“My time spent on my We the People team changed who I am as a person, and pushed me to try to impact my community more. It's not just a class, it's a way of looking at life and analyzing the world around you, especially in the current political and social climate. I now have a much better understanding of politics and how they work, and a totally new college major. We the People made me want to work harder to positively impact my community and educate future generations, and for that I will always be grateful.
We the People is a school program run by teachers, but they aren't the only ones putting in work with their students. Alumni and outside volunteers also participated in the process of preparing our teams for competitions, which helped us gain new, outside perspectives and receive constructive criticism from other standpoints. A couple of the volunteers who stood out to me specifically were Mr. Keldon Clegg and Mr. Clinton Woods, who worked tirelessly in their personal time to prepare us for regional and state competitions. Both were very helpful, and definitely made my unit's testimonies stronger because of their input.” -Shelly Pevchin Irvington High School Class of 2017 Medford Community College 
"We the People provides a great way to truly develop expertise on a variety of relevant political issues. For me personally, the program pushed me towards becoming intrinsically motivated to work and also pursuing a law career now. The time preparing and competing in We the People not only elevated the level of thinking in my class, but also created a community where we could express those deeper thoughts. For this and many more reasons, I am extremely grateful to the CACE and WTP programs.”
- Sarah Keir Foothill High School, Class of 2017 Law Student, University of Edinburgh 
“We the People initiated an intrinsic passion for American government and politics, and I found myself falling down numerous rabbit holes exploring topics ranging from Supreme Court dissents to the rights people have to express their opposition to war, during times of war. I became extremely interested in the moral and civic duties we have as American citizens, and still try to uphold those values. And I'm finally able to fluently hold and lead conversations with adults about American politics, a matter that once seemed as foreign to me as a distant language.”
-Yash Srivastav Foothill High School, Class of 2017 UC San Diego Class of 2021 |
“The We The People program was a life-changing part of my high school experience. It opened my eyes to the deep and rich complexities of politics and the Constitution, and allowed me to grow immensely by challenging my critical thinking abilities and forcing me to develop as a public speaker. The volunteer judges from CACE were crucial in our success - their time, perspective, and expertise guided us throughout the process. If I had the chance, I'd do it all again!”
-Maryam Awwal Amador Valley High School Class of 2015 UC Davis Class of 2019 
“We the People was the without a shadow of a doubt, the program and class within which I learned the most in my high school career. This program is designed to not only teach students about American political history and the Constitution, but to teach us it's contemporary value and the necessity of civic engagement. Each unit was tasked with mastery of some particular area of the Constitution in addition to applying it to foreign affairs, domestic economics, social justice issues, or whatever other application was referenced in our competition questions.
Aside from the political learning we had and passion we developed around our units, WTP forces cohesive teamwork in a way that is different from other group projects. We aren't graded individually, an individual doesn't get extra points if they say the best response to a question– success and failure is as a team. Each unit typically has 4-6 people, often of wildly different political leanings. Given this, expression of the differing opinions and simultaneous cohesion as a team was the objective, and a successful team mastered this. In addition, we had the privilege of working with volunteers at CACE, working adults who practice law or just have a passion for politics who give their time to make this program what it is. Advice, experience, and every follow up question imaginable always at the ready, these volunteers taught us so much, challenged us to always be better and are the reason this was such an incredible experience.” - Kiran Ahluwalia San Ramon Valley High School Class of 2016 American University Class of 2020 
"When people ask what I was involved in during high school, WTP is always the first thing out of my mouth because it was by far the most formative part of my entire K-12 education. As a student, the opportunity to engage in high-level discourse with adults who regard you as an intellectual equal like those at CACE is a uniquely empowering experience, and that's what really made the program life-changing for me. It's a program that I think every student across the country should participate in and one that I'm happy to continue to support as an alumnus."
-Michael Chien, Arcadia High School Class of 2016 UC Berkeley Class of 2020 |
