders ready to turn awareness into advocacy and ideas into impact.

In our last installment of the Civic Engagement Scholarship Spotlight series, we’re highlighting students involved with advocacy. If you missed the last two blogs in...

Igniting Change and Cultivating Impact: Celebrating the Up To Us Leadership Bootcamp Leaders

Why Young Voices Matter in Fiscal and Civic Leadership: The Power of Gen Z to Shape Our Future

The Future Is Now

We often hear that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. But across the country, Gen Z is proving that the future isn’t something to wait for—it’s something to be shaped today. With their energy, diverse perspectives, and passion for change, young people are stepping into leadership roles in communities, classrooms, and campuses. They’re organizing, innovating, and redefining what leadership looks like in an era that demands action.

Voting is a powerful tool that shapes the policies governing our daily lives in democratic societies. It is more than just a civic duty. Among the policies voting helps build, fiscal budgeting is a clear example of a policy profoundly influenced by voter participation. Fiscal decisions cover matters such as government spending, taxation, and budgeting. In this blog, we set out to explore the intricate relationship between voter turnout and fiscal policies, illustrating how each vote contributes to the financial direction of a nation.

13^th Annual Up to Us Competition Activates Thousands of Next Generation Leaders to Address America’s Fiscal Challenges 

New York (3/18/2025) — As the President and Congress face critical fiscal policy decisions, college students across America are raising their voices to find solutions to the $36 trillion and rising national debt.  Students on campuses across the country participated in the 13^th annual Up to Us competition, in which students build campaigns to raise awareness and drive engagement to build a brighter economic future.