Students Day

One of our greatest joys in producing the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is Students Day, when we bring more than a dozen authors and thought leaders to share their experiences and ideas with thousands of students across the Sonoma Valley.

Each year, we begin the Festival with this celebration of community, literacy, and inspiration designed specifically for local students. World renowned writers including Doris Kearns Goodwin, Billy Collins, Anthony Ray Hinton, Astronaut Scott Kelly and Simon Winchester have enthralled gymnasiums full of students with their stories. Additionally, an average of 4,000 books written by the presenting authors are given free to the students, all paid for with private donations.

The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival sincerely thanks the Vadasz Family Foundation for their continued generous support of Students Day. This support, plus many individual contributors allow us to produce Students Day each year.

Sonoma Valley schools who have participated in Students Day include Sonoma Valley High School, Sonoma Academy, Adele Harrison, Altimira Middle Schools, Archbishop Hanna High School, Kenwood School, Prestwood Elementary School, Flowery Elementary School, and Sassarini Elementary School.

Joseph Silvi was a 15-year-old sophomore at Sonoma Valley High School intent on becoming an engineer when he met Pedro Irazoqui, PhD, after Pedro spoke at the 2018 Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Students Day. At the time, Dr. Irazoqui was the Director of the Center for Implantable Devices, Associate Head for Research, and Professor at Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. (He is now Incoming head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering.)

When Joseph discussed his desire to become an engineer, Dr. Irazoqui offered him a paid summer internship once he turned 16. Having just passed his driving exam, Joseph and his father drove cross country to Purdue University in Indiana, and Joseph went to work for Dr. Irazoqui and his team for the summer. Joseph graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2021 and is now studying Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. Watch the interview with Joseph and Laura Zimmerman, a former television news anchor and reporter, as they discuss this very special internship and the impact it had on Joseph.

The cost to produce Students Day is substantial — approximately $150,000 each year. But it remains an integral component of the full Sonoma Valley Authors Festival experience, allowing us to contribute meaningfully to the inspiration and education of young readers. Please consider supporting this effort by becoming a Festival Sponsor or Donor today.

Additionally, we work with many Donor Advised Funds, Family Foundations, and Community Foundations to make Students Day a continuing success.

Students Day also depends upon the continued the support of the local community. This year, we hope new funding will allow us to serve even more students, including young scholars from nearby Santa Rosa schools.

The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that enriches students’ education from preschool all the way through high school. Their mission is to help every student find inspiration and success in the classroom and to graduate well prepared for college and a career. Working with teachers, administrators, and the school district, SVEF supports Sonoma schools by funding targeted programs aimed at raising students’ achievement and fostering a love of learning.

The foundation has invested over $15 million dollars in the Sonoma Valley public school programs, funding specific, innovative academic and enrichment programs that help students thrive throughout their school years from Early Childhood Literacy to College & Career Readiness.