Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles has been meeting with 16 students so they can learn about Montgomery County government and have a voice in what happens.
Sayles formed the Youth Advisory Council with 14 female students and two males who are in eighth through 12th grade. They are spending their eight meetings learning about such topics as the county budget, health, hunger and economic recovery.
“I’m very excited that we’ve been able to bring together a talented, committed group of young residents who bring fresh and invigorating perspectives to the work of the Council,” she said. “They will soon inherit the future and thus belong here as partners in our work. I look forward to uplifting their voices as we tackle capital improvement and operating budgets and address the inequities in our communities. I hope to continue this innovative program for years to come.”
“Working on the Youth Advisory Council, I have had the amazing opportunity to advocate for the needs and concerns of my community and for other youth in my area to help to ensure our voices are heard. Working with such dedicated and passionate people has motivated me to make a change and taught me essential skills such as leadership, advocacy, and public speaking,” said Celestia Krubally, a 10th grader at Rockville High School.
“Being on this Advisory Council has shown me that students have a fighting voice on the County Council. We are provided the valuable opportunity to share our opinions and experiences for Councilmember Sayles to include in her decision making, and I hope to see this continue in the future,” said Nico D’Orazio, an 11th grader at Thomas S. Wootton High School.
Sayles said she formed the council as part of her SMART growth platform, which each letter of SMART standing for her goals.
S- Strengthening 21st Century learning from cradle to career and beyond;
M- Making a living in Montgomery County more affordable;
A-Advancing sustainable local food production in the Ag Reserve;
R-Revitalizing the economy while recovering from the pandemic and
T- Tackle climate change through multi-model transportation infrastructure.
The students on the council are;
- Ashley Gray, 12th grader at Northwest High School
- Ines Foscarini, 11th grader at Walt Whitman High School
- Humsa Tammera, 10th grader at Richard Montgomery High School
- Sevval Aydin, 8th grader at Parkland Magnet Middle School
- Rishi Nixon, 10th grader at MCPS-registered homeschool and Montgomery College
- Kiera Norris, 12th grader at Northwood High School
- Richa Tripathi, 9th grader at John F. Kennedy High School
- Nico D’Orazio, 11th grader at Thomas S. Wootton High School
- Leah Kirschner, 11th grader at Montgomery Blair High School
- Jena Pilch, 9th grader at Walt Whitman High School
- Lumina Zhang, 10th grader at Winston Churchill High School
- Theodora Curtin, 11th grader at Montgomery Blair High School
- Celestia Krubally, 10th grader at Rockville High School
- Chinatu Achor, 11th grader at Thomas S. Wootton High School
- Jill Parreno, 10th grader at Springbrook High School
- Ricardine Cadet, 11th grader at Wheaton High School
