Natomas students propose fellowship to fund senior projects

Two Natomas Charter seniors presented a student‑led Senior Project Fellowship at the Dec. 8 board meeting, describing an application, review and award process designed to remove financial barriers to seniors completing graduation projects.

"Every student should have access to the resources they need to pursue a project that they've been passionate about," said Xavier Jackson, one of the student presenters, who said the fellowship would be seeded by donations, grants and campus fundraising. His co‑presenter, Isabelle Fazco, explained the logistics: a short Google Form application, an itemized budget, a mentor sign‑off and a student review committee that vets requests before forwarding recommendations to the program’s board.

Presenters said a survey of the senior class showed typical funding needs ranged widely — from as little as about $36 to several hundred or even thousands of dollars — and that the students plan to cap initial awards at roughly $250 while helping applicants pursue additional grant sources (NAEP, PFA) for larger needs. Isabelle said the fellowship intends to issue its first awards in spring 2026 and to publish project examples and outcomes for the community.

Board members asked about eligibility and scale. Presenters clarified senior projects are a graduation requirement for all seniors, but not all projects require external funding; the fellowship is intended to target projects that do. Anita Schwab, the district’s chief financial officer and mentor to the student team, confirmed a restricted account is being set up and that the students have applied for a NAEP student grant to jump‑start funding.

The students requested feedback and community support for initial fundraising and grant seeking, and provided a QR code and school contact email for anyone interested in helping.