2026 Student Civic Leadership Award recipients announced

Supporting students in their ambitions to change the world is the best thing any university could ask for, and Central Washington University is no different.

Across the Washington Campus Coalition, schools are invited every year to select two students for the President’s Student Civic Leadership Award. Recipients are then considered for the Governor’s Student Civic Leadership awards.

This year, senior Javi Garcia Sanchez, a Social Services and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies major, and junior Jesús Chavez Lara, a Deaf and Sign Language Studies major, were selected by CWU President Jim Wohlpart following a school-wide faculty- and staff-led nomination process. Their stories speak to the power of conviction and community-oriented leadership in moving the world forward, one good deed at a time.

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Javi Garcia Sanchez

Through most of their time at Ellensburg High School, Garcia Sanchez was sure they’d go look for a job after graduation, with no further interest in pursuing higher education. Inspiration towards a different path struck as they realized they had an opportunity to help those closest to them by continuing their education.

“I thought I was going to just go find a job, but something in me told me to stick with school for a little while longer,” Garcia Sanchez said. “I want to go into social work, to help people like my cousins who have been in and out of the system a lot. I want to be that person in the room who speaks Spanish and can help them navigate their situation.”

With community outreach on their mind, Garcia Sanchez started looking for every available opportunity to get involved at CWU, starting with Movimiento Estudiantil Chicane de Aztlán (MEChA), a student-led organization dedicated to promoting and contributing to knowledge and understanding of Chicane history and culture.

“Once I joined MEChA, I realized there was a lot more happening in the world than I knew,” Garcia Sanchez said. “We were constantly coming up with new ideas and approaches to politics and civic action, so it was a very informative beginning to my time at CWU.”

Soon, Garcia Sanchez joined ASCWU as Director of Equity and Multicultural Affairs, overseeing on-campus culture-based identity groups like the ones they were already a part of. Over the past year, they’ve served in dual roles with Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLICE), acting as both Leadership and Community Programmer for the department.

Garcia Sanchez sees all of this deep engagement as necessary in their future career in social services.

“The thing that’s been my driving force over the years is that I just want to be able to relate to anyone, no matter where they come from,” they said. “I think being informed about different cultures, identities, and perspectives is incredibly important, so the more of that I can digest through my classes and communities, the better.”

Once they graduate, Garcia Sanchez aims to take a break from school to get some professional experience, before diving back into their master’s degree. Their ultimate goal is to make a difference for the incarcerated.

“I want to work in correction centers, partially because of the challenge, but also because they need change the most, especially with the youth,” Garcia Sanchez said. “Sure, some of them probably act out just to act out, but a lot of them are carrying underlying reasons that get overlooked. I want to be there for them to help them tell their stories and work out how to move forward in life.”

In a nomination letter from SLICE Program Manager for Community Engagement Jessica Woodall, she points out this empathy as a shining example of Garcia Sanchez’s exceptional talent for leadership.

“Javi is a compassionate and visionary student leader who approaches challenges with creativity, resilience, and a collaborative spirit,” Woodall wrote. “They are deeply committed to equity and inclusion, consistently demonstrating integrity, cultural humility, and the ability to inspire others.”

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Jesús Chavez Lara

Chavez Lara was pretty sure he’d spend his career pursuing the violin, until an alternate path presented itself, courtesy of an Early Childhood Education class at the Tri-Tech Kills Center program in Kennewick.

“I had such a passion for the violin, and then suddenly I realized my goals had changed,” he said. “It was like that passion had hit a ceiling, and I was ready to move on to something else.”

Chavez Lara applied to CWU with the goal of becoming a teacher for other members of the Deaf community like himself, to leverage his life experience in order to better the lives of others. Initially hesitant, he’s now glad he took the leap.

“I wasn’t sure how I felt going to a college that was far away, where I didn’t know anyone, but my sister encouraged me to go,” Chavez Lara said. “I do not regret that choice. This has been an unending opportunity to grow, and my confidence in myself has grown right along with me.”

At Chiawana High School in Pasco, Chavez Lara had felt introverted, and while he served as vice president of CHS’ American Sign Language (ASL) club, he felt he was mostly just observing from afar. That changed at CWU.

“I was very shy, very reserved,” Chavez Lara said. “I’d just sit back and watch what the president did. Once I got here, I felt myself opening up and becoming more comfortable leaving my comfort zone to take on a leadership role. As of my second year here, it’s been progress ever since.”

Within half a year of starting at CWU, Chavez Lara took became an officer in the ASL club, and then took up the position of President after another six months, which he has held for about a year and a half. A key aspect of his tenure has been his focus on inspiring ASL learners of all levels, and immersing them in Deaf culture through guest speakers and road trips to events in Seattle and Yakima.

“I want to inspire others, not only as a CWU student but as an ASL teacher,” Chavez Lara said. “I like to bring in a variety of Deaf individuals to expose the folks in ASL club to the diversity that’s present in the Deaf community, and see other ways of signing.”

Off-campus, Chavez Lara volunteers his time with DeafFiesta, and organization for Deaf Hispanic families based in Central Washington, as well as a variety of camps for Deaf and hard of hearing youth.

He has also dedicated a significant portion of time to assisting in the creation of promotional and outreach media for the CWU World Languages and Cultures department, giving back where he can with his signature knack for inclusion. Chavez Lara plans to put this skillset to use in the classroom, too, once he has finished his master’s degree.

“I’ve noticed that many beginning ASL students here really enjoy games and interactive elements that make it easier to get started, because sign language can be tough to learn,” he said. “A lot of Deaf children experience linguistic deprivation, and are having a difficult time learning both English and ASL at the same time, so having experience with what that feels like will help me let them know that they aren’t alone, and don’t have to go through what I did.”

In her nomination letter, Dr. Taralynn Petrites praised the impact of Chavez Lara’s dedication to uplifting others through his work, foreseeing a future filled with similar contributions to whichever community is lucky enough to welcome him.

“As the faculty nominator, I have observed his leadership closely and consistently hear from students and community members about the positive impact of his work,” Petrites wrote. “Students describe feeling welcomed, supported, and empowered by his leadership. I am proud to nominate Jesús Chavez Lara, and I am confident he will continue to grow as an important civic leader whose contributions will have lasting impact beyond his time at CWU.”