California School for the Deaf, Fremont (CSD) has achieved victory as the 2025 National Champion of the Gallaudet University Academic Bowl, held in Washington, D.C., April 17–20. This marks a remarkable back-to-back championship win for the school, showcasing its continued excellence in academic competition.
Gallaudet University Youth Program’s Academic Bowl is a national competition that promotes academic excellence and camaraderie among Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students through challenging questions in a variety of subjects: arts and entertainment; current events; language and literature; mathematics; social studies; pop culture, leisure and sports; potpourri; and science and technology.
CSD qualified for the national tournament after hosting and winning the West Regional Academic Bowl in January 2025. The regional event brought together 16 schools and programs serving Deaf students from across the western United States. CSD emerged as the regional champion, earning their spot among the nation’s best.
At the national level, the competition featured 16 teams—four top teams from each of the four regional competitions: West, East, South and Midwest. CSD’s team demonstrated unmatched grit, determination and heart, prevailing through a series of intense rounds and ultimately claiming the national title.
The champion team includes student scholars Geneva Brock, Hayden Cervantes, Taiven Foust and Sevan Ikeda, under the leadership of dedicated coaches Andrew Phillips and Emily Sidansky.
In addition to the overall team victory, members earned individual accolades. Geneva Brock was recognized as one of the All-Star Players of the tournament, and Sevan Ikeda received the prestigious honor of Most Outstanding Player at the national competition.
This remarkable achievement reflects the hard work, perseverance and academic excellence of the entire team. Their performance throughout both the regional and national competitions demonstrated not only their deep knowledge but also their collaboration, resilience and competitive spirit. California School for the Deaf, Fremont, is proud to celebrate this outstanding accomplishment.
