2026 MLK Day of Service Focuses on Leadership, Compassion

Leadership. Compassion. Civic Responsibility. All are elements for which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is well known. On Jan. 16, — a few days before the federal holiday itself — UC San Diego staff, students and alumni honored King’s legacy by volunteering during the school day at Webster Elementary in San Diego for this year’s MLK Day of Service.

“I planned this year’s MLK Day of Service with Webster Elementary in mind because it’s a Title I community school in Southeast San Diego that serves families deeply impacted by systemic inequities,” says Victoria Abrenica, the community service program manager in the Center for Student Involvement on campus. “I wanted UC San Diego volunteers, along with Webster students and families, to be inspired by local leaders… [and] I wanted volunteers to meet students where they are by going into classrooms to lead lessons that bring Dr. King’s message to life.”

MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a service day by Congress, and UC San Diego established its day of service in partnership with a local school in 2002 as a way for the campus community to give back. It is a tradition that has now been going strong for 24 years.

This year, more than 70 volunteers led interactive classroom activities designed to inspire students. For pre-K through 2nd grade, these included two elements: an “I have a Dream” worksheet designed to help the students focus on their personal dreams, kindness and fairness; and a “Dream Cloud” art activity that guided students to express their dreams through words and drawings as a way of focusing on self-expression, empathy and understanding kindness.

Students in 3rd through 5th grades focused on identifying a specific issue that they cared about and creating a service action plan for themselves as a way to connect King’s ideals to realistic service goals and personal responsibility.

In addition to sending volunteers to work with the students during the day, UC San Diego donated more than $2,000 worth of food, bins and shelving to help more formally establish Webster Elementary’s on-campus food pantry, which benefits students and their families. “Supporting Webster’s campus food pantry felt like a meaningful way to honor Dr. King’s legacy and his commitment to dignity, justice and food security for all,” Abrenica says.

At the end of the Day of Service, a panel discussion featured community leaders who shared their perspectives on King’s legacy, service and leadership and how to continue his fight against poverty and inequality.

The panelists included Risa Bell, the CEO and founder of Paddle For Peace; Shane Harris, a national civil rights activist and public advocate in San Diego; Yusef Miller, the executive director of North County Equity and Justice Coalition; and Khalif Price, an author and project manager with the National Conflict Resolution Center.

“The future is here and these children are brilliant,” says Beverly Prange EdD ’13, the principal of Webster Elementary. I saw the kids making so many connections with speakers, and these voices are super important to our kids and their futures,” she says. “We love it. The more connections we have — college students, community leaders — and the more people we can bring in, it is wonderful.“