News Room

SAINT PAUL - On July 6, 2026, 23 Minnesota students made history as the first class to earn the Minnesota Civic Seal, an award recognizing civic work in their communities. Secretary of State Steve Simon presented the seals at the Veterans Service Building on the Capitol Mall, joined by Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (DFL-Eden Prairie) and Rep. Patricia Mueller (R-Austin).

PHOTOS: July 6, 2026 Civic Seal Presentation

“It is an honor to recognize these outstanding young Minnesotans for stepping up to help their communities in direct and meaningful ways,” said Secretary Simon. “Civic engagement is the bedrock of our democracy, and it is inspiring to see the next generation fulfilling the ideals of our country.”

“Democracy doesn’t live behind glass at the National Archives. It shows up in ordinary places, carried by people who show up more often than everyone else, and that is exactly what these students did,” said Mike Dean, Midwest Regional State Policy Lead at iCivics. “Nobody handed them a worksheet. They identified real problems, worked with people who saw the world differently, and moved actual decision-makers. That is not preparing for democracy. That is democracy.”

To earn the seal, each student completed projects across five areas of citizenship (Democratic Engagement, Civic Knowledge, Media Literacy, Community Service, and Bridge Building), earning at least 120 points through documented civic work, then designed and carried out a community project of their own. Among this year’s honorees:

• A team of Moorhead students collected more than 14,000 cans of food.
• Amelia Dyrstad (Great River School, St. Paul) made and delivered more than 400 beginning readers to children in a family shelter.
• Hannah Ferber (Orono High School) ran a drive for diapers and formula, the essentials WIC and SNAP don’t cover.
• Lincoln Meiers (Math and Science Academy) helped 16- and 17-year-olds pre-register to vote after learning most had never heard they could.
• Olin Pogorels (Duluth East High School) built a research packet opposing the relocation of the city’s downtown library, won the unanimous backing of the library’s Teen Advisory Board, and testified before the Duluth City Council.
• Serrah Ssemukutu (Jefferson Senior High School) took on teen vaping, building “quit kits” with gum, a bracelet, and a phone number a struggling classmate could call, and presenting her work to the Bloomington Board of Health.

The Minnesota Civic Seal recognizes high school students who complete sustained, documented civic work, capped by a self-designed community project and a reflective video showcase. The pilot is led by the YMCA Center for Youth Voice in partnership with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and iCivics, the nation’s largest provider of civic education.

The 2026 honorees are: Tenzin Choeying, Avery Davis, Cedrik Donahue, Amelia Dyrstad, Hannah Ferber, Parker Frosch, Olivia Gan, Rowan George, Tenzin Ghongma, Mason Hearn, Logan Kalivas, Keagan Klaers, Lincoln Meiers, Flora Nelson, Maya Oetker, Dylan O’Toole, Landon Phan, Olin Pogorels, Abigail Reilly, Rafe Saarinen, Maddy Sowder, Serrah Ssemukutu, and Liam Wilson.