Fall 2025 Up to Us Campus Competition Highlights

14^th Annual Up to Us Campus Competition Activated Thousands of Next Generation Leaders to Address America’s Fiscal Challenges

Net Impact is proud to announce the winners of the Up to Us Leadership Networks Fall 2025 Campus Competition. In its 14th year, nearly 60 student leaders across 40 campuses led high-impact campaigns during a historic government shutdown. At a time when fiscal policy was often in the news, students mobilized their campus communities to educate their peers on the national debt and its impact.

Student leaders from Jarvis Christian University won the top prize for their creative campaign, which included 13 days of on-campus action that brought together over 500 peers. Led by Brillant Chicou, the winning campaign featured classroom presentations, social media efforts, and events, including the “Million-Million Game”, where students allocated $1 trillion across various government spending areas, allowing them to understand how the national debt grows. They also hosted “Street Mics”, which focused on amplifying student voices publicly, creating visible campus dialogue around the national debt. Their campaign also held 6 classroom presentations, collected over 100 pledge signatures, and engaged 15,719 people on social media. This was all while being on a campus with only 730 students.

The judges were also impressed by the entire Campus Competition cohort. The fall teams hosted 198 events, engaging over 9,500 people. They also contacted elected officials more than 1,100 times and had a few attend their events. Perhaps most impressive is the 12,483 pledge signatures collected. This cohort also participated during a period marked by an actual government shutdown. At a time when public services were disrupted and fiscal uncertainty was real, their leadership demonstrated the importance of civic engagement and of educating their peers about the national debt and its impact.

The Up to Us Leadership Network empowers young adults to build a more sustainable economic and fiscal future for America. Launched in 2012 on 10 college campuses, the Network has grown to become the nation’s leading organizing vehicle for civically minded student leaders who are eager to mobilize their peers and communities and who care deeply about advocating for fiscal reform. With the support of our partners — Net Impact, Campus Compact, Volcker Alliance, Fiscal Challenge, and the Clinton Global Initiative — college students participate in programs focused on peer engagement, policy development, and leadership skills development. By providing them with educational opportunities, skills training, expansive networks, and platforms for action, we are preparing the next generation of American leaders to drive sustainable fiscal policy for decades to come.

The top 10 teams will receive prizes totalling over $20,000, and the top team takes home a $10,000 prize. Representatives from the top 10 teams will also attend a Prize Trip in Washington, DC in May, where they will continue their engagement with fiscal policy and leaders in the space. 

The top 10 teams from the fall’s campus competition are:

About Up to Us
The Up to Us Leadership Network empowers young adults to build a more sustainable economic and fiscal future for America. Launched in 2012 on 10 college campuses, the Network has grown to become the nation’s leading organizing vehicle for civically minded student leaders who are eager to mobilize their peers and communities and who care deeply about advocating for fiscal reform. With the support of our partners — Net Impact, Campus Compact, Volcker Alliance, Fiscal Challenge, and the Clinton Global Initiative — college students participate in programs focused on peer engagement, policy development, and leadership skills development. By providing them with educational opportunities, skills training, expansive networks, and platforms for action, we are preparing the next generation of American leaders to drive sustainable fiscal policy for decades to come.