About IPACE

The Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (IPACE) was created by the Political Science Department in 2012. IPACE is nonpartisan and regularly sponsors candidate forums and other civic engagement events, such as Congress to Campus and a Winter Leadership Institute, alone or in partnership with other civic and community engagement initiatives such as SJSU Votes, the Center for Community Learning & Leadership, Community and Government Relations, and CommUniverCity.

IPACE also regularly sponsors or co-sponsors Constitution Day events on campus. Events have included the 2024 SJSU Votes Festival, celebrating Constitution Day and National Voter Registration Day. At the 2024 SJSU Votes Festival, IPACE provided free pocket U.S. U.S. Constitutions and asked attendees to share what the Constitution meant to them. At the 2022 and 2023 Constitution Day events, IPACE provided free pocket U.S. Constitutions and asked attendees to share what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights meant to them. IPACE and SJSU Votes are planning 2025 Constitution Day events, including a Contact Your Representatives Event where pre-addressed postcards will be available for the SJSU campus community to write to local, state, and national elected officials. IPACE will pay for the postage. Free pocket US Constitutions and will also be provided. Similar events include the “Let US Vote: A Conversation about SJSU Student Activism and the 26th Amendment” in 2021. Speakers included Les Francis, one of the original organizers of the national campaign to lower the voting age, Dr. Jennifer Frost, author of Let US Vote: Youth Voting Rights and the 26th Amendment, and Dr. Glen Genzel, Professor and Chair SJSU Department of History.

Questions about IPACE or an IPACE event? Email us: polisci-ipace@sjsu.edu

IPACE TEAM
Dr. Mary Currin-Percival IPACE Director mary.c ur rinpercival@sjsu.edu Dr. Mary Currin-Percival’s most recent research focuses on California politics and elections. As Director of IPACE and founding Director of SJSU Votes, a nonpartisan voter registration, mobilization, education, and civic engagement initiative, housed under IPACE, her civic engagement efforts have included multiple on and off-campus events such as candidate forums and campus talks by elected and other government officials, ballot measure forums, door-to-door canvassing events, Congress to Campus at SJSU, the annual SJSU Votes Festival, and voter workshops for groups and individual classes on campus and in the community. As the Civic and Voter Empowerment Coordinator (CVEC) for SJSU, she serves as liaison between the California Secretary of State’s Office and the university for implementing the provisions of the Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act (AB 963) [pdf]. Dr. Currin-Percival also coordinates events for the civic holidays (e.g., National Voter Registration Day) and coordinates with nonpartisan civic engagement organizations and efforts (e.g., ALL-IN Campus Democracy Challenge). She has been invited to speak about civic engagement and voter participation by several organizations including the League of Women Voters, the San José City Charter Review Commission, and the American Democracy Project. Her current projects include an effort to create a civic education and empowerment minor and certificate program at SJSU, a co-authored manuscript that analyzes the politics of election timing in city government, and an on-campus project (with IPACE and the Center for Community Learning and Leadership) that investigates ways to reduce political polarization using constructive dialogue.
Isabella Cuevas Fall 2024 IPACE Intern Hi! My name is Isabella Cuevas. I'm currently pursuing a major in Behavioral Science and a minor in Public Administration/Policy. I’m super excited to be the Fall 2025 IPACE intern! In addition to interning for IPACE, I’m involved on campus in a multitude of ways. I serve as the university’s Mock Trial Team President, a Community Outreach Officer for Latinos in Forensic Science/Justice Studies, and on the Student Wellness Advisory Committee. In the future, I hope to attend law school to advocate for legislation that benefits marginalized groups and help those who have been wrongfully convicted.
Alicia White Fall 2024 SJSU Votes Intern My name is Alicia and I’m studying political science here at SJSU. I discovered my love for leadership when my teacher nominated me for the People to People World Leadership Conference in 2013 when I was just 11 years old. I have travelled the country with different organizations in hopes to build my skills to one day run for office in California to give back to the State that has given me so much. Since I transferred to SJSU I have found a community of leadership oriented individuals that really inspire me through classes, clubs, and especially through SJSU Votes, a non-partisan voter registration organization through the Political Science department. I was lucky enough to receive the John L. McLemore Scholarship through the PoliSci department to help with the financial difficulties that come along with a university education. I look forward to being able to inspire people the way that I have been lucky enough to be inspired by my peers and mentors.

IPACE TEAM

picture of Dr. Mary Currin-Percival

Dr. Mary Currin-Percival

IPACE Director

mary.c ur rinpercival@sjsu.edu

Dr. Mary Currin-Percival’s most recent research focuses on California politics and elections. As Director of IPACE and founding Director of SJSU Votes, a nonpartisan voter registration, mobilization, education, and civic engagement initiative, housed under IPACE, her civic engagement efforts have included multiple on and off-campus events such as candidate forums and campus talks by elected and other government officials, ballot measure forums, door-to-door canvassing events, Congress to Campus at SJSU, the annual SJSU Votes Festival, and voter workshops for groups and individual classes on campus and in the community.

As the Civic and Voter Empowerment Coordinator (CVEC) for SJSU, she serves as liaison between the California Secretary of State’s Office and the university for implementing the provisions of the Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act (AB 963) [pdf]. Dr. Currin-Percival also coordinates events for the civic holidays (e.g., National Voter Registration Day) and coordinates with nonpartisan civic engagement organizations and efforts (e.g., ALL-IN Campus Democracy Challenge). She has been invited to speak about civic engagement and voter participation by several organizations including the League of Women Voters, the San José City Charter Review Commission, and the American Democracy Project. Her current projects include an effort to create a civic education and empowerment minor and certificate program at SJSU, a co-authored manuscript that analyzes the politics of election timing in city government, and an on-campus project (with IPACE and the Center for Community Learning and Leadership) that investigates ways to reduce political polarization using constructive dialogue.

photo of Isabella Cuevas

Isabella Cuevas

Fall 2024 IPACE Intern

Hi! My name is Isabella Cuevas. I'm currently pursuing a major in Behavioral Science and a minor in Public Administration/Policy. I’m super excited to be the Fall 2025 IPACE intern! In addition to interning for IPACE, I’m involved on campus in a multitude of ways. I serve as the university’s Mock Trial Team President, a Community Outreach Officer for Latinos in Forensic Science/Justice Studies, and on the Student Wellness Advisory Committee. In the future, I hope to attend law school to advocate for legislation that benefits marginalized groups and help those who have been wrongfully convicted.

Alicia White

Fall 2024 SJSU Votes Intern

My name is Alicia and I’m studying political science here at SJSU. I discovered my love for leadership when my teacher nominated me for the People to People World Leadership Conference in 2013 when I was just 11 years old. I have travelled the country with different organizations in hopes to build my skills to one day run for office in California to give back to the State that has given me so much. Since I transferred to SJSU I have found a community of leadership oriented individuals that really inspire me through classes, clubs, and especially through SJSU Votes, a non-partisan voter registration organization through the Political Science department. I was lucky enough to receive the John L. McLemore Scholarship through the PoliSci department to help with the financial difficulties that come along with a university education. I look forward to being able to inspire people the way that I have been lucky enough to be inspired by my peers and mentors.

Previous Interns - IPACE and SJSU Votes have been fortunate to work with several interns. Here are some of them.
Diya Agrawal Spring 2025 IPACE Intern Diya Agrawal was the spring 2025 intern for the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at San Jose State University, where she is also a fourth-year political science student. With a strong interest in local government and voter mobilization, she has donated time to SJSU Votes and is currently interning at the office of Assemblymember Ash Kalra. She hopes to further these efforts by pursuing a PhD and career in research. Diya is also a passionate disability advocate and serves as the founding president of Spartan Disability Alliance; a student advocacy group at San Jose State University.
Samantha Rodriguez Fall 2024 SJSU Votes Data and Democracy Intern
Irene Adeline Milanez Fall 2024 IPACE Intern
Bryan McCray Spring 2024 IPACE Intern
Heather Cabral Fall 2023 IPACE Intern

Previous Interns - IPACE and SJSU Votes have been fortunate to work with several interns. Here are some of them.

Diya Agrawal

Spring 2025 IPACE Intern

Diya Agrawal was the spring 2025 intern for the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at San Jose State University, where she is also a fourth-year political science student. With a strong interest in local government and voter mobilization, she has donated time to SJSU Votes and is currently interning at the office of Assemblymember Ash Kalra. She hopes to further these efforts by pursuing a PhD and career in research. Diya is also a passionate disability advocate and serves as the founding president of Spartan Disability Alliance; a student advocacy group at San Jose State University.

Samantha Rodriguez

Fall 2024 SJSU Votes Data and Democracy Intern

Irene Adeline Milanez

Fall 2024 IPACE Intern

Bryan McCray

Spring 2024 IPACE Intern

Heather Cabral

Fall 2023 IPACE Intern