Kuria Githinji Mawada

Class of 2026-2027

Strathmore University
Bachelor of Science Informatics & Computer Science

Capstone Project Abstract

The National Civics Bee® is a flagship program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation that encourages middle school students to deepen their understanding of civics, engage with issues affecting their communities, and build confidence in civic participation. Since its launch in 2022, the program has expanded from a pilot in five communities to a nationwide initiative reaching students across all 50 states, Washington, DC, and American Samoa.

As the program continues to grow, understanding how students learn about, engage with, and progress through the National Civics Bee has become increasingly important. This capstone project will examine the student participation journey—from initial awareness through registration, essay submission, competition advancement, and continued engagement—to better understand factors that influence participation and completion.

Drawing on interviews with students, parents, educators, school administrators, youth-serving organizations, and regional competition hosts, as well as analysis of available program data, the research will explore awareness pathways, motivations, support systems, and barriers that may affect student engagement. The project will also examine how these factors may vary across different student populations and recruitment pathways.

The resulting analysis will identify opportunities to strengthen outreach, engagement, and participation strategies and will provide recommendations to support continued program growth and accessibility. Findings are intended to inform future program planning and help the Foundation better understand how to connect more students with opportunities for civic learning and engagement through the National Civics Bee.

Why did you choose ESTEEM?

I chose ESTEEM because I've built things with real impact, but I lack the frameworks to scale them intentionally. I understand technology and community but I struggle with commercialization strategy. The entertainment and events industry excites me because it's where culture and commerce intersect naturally. Succeeding there requires business acumen that I hope to grow through ESTEEM. ESTEEM teaches how to think strategically about growth before building sustainable ventures that don't compromise mission.

I also have access to a cohort of multidisciplinary students. Engineers, designers, business strategists, social impact professionals who understand both innovation and mission-driven work. More importantly, it positions me to apply these learnings immediately to ventures I'm building and ones I plan to start with collaborators. I'm at a stage where I need to augment my technical capability with the business strategy teachings that ESTEEM will provide.

What do you hope to do after ESTEEM?

After ESTEEM, I want to build in the edutainment industry by creating experiences that use culture as the core engagement mechanism.
Using my insight of cultural identity creating deeper engagement, I am eager to build tools that make learning about heritage genuinely exciting for children.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I play Futsal for ND.
I play Scrabble professionally and teach it as a course to K-12 children.
I bike around campus every Sunday to enjoy the South Bend Sunset