Co-Founder and Chair, CAYC

Chair, Hillsborough Youth Commission

Anya is a rising senior at Castilleja School in Palo Alto. She is passionate about connecting teens in her community, providing mental health support, and enhancing environmental sustainability. She also hopes to increase voter registration for teens and raise awareness about the safety of e-bikes and alcohol use. She is excited to help towns in California launch youth commissions to amplify youth voice and representation. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and spending time with her dog.

Vice-Chair, CAYC

Palo Alto Youth Council

Charlie is a rising junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School. In addition, he hosts the “Straight To It” podcast, where he has interviewed more than 73 leaders in business, entertainment, and sports. Charlie is also a TEDx organizer and hosted TEDx Baylands Park Youth in April 2024. In his free time, Charlie enjoys reading, playing tennis, and watching Formula 1 races, all while spending time with his two dogs, Bodhi and Sadie.

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee Co-Chair, CAYC

Amaira is a rising sophomore at the Nueva School in San Mateo. She is passionate about youth advocacy initiative and urban planning inequalities. In CAYC, she is excited about connecting with young voices and creating a stonger youth commission network in California.

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee Co-Chair, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee Co-Chair, CAYC

San Carlos Youth Advisory Council

Eva is a rising sophomore at the Nueva School. Passionate about mental health and climate change, she cannot wait to work with the CAYC team to create youth leadership opportunities for cities throughout California.

Legislation Subcommittee Vice-Chair, CAYC

Hillsborough Youth Commission

Isabella is a rising junior at Menlo School. She is passionate about civic engagement, with a focus on policy, education, and reform around youth incarceration. Through the CAYC, she hopes to shape policies that support youth and equity in California. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, running, and reading books.

Conference Planning Subcommittee Co-Chair, CAYC

Tarun is a rising sophomore at Crystal Springs Uplands School and is from Palo Alto.

Outreach Subcommittee Chair, CAYC

Vivaan is a rising sophomore at Crystal Springs Uplands School. He is passionate about advocating for climate policy and literacy. Through his work, he aims to empower more youth in California to gain a deeper understanding of environmental issues and take part in meaningful climate action. He is eager to strengthen the youth voice in policymaking, making sure students feel confident participating in civic conversations about sustainability. 

Outreach, Finance, and Conference Planning Subcommittee, CAYC

Hillsborough Youth Commission

Tanishk is a rising sophomore at Crystal Springs Uplands School. He is passionate about using technology to solve real problems in his community. As a member of the Age-Friendly Subcommittee at HYC, he helps organize programs that bring seniors into the heart of community life and supports them in using technology with confidence. He also applies his love of building and problem-solving to broader civic needs, from supporting local businesses with their technology challenges to designing a disaster-response app for city councils. Through CAYC, Tanishk hopes to contribute his voice to creating innovative, equitable solutions that improve the lives of youth across California.

Outreach Subcommittee, CAYC

Hillsborough Youth Commission

Trisha is a rising 10th grader at the Castilleja School. She is passionate about supporting youth sports, nutrition, and wellness. At HYC, she is a member of the Health and Wellness sub committee where she works on initiatives to support youth mental health awareness and engagement. She supports young athletes as a gymnastics and soccer coach and deepens her community impact through her volunteer work with the National Charity League. Through CAYC, Trisha hopes to collaborate with her peers to improve opportunities and wellbeing for youth across the state. 

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee

Marin County Youth Commission

Mia is a rising senior at Marin Academy. I live in San Rafael. Something she hopes to accomplish on CAYC is to connect with students who are interested in making a change in their community.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee

Brisbane Youth Advisory Committee

Sebastian is a rising freshman from Brisbane. He enjoys reading legislation. He is interested in positive change for youth and teens throughout California through advocating for mental health awareness and smart tech use.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommitte

Katelyn is a student at the Orange County School of the Arts and lives in Irvine.

Fun fact: She is in the top 50 Spotify global listeners of Dominic Fike!

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Kingston is a rising senior at Sacred Heart Preparatory School.

Fun Fact: I know how to make an egg a hundred different ways.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee

Lisbeth is a rising sophomore at Notre Dame High School in Belmont. She serves with the American Cancer Society's youth cohort, the society of emerging leaders, and she i currently working towards constructing a youth commission for San Bruno! She hopes to create and present stellar and engaging workshop and panelist sections on youth's medical rights, literacy and the power of canvassing to inspire our youth. She wants to help them drive the future by providing avenues to fearlessly speaking up for change.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

City of Modesto Youth Commission

Julianna is a rising senior at Grace M. Davis High School. She is the Lead for the Modesto YC Outreach Committee, Community Service, and DEI. She is a huge Star Wars fan, my birthday is May 4th (May the 4th Be with You!), and she’s from the same town where the creator, George Lucas grew up!

“I love the people in the Modesto Youth Commission, and it's been a really good space to connect with young people in our community. My goal as an intern is to hopefully give some cities the idea to start a youth commission.” 

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Subcommittee

Commissioner, City of Santa Clara Youth Commission

Neha is a rising senior at Cupertino High School, and has served on the City of Santa Clara Youth Commission since 2024. During her work with the Santa Clara Youth Commission, Neha is proud to have led the city's first-ever naloxone administration demonstration and harm reduction practices event. With the CAYC, Neha hopes to expand connections with youth commissions and conduct outreach programs in order to better help Californian youth. Neha is passionate about tackling the intersection between intra-minority racism, queerphobia, and misogyny. In her free time, Neha enjoys all things Batman-related, captaining her water polo team, and consuming LGBTQ+ media.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Srinika is a rising senior at Cordova High School in Sacramento. While she lives within 30 minutes of the State Capitol, she’s only visited the building twice!

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Youth Action Council (of Youth Options Shasta)

Jaehee (Jay) is a rising 10th grader at University Preparatory School in Redding. She has 10 Instagram accounts! "By the end of this internship, I hope to deepen my understanding of civic engagement and see visible progress in the legislation I'm supporting."

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Kendall lives in Burlingame. She hopes to help improve education around civic engagement.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Subcommittee

Hillsborough Youth Commission

Alex is a rising senior at Crystal Springs Uplands School. He enjoys connecting people and creating more opportunities for different people to engage. He’s passionate about service, youth engagement, and making a tangible difference in the community. He is involved in initiatives that help build a stronger, more connected community through student government, Special Olympics, and the Young Men’s Service League. In his free time he enjoys playing and watching sports.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Newsletter Editor, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Livermore Youth Commission

Matthew is a rising senior at Granada High School in Livermore, where he serves on his city's local youth council advocating for youth participation in government and community engagement through planning and coordinating local events. In his free time, Matthew enjoys painting, playing the drums, and taking long walks.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Irvine Civic Youth Initiative

Sanam is a rising junior at University High School in Irvine. A fun fact about me is that I love to bake!

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee

Livermore Youth Commission

Anya is a student at Granada High School. She hopes to strengthen her leadership and advocacy skills while helping create projects that make a positive impact on youth across California.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Carrie is a junior at Lynbrook High School in San Jose. She believes that young people bring unique insights and energy to civic conversations, and she is passionate about creating spaces where their voices are heard and valued. Committed to education equity, she strongly supports the power of civic engagement to create meaningful change in her community.

In her free time, she enjoys painting and writing, finding balance between her artistic pursuits and her commitment to community engagement. Through her creative practice, she explores the intersections of cross-cultural understanding and self-expression.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee

San Mateo County Youth Commission

Mira is a rising junior who lives in Millbrae. She is super excited to plan and facilitate an unforgettable conference. She can't wait to collaborate with such a passionate team, bring creative ideas to the table, and help build something impactful from the ground up. 

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Committee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Maya is an incoming freshman at Stanford Online High School. She is the founder of Mind on Trial, a youth-led nonprofit at the intersection of neuroscience, behavior, and law. She also runs Open Verdict, a literary journal pairing creative writing with neuroscience interpretation. Maya is deeply interested in how local government shapes outcomes for young people.

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Newsletter Editor

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Conference Planning

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Newsletter Editor

Summer Intern, CAYC

Youth Commission Establishment Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Subcommitee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Legislation Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Communications Subcommittee

Summer Intern, CAYC

Summer Intern, CAYC

Outreach Subcommittee