Meet the 2022 Youth Fellows

April Argueta
Junior, Sequoyah High School
April Argueta is a proud first generation student. April currently serves as the chair of Equity Alliance and is a member of the First Gen Club. She spends her free time playing seasonal sports like archery and basketball, and volunteers at MOKA, an art auction that raises money for extracurricular programs at KIPP schools in the region. Hailing from Boyle Heights and Latinidad, April is deeply interested in uplifting her communities’ voices at a predominantly white institution. Through the Youth Fellows Program, she hopes to learn how to become a better advocate for her community and drive positive change.

Eliana Balle
Senior, Oakwood School
Eliana Balle is the captain of the Debate Team at Oakwood School. She has a passion for government affairs and participates in public forum debate, where she ranks in the top 5% of teams nationally, mock trial, model UN, and her status as a Harvard international relations ambassador. Outside of academics, Eliana encourages her love of learning to others by tutoring local elementary school students in math, reading, and grammar. She is the president of Oakwood’s Jewish Affinity Group and the founder of the Appreciation for Women in Film Club, both of which she uses as tools to increase inclusion and appreciation of others. Through the Coro Youth Fellows Program, she hopes to gain the leadership skills necessary to create tangible change in her community and prepare herself for the field of public policy.

Nia’ Calloway
Senior, Ánimo Venice Charter High School
Nia’ Calloway is a nice, caring, driven student who has been involved with many activities at her high school since she started. Her main passion is sports because it clears her head and helps her focus. Her favorite sports are volleyball and basketball. She has been in other clubs such as BSU and the Giving Interactive Club – two clubs that she felt very passionate about since the moment she heard about them. She has participated in these extracurricular activities since her freshman year. She has won awards at her high school for continuing to show growth throughout the years and working hard in the classroom. She hopes that by joining the Corco Youth Fellows Program she will be educated on the issues going around her community and things she could do to better improve the city around her.

Leah Ehrlich
Senior, Santa Monica High School
Leah Ehrlich attends Santa Monica High School. She will start her Senior Year in August 2022. Leah comes from a family with diverse ethnicities, cultures, languages, and religions. While her first language is English, she is conversant in Mandarin Chinese. Leah is interested in the human condition, how society functions, and how groups work, in order to strengthen her abilities to problem-solve. In the past year she has started to routinely volunteer at the Middle Eastern Virtual Clinic, a non-profit organization ran by a close friend that focuses on providing medical assistance to those unable to afford it in underdeveloped Middle Eastern countries. Leah hopes to gain civic leadership-based experience from the reputedly eye-opening Coro Youth Fellows Program and to widen her knowledge and capabilities, which will be relevant to her ideal career in international development. She looks forward to expanding her network with other young people.

Brileigh Guillen
Junior, Redlands High School
Brileigh Guillen is Director of Organization for GEN-UP, a member of the social justice club Terriers for Justice, and a member of the Mock Trial team at Redlands High School. Her passion for social justice, mental health, activism, and advocacy is motivated by her desire to best understand how cultural identity shapes individuals’ lives, affects families generationally, and impacts personal development. Brileigh has a passion for understanding local government. She is a part of Redlands Youth Council sponsored by the office of Redlands City Councilmember Denise Davis, the first LGBTQ person to serve as councilmember in Redlands. Brileigh seeks to continue learning about intersectional identities and how it affects people across the country to create change within systems through policy. Brileigh hopes participating in the Coro Youth Fellows Program will strengthen and enhance her ability to lead more youth in Redlands towards advocacy efforts and community engagement.

Samuel Hwang
Junior, Rise Kohyang High School
Samuel Hwang is currently attending Rise Kohyang High School as a sophomore. He is part of his school’s baseball team as a team manager. He hopes to one day lead/manage a Major League Baseball franchise. Outside of school, he loves writing and reading scouting reports about baseball players and learning more about them. Through the Coro Youth Fellows Program, he hopes to learn about the process of public affairs and applicable leadership skills, along with learning how to collaborate with many people. Overall, he hopes to have a meaningful and memorable summer with other Coro Youth Fellows.

Quentin Johnson
Senior, Harvard-Westlake
Quentin Johnson currently attends Harvard-Westlake where he plays football, serves as a teacher’s assistant for some sophomore classes, and is part of a Peer Support Club. During his time at Harvard-Westlake, Quentin has been named to the honor roll every year, received a Spanish exam award, and is currently working with a university professor researching the effects and impact of empowerment on black teens. He has also helped on a local campaign for mayor. Quentin is a very relatable and empathetic person with a good sense of humor which he incorporates into his style of leadership. From the Youth Fellows Program, Quentin hopes to gain insight into how to improve what he’s already doing and help others to the best of his ability.

Ahhyun Kim
Senior, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Ahhyun Kim is an ambitious student who embraces new learning opportunities. Immersing herself in her community, she is captain of the Hope and Talent Math Club, president of the Global Music Helping, student ambassador for the LA Department of Public Health, and the Principal 2nd Clarinet in Hayfield Youth Orchestra. As a student ambassador for the Department of Public Health, Ahhyun is well-versed in ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and engages her peers to also take an active role. At school, she focuses her efforts on being a middle school homeroom leader, secretary of KIWINS, treasurer of Change-A-Life, and recruitment director for the School Supply Drive. In her free time, Ahhyun enjoys watching podcasts and dramas, along with reading. Through the Youth Fellows Program, Ahhyun hopes to develop a deeper understanding of the intricacies within her community while enhancing her confidence in being a leader.

Chrysty Lopez
Senior, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Chrysty Lopez is a passionate student who is always looking to learn and grow. She is involved in various extracurriculars such as her school’s Young Latino Scholars club and as a Teen Council Member at the library. As a member of her school’s Young Latino Scholars club, she works to cultivate a safe space for Latinx students at her school. As a Teen Council Member at the Robertson Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, she has spent the last year working on a documentary about the school-to-prison pipeline. Additionally, she is eager to find more opportunities to engage in to serve her community. Through the Youth Fellows Program, Chrysty hopes to continue to learn and develop her leadership skills in order to best help those in her community and beyond.

Susan Mendez
Junior, Rise Kohyang High School
Susan Mendez is a first generation Latina who comes from immigrant parents. She is a peer mentor in her high school, which has helped her understand how a leader must communicate with others in order to acquire their respect, as well as how to set an example for the younger students. She is a member of the student government club at her school and assists in the planning of school activities. She is a member of the link crew group to assist incoming students to feel welcomed. She has been taking art lessons at Heart of Los Angeles, where she has learned to be creative and think beyond the box. She enjoys photography and going to theme parks. She aspires to be a role model for young female leaders. Through the Youth Fellows Program, she aspires to develop her leadership skills and find ways to help her community.

Anette Molina
Senior, Ánimo Leadership Charter High School
Anette Molina is a proud Latina student at Ánimo Leadership with a passion for environmental safety and change. As a high honors student she constantly demonstrates drive, commitment, and dedication to her work. Anette is a member of her school’s Korean Club where she learns and demonstrates cultural inclusivity. She strives to take initiative and commit to a career around reducing toxic emissions within the atmosphere and to overall make the world a more suitable place for living. She has experience with group leadership roles and has led a team to create a renewable energy aquaponics system for her school garden. As a Youth Fellow, Anette hopes to learn how to take leadership and initiative to a more public level and learn more about the inner workings of a local government.

Alexandra Pineda
Senior, Ánimo Leadership Charter High School
Alexandra Pineda is a proud student and Latino at Ánimo Leadership Charter High School with a passion for change. She is eager to learn about different communities as well as help others. As a high honors student, she is passionate, dedicated, and committed to her studies. Alexandra Pineda is a volunteer at Sense of Home where she creates and helps make homes for former foster children. With this opportunity she has learned that little things create huge impacts. Alexandra Pineda is a Korean club member and currently holds the title of Vice President. She helps manage the club but also learns about their culture and language. She hopes to become a Veterinarian so she can help animals as well as people. Through the Coro Youth Fellows Program, Alexandra hopes to strengthen her leadership and communication skills in order to create a change and impact in her community.

Araceli Rodarte
Senior, Ánimo Leadership Charter High School
Araceli Rodarte is a driven student who hopes to make an impact on her community. Since the pandemic, she has participated in the Youth Promise Organization and the Project Teens Teach Organization – organizations that aim to tutor elementary school students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Her goal was to push students to believe in themselves and their abilities to learn. She found it rewarding to see the students she tutored understand a concept they did not understand before. She hopes to be exposed to more ways she can help her community. With the guidance of the Youth Fellows Program, Araceli wants to rebuild her community to be filled with desire and courage by working with young individuals.

Maddie Rondeau
Senior, Palisades Charter High School
Maddie Rondeau is a high school senior and climate activist serving on Garcetti’s L.A. Mayoral Youth Council for Climate Action, as well as recent stints in the offices of Environmentalism and Sustainability with Councilmember Koretz and LAUSD board member Nick Melvoin. At her high school, she is a cabinet member for her branch of S.H.A.R.E., a high school advisor for the middle school chapter of Model United Nations, and an avid artist and photographer. She has been a guest speaker at LA’s Green Building Council Conference and has participated in the United Nations youth forum on climate action. With her many years of experience working in and around L.A. city politics as an environmental advisor and local campaign staffer, she hopes to continue to sharpen her focus on public policy and climate issues to broaden her activism and reach the L.A. communities she loves.

Penn H. Schneider
Senior, Sequoyah High School
Penn Schneider is a senior at Sequoyah School who learned how to create positive change in the community during his time there. He’s canvassed in hard-to-count populations for the 2020 Census, taught a music class for kids at a nearby preschool, and is currently working on moving people away from cremations and burials to more sustainable forms of death care. He is also the founder and editor-of-chief of the school’s literary magazine, Seco, and is always on the prowl for people to submit. He hopes that Coro can help him understand how to lead more effectively and use his time more efficiently to allow him to help people better.

Georgia Tribe
Junior, Oak Park High School
Georgia Tribe is an active member as lead attorney on the Mock Trial team at her high school. She is also Chair of the Publicity Committee in her school’s Advanced Peer Counseling Program and is President of the Girl Up Club where she has organized multiple fundraisers in support of women’s rights. She also plays on her school’s tennis team and is an active member in the National Honors Society. Outside of school, she explores her passion for law as Secretary of her YMCA chapter’s Youth and Government delegation. She also stays involved in her community through her volunteer work at the local garden weekly. Georgia enjoys sharpening her leadership skills by being a part of the Future Leaders of America Leadership Program. Georgia is eager to develop her leadership skills through the Coro Youth Fellows Program and explore her interest in becoming a lawyer in order to advocate for others.

Olivia Zepeda
Senior, Vistamar High School
Olivia Zepeda dedicates herself to her school community in order to be a role model for her younger brother and fellow classmates. She cultivates both a learning space and affinity space as a co-leader of the Latino Student Association and La Familia, with the responsibility of creating a safe environment to gather and discuss issues pertaining to the Latinx community. To tap into her passion for writing, Olivia tutors fellow peers as a member of her school’s Writing Center. She is a driven student who attended the School for Ethics and Global Leadership with the intention of returning home to learn to uplift marginalized voices. After Coro, she not only hopes to deepen discussions with her classmates with what she learns from this program, but as a mentor to younger Latino students, Olivia hopes to be a resource for those who share similar passions and interests.

Catrina Zolkin
Senior, Santa Monica High School
Catrina Zolkin is a rising senior and active student at Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI). She was recently elected Secretary of SAMOHI’s student government for her senior year. Catrina has been a competitive indoor and beach volleyball player from the age of nine. Although she stands only 5’3” tall, she has been a varsity member of SAMOHI’s indoor and beach volleyball teams since her freshman year. She is a member of the Heal the Bay Club. She also participates in her local YMCA’s Youth and Government Program, a program in which students in the community meet weekly to discuss and debate issues of public interest and political importance. Catrina is excited to be a part of Coro’s Youth Fellows Program, and hopes that the program will help her improve her public speaking and leadership skills.