It was all about growth at Friday night’s Future Leadership Solano’s graduation in Vallejo.
For the fifth time, the group formerly known as Future Leadership Vallejo held a ceremony to celebrate young leaders in a program meant to help youth develop leadership skills while also teaching them to engage with the community. This year, the ceremony and the organization’s size felt larger.
There were twice as many graduates (26) as in 2025 and three times as many as when the group first began in 2022. The size of the venue for the graduation also grew, moving from Suite Treatments in Vallejo to the new gym at 1 Positive Place.
“We started getting more and more kids in cities like Benicia, American Canyon, Napa,” Co-founder Paul Lamb said. “It hasn’t been that difficult transitioning to providing a service for Solano because the demand has been coming to us. We haven’t really gone looking for it. More people have been interested thanks to word of mouth. So we’ve expanded and come up with a playbook, so to speak, on how to prepare for that.”
Co-founder Toni Condit agrees.
“We take a lot of pride in the growth,” Condit said. “As we grew, we knew we were picking up momentum, and eventually we said, ‘It’s time for us to be on our own and expand.’ And you can see the outcome of what we’ve done. We’ve never had such a big celebration and graduation.”
The biggest growth comes from graduates like Isabel Larios, soon to be a senior at Vallejo High.
“It’s pretty much something that teaches you a lot about leadership,” Larios said. “I’m really glad I did this. I liked the engagement with the police department. It showed me the reality of working in the police department. I didn’t think police went through as much training as they do, and it gave me more insight into what they do. It’s more complicated than I thought.”
Zirva Ishad, set to be a senior at Vallejo High School in the fall, is the school’s ASB president. She was one of the 26 graduates on Friday from Future Leadership Solano. Her friends told her about the program, and she’s glad she participated in the organization.
“They told me that I’d meet new people and connect with them and that those connections would open door after door,” Irshad said. “That’s what attracted me to this program the most, and the program is just that.”
Irshad said she was most intrigued with the mock trial at City Hall and meeting the mayor and vice mayor. Vallejo mayor Andrea Sorce was at the graduation, praising the efforts of the 26 graduates.
“The mock city council meetings showed the insight of the youth. The thoughtfulness, the commentary that the young people have, is exemplary, exceptional, and on par with what we see and what we need in this society,” Sorce said. “This graduation is a big step in your journey, but that journey is going to go on for many years, and that journey will never end. You’re going to find out what service means to you and what it looks like to you and where you best fit in in our changing world that is full of strife and AI, and I can tell you on behalf of our city that you’ve already stepped up and done so much.”
Mayor Andrea Sorce hands a certificate of completion to Zirva Irshad during the Future Leadership Solano graduation banquet on Friday at the Griffin Technology Academy Gymnasium. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
Jesse Bethel student Kadence Maconey wasn’t sure what to expect when joining Future Leadership Solano, but the year ended with her using her speech to describe how the definition of leadership has changed for her.
“We often think that leadership is about someone in charge who stands in front of a room, or someone who everyone follows,” Maconey said. “But leadership is not about titles. Leadership is not about personality or being the loudest person in the room. Leadership is about how you treat others, when you choose to listen, or when you stand up to do something when nobody else asks you to. It’s about encouraging others around you.”
The group was busy with a series of community impact projects. One team organized after-school art and tutoring sessions at Griffin Academy. Another team focused on environmental cleanups, while another project focused on supporting individuals experiencing hardship by assembling and distributing hygiene kits containing essential personal care items.
Another team partnered with a local senior living community to create a meaningful intergenerational experience through gardening.
One team partnered with elementary school students to create thoughtful, handmade cards that will be delivered to hospitalized children with special needs.
The group met with city council members, the Vallejo Police Department, and, new this year, leaders in local trade groups.
Condit said one of her favorite parts of the program is the graduation day, when she loves to see many of the past graduates come back as mentors.
“We keep in touch with the graduates for the year after,” Condit said. “We see them all the time across the city. Many of them have gone off to college or started their own businesses or interned with jobs in the city. Not only have they gone through the program and graduated, but they’ve loved the program so much that they’ve come back to help us.”
This year’s graduation group had students from Jesse Bethel, St. Patrick-St. Vincent, Vallejo, Justin-Siena, and Mare Island Technology Academy high schools. The graduates are:
Shaun Paul Calaguas
Michael Garcia
Pierre Hudson III
Riley Lindke
Jalen Pham
Aaliyah Tacdol
Melody Tigbao
Terrance White
Caleb Hernandez
Fender James Ynion
Kadence Maconey
Fiza Zulfikar Ali
Aiya Kailie Bumatay
Kimberly Kariuki
Kylie Nicole Manalastas
Paulina Olivare
Pricila Arredulfo
Ibrahim Edais
Isabel Larios
Ninoshka Gramajo
Zirva Irshad
Jayla Tuazon
Greer Acuna
Grace L. Castaneda
Ronne Escobar
Chanel Jackson
The sponsors and community partners for Future Leadership Solano are Bambino’s, Best Ever Home Care, Cal Poly Maritime Academy, City of Vallejo, Den Kittelson, Grocery Outlet, Mark Porter, Office of U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, Solano County Association of Realtors, Suite Treatments, Touro University California, Vallejo Executive Lions Club, Vallejo Police Department, Vallejo Rotary Club, Vallejo Waterfront Weekend and Visit Vallejo.