WA SEN Virtual Constitutional Day Event: Shaping the Future Through Civic Engagement

91.3 KBCS WA SEN Virtual Constitutional Day Event Recap

On September 17, 2024, the WA Student Engagement Network (WA-SEN) hosted its annual Virtual Constitutional Day Event. This event brought together students across Washington to highlight the importance of civic participation and share their experiences. Hosted by Kayla Hoy, a 2023 PSU graduate, and co-hosted by Monica Yu, WA-SEN King Region Coordinator, the event inspired attendees to become more engaged in their communities.

Meet Monica Yu: Student Leader & Cultural Advocate

Monica Yu is a second-year transfer student at Bellevue College, where she is pursuing a business transfer degree. She completed her first degree in International Business Management from FIT NYC’s South Korea campus. During the event, Monica encouraged students to recognize their own “civic superpowers,” emphasizing that everyone can make a difference. She also reminded participants to ensure their voter registration is up to date.

Active on her campus, Monica is involved with the Associated Student Government, the Japanese Exchange Club, and Makerspace. Her passion for fostering international connections and advocating for cultural awareness made her a standout speaker at the event. Monyu’s commitment to creative expression and community involvement is an example of how students can use their skills to contribute meaningfully to society.

Richie Martinez: Building Strong Communities

Richie Martinez, WA-SEN Columbia Region Coordinator, shared his insights on building strong communities through civic engagement. As a senior studying Cyber Security at Columbia Basin College, Richie highlighted the significance of post-secondary credentials to meet the growing demand for 740,000 jobs. He stressed the importance of sharing personal stories with legislators, particularly those from students of color, to advocate for policies that impact them directly.

Richie’s involvement with WA-SEN began in 2022 as a student liaison. Now, as a regional coordinator, he continues to inspire students to participate in civic activities. He encouraged attendees to apply for WA-SEN internships, which provide stipends without affecting financial aid, making it easier for students to gain experience and influence public policy.

Deputy Secretary of State Randy Bolerjack: Your Story Matters

Randy Bolerjack, Washington’s Deputy Secretary of State, closed the event by urging students to stay involved in policy discussions. He reinforced the idea that voting is just one aspect of the democratic process. Randy emphasized that sharing personal stories with policymakers can have a lasting impact on legislation. His message was clear: “Learn, listen, and let your voice shape the future.”

Randy also highlighted the value of public administration as a career path for those interested in policy-making. He encouraged students to explore opportunities to engage with local and state government to drive change.

Support Your Community Radio

The WA-SEN event showed that student voices matter. Opportunities to participate are still available through internships and grants. Civic engagement builds stronger communities, and your story has the power to make a difference. Also, 91.3 KBCS and WA SEN have one major goal in common, informing the community of its civic powers!

At KBCS, we believe that student voices are essential for shaping the future of civic engagement and public policy. WA-SEN’s Virtual Constitutional Day was a powerful reminder that every story can create change. To continue supporting important programs like this, we need your help. By donating to 91.3 KBCS, you enable us to keep producing meaningful content that empowers the next generation of leaders. Your contribution matters.

Bellevue College Global Leaders Music Picks

Du Dinh 

Hi guys, my name is Du Dinh. I’m currently one of the Global Leaders at Bellevue College. This is my second year here and my major is computer science. I love playing sports, video games, listening to music and throwing Pokemon games on YouTube. Today I would like to share one of my favorite songs with you guys. The name of the song is called “Có Đâu Ai Ngờ.” It is a Vietnamese song by a Vietnamese artist, Cam. This song is about love and the melody and it’s really slow and cute. I hope you can enjoy it and have a nice day!

Jemima 

One of my favorite songs is “Tout Seul” by Gally and Heritier Wata. It is one of my favorite songs because it is a mix of emotions. It is quiet and at the same time deep. It’s a song that I discovered when I went to Canada to see my brothers and sisters and I know it was one of the favorite songs of my brothers. So every time that I listen to it, I just remember summer there and a lot of memories. I feel just quiet, calm and happy. Even if it’s a sad song – I don’t know how, but I feel happy, because it also relates to a lot of stuff that has happened in my life before. I hope you enjoy it!

Julia 

Hey guys, my name is Julia and I’m one of the Global Leaders at Bellevue College. I’m from Taiwan and I’m studying Business. I want to share this song called “If Only” by Ozi. He is a Taiwanese singer. This song is basically about rewinding time, and what he would do if he could talk to his grandma. I hope you like the song!

Kelan

Hi, my name is Kelan and I come from China. This is my third year in the U.S and my second quarter at Bellevue College. I’m studying Digital Media Arts. I’m also a singer and songwriter. The song I’m going to introduce is actually a song that I released six years ago. It’s called “Flower”. This was one of the few songs that I wrote when I just started songwriting on guitar. Writing songs to me is like writing journals. I like to document my thoughts with melodies, and this song is one of the examples. A flower is a metaphor for thoughts that come and go and never settle for anything. It doesn’t belong anywhere. A flower is free. It could go to any place, just like your thoughts. This song was awarded the top 20 singles by the Singapore Freshmusic Award in 2017. Please enjoy and I hope you like it!

Myo Han Tun Kyaw

Hello everyone, my name is Myo Han Tun Kyaw and I’m one of the Global Leaders from Burma. I’m currently a computer science student at Bellevue College. Today, I would like to share a song from my country called “Yone Kyi Yarg” by Lay Phyu . Although the song was very popular in 2010, it got popular during the protesting stage of the Spring Revolution, when we protested against the military government.
So the reason why this song holds so much meaning for Burmese people, is because it tells us that we have to believe in what we are doing. And although we might have regrets and losses we still need to keep going to reach the final goal. In this song, people are literally sacrificing their life for this thing called “belief”. It is relevant during the protests, because people are dying on the streets due to the military government.
Those people are fighting for freedom and we all are. So it helps us not to give up easily on our rights and freedom. The song is motivating and it’s not only for protesting, you can listen to it anytime to get you motivated. It’s a really good song. Enjoy!

Nada and Leda

Nada: Hi everybody my name is Nada.
Leda: Hi everybody my name is Leda.
Nada: And we are from Italy. I’m currently studying at Bellevue College for my bachelor’s degree in digital marketing. I love this song called “A Te” because it truly reminds me of the bond I have with my family.
Nada and Leda: In Italy, the family “La Famiglia” is really important.