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Aaron Mendoza (he/him)
Junior, Crescenta Valley High School
Aaron Mendoza is a dedicated student at Crescenta Valley High School. Aaron channels his energy into advocating for social issues, particularly homelessness and housing policy. Inspired by a desire to make a tangible difference in his community, he actively seeks ways to raise awareness and implement solutions to address the homeless crisis in the region.
Aaron is the Vice President of his high school Business and Investing Club, where he uses his skills in finance and leadership, preparing for a future where he can merge his passion for social change with business acumen to create meaningful impact. In the long term he hopes to start a homeless non-profit and hopes to use his leadership and community engaging experience from Coro to help achieve that.
Abigail Han (she/her/hers)
Senior, Geffen Academy at UCLA
Abigail Han is a rising senior at Geffen Academy at UCLA where she sits on the Student Council Policy Committee, runs the APIDA Affinity Group, and plays Varsity Girls Soccer. In her community, she advocates for women’s rights through organizations like GirlUp and Write Girl while demonstrating civic engagement through her leadership in the YMCA’s Youth and Government Program. She also works at a pie shop, having finally perfected the cappuccino.
Abigail finds agency through writing and curriculum development, believing education is the first step to finding common ground in a polarized society. She has focused her senior thesis on crafting a curriculum to include diverse perspectives for high school history departments. Through the Youth Fellows Program, Abigail hopes to consult professionals in a broader network she can build off of for curriculum reform and benefit her community.
Aleah Payan (she/her)
Senior, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Aleah Payan is a junior at LACES, where she is the president of her school Academic Decathlon team, on the NHS student council, and involved in many other community service clubs. Her long-term goal is to become a dentist, where she can make a positive impact on people’s lives by helping them achieve optimal oral health and confidence in their smiles.
Whether it’s volunteering at local dental clinics to provide care for underserved communities or organizing donation workshops for people in need, she is dedicated to using her skills and knowledge to make a difference. Throughout her participation at Coro, she hopes to further her leadership skills to use in both school and her community.
Andrea Cruz-Vázquez (she/her)
Senior, Harvard-Westlake School
Andrea Cruz-Vázquez is a rising senior at Harvard-Westlake. She is a first-generation Latina and co-leader of the Latin American Hispanic Student Organization (LAHSO) at school. She founded the Photo Club in hopes of sharing her love for photography with others and nurturing a creative environment for all. Knowing Spanish and English fluently, and actively learning French, have allowed her to expand her web of connectivity internationally.
Having studied at Oxford last summer, she gained valuable knowledge about international affairs and law. She hopes to apply these skills in her coming years. Andrea loves to spend time with her family, reading books, and hanging out with friends in new places. With Coro, she hopes to garner leadership and communication skills, make valuable connections with her peers and learn from them as well, gaining a larger viewpoint of a situation, aiding her in her future.
Andres Sanchez (he/him)
Senior, Environmental Charter High School
Andres Sanchez is a senior at Environmental Charter High School (Lawndale). He is founder of the Creative Writing Club at my school, and chair of Prom Committee and Helping Hands. Andres strives to create a more inclusive and understanding space for his community in any way he can. A long term goal of his is to create programs that would benefit the low income communities of color in the US through things such as affordable medicare, access to green spaces, and mental health resources. Something Andres wishes to gain from Coro is to not only hear about some of the issues people in his community face, but also how we as a group can solve them. He is excited to hear all of the amazing opinions from my peers, and how they can work together as a community in order to make their home better.
Angelly Argueta (she/her)
Senior, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Angelly is a rising senior attending LACES high school. At her school she is Secretary of the Young Latino Scholars/ Hispanic Culture Club, as well as Secretary of the National Honors Society. Outside of school, she is very passionate about playing soccer as well as dancing.
One of Angelly’s goals in the future is to create change with her community, and work to help the goals and aspirations of first-gen and low-income students. Identifying with these attributes herself, she understands the limited resources that can come with being the first in the family to attend higher education, however Angelly is willing to put in effort to create this change within her community. By participating in the Coro Youth Fellows program, Angelly hopes to gain numerous leadership skills and learn to strengthen her activism within her community, in order to create change.
Berenice Dominguez (she/her)
Senior, Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies
Berenice is a rising senior at LACES High School. Her interests are deeply rooted in embracing and advocating for her indigenous, Oaxacan, and Mexican culture. In her free time, she enjoys embracing traditional aspects of her culture, such as playing the clarinet in a Oaxacan band and attending bonding programs with Oaxacan youth.
In her participation with the Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement, she focused on a long-term project based on the idea of the American Dream. As a page editor in her school’s newspaper, LACES UNTIED, she has developed unique writing skills that embrace the idea of Feature Stories and News, thus writing about in-school and outside-world happenings. Thus, she hopes to further enrich herself with the Coro Youth Fellows Program in fostering leadership skills that will prompt her to gain insights and explore ways she can help and further develop her community.
Britany Reyes (she/her)
Senior, Animo Leadership Charter High School
Britany Reyes is a proud and ambitious Latina who is a rising senior at Animo Leadership Charter High School. At school she holds the position of Commissioner of Community Relations, achieving to help others by dedicating several hours towards building a stronger connection between her school and community. Britany is also in the works of becoming a published author in which she writes about her cultural background with the help of 826LA, a non-profit organization.
Britany is a first generation student who aspires to attend a prestigious university and is interested in a field that involves research and creative writing. She enjoys reading, going to the beach and spending time with her family. Through the Coro Youth Fellows Program, Britany hopes to enhance her public speaking and leadership skills that will help her with her future work.
Dayanara Diaz (she/her)
Senior, Animo Leadership Charter High School
Dayanara Diaz is a dedicated rising senior at Animo Leadership Charter High School who has been passionate about teaching and guiding others. She has a constant desire to help people overcome challenges that she has once faced. In the long term, she has an interest in becoming an educator for either primary or college students. Dayanara realized this while tutoring her peers in algebra. Witnessing their improvement made her feel happy that she was able to help other students. Outside of academics, Dayanara also participates in extracurricular activities such as drama club, which helps express the creativity she has on the inside. Through her participation in the Youth Fellows Program, she hopes to gain more leadership skills. She aims to gain a more open-minded perspective and step out of her comfort zone to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of those around her.
Derrick Lee (he/him/his)
Junior, Chadwick School
Derrick Lee is a rising junior at Chadwick School, where he actively engages in school and community leadership initiatives. Passionate about ethical leadership and civic engagement, Derrick has dedicated himself to fostering positive change in his school and neighborhood. As a key member of Chadwick’s Model United Nations delegation, Derrick hones his critical thinking and communication skills, preparing to address complex issues and advocate for social justice, and hopes to pursue a career in international relations and policy.
He is deeply involved in community service, embodying values of integrity, collaboration, and empowerment. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, listening to music, and reading. Through the Youth Fellows Program, Derrick hopes to further develop his leadership abilities, connect with others with similar interests, and affect meaningful change in his community.
Elena Campas (she/her)
Senior, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Elena Campas is a rising senior attending Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. Here, she is highly involved with the Hispanic community as she participates in the Young Latino Scholars program and is the current president of the Hispanic Dance Club. Through her leadership, she has been able to not only connect with the Hispanic student body, but also empower students to pursue their dreams. Elena is passionate about improving educational opportunities within low-income areas, specifically Latino communities. Through the Coro Youth Fellows Program, Elena wishes to acquire strong leadership skills in order to successfully coordinate a non-profit organization in the future.
Harper Gowen (she/they/any)
Junior, Sequoyah School
Harper Gowen, a rising junior at Sequoyah School, is Co Editor-In-Chief of her school newspaper, The Barefoot Times, and also Stewardship Chair for the newspaper committee. Harper spends her weekends volunteering at The Santé D’Or Foundation, a non-profit cat rescue in Atwater Village. She has participated in extracurriculars such as Cross Country, Archery, STEM, and Theatre and is also a member of her school’s VR Club. She is a summer volunteer at Families Forward, which provides child care and education for families in underserved communities.
Harper concerns herself with issues like animal welfare, environmental injustice, and gender inequality and hopes to continue educating herself and making change. Finally, as a new member of The Cloud Appreciation Society, she has been enjoying photographing and observing the sky in awe. Through Coro she is excited to use newfound skills to organize around injustices that matter to her and make a positive impact.
Jaden Choi (he/him)
Senior, Palos Verdes High School
Jaden is a rising senior at Palos Verdes High School where he is the captain of the water polo team, and is also on the swim and surf team as well. His long term goals are to either earn a masters in business, or study at a law school and enter a firm to become a lawyer in New York.
Jaden enjoys volunteering at his club water polo team, where he serves as an assistant coach for the 10u age group. He also loves to listen to music, swim, surf, ski, and lift weights during his downtime. He hopes to further bolster his leadership skills as well as his team-working skills through the Coro Youth Fellows Program.
Kaitlyn Trifiletti (she/her)
Senior, Chaminade College Preparatory High School
Kaitlyn is a rising senior at Chaminade College Preparatory High School in West Hills. Deeply committed to making a positive impact, she is dedicated to many leadership activities at her school and community. She is an active member of Chaminade’s Diversity Team, serves as a school retreat leader, and will be a Senior leader on the Varsity volleyball team. Since middle school, she has played club volleyball and completed hundreds of community service hours with New Economics for Women.
She runs a holiday family adoption program for La Posada, which provides housing for women and children who would otherwise be homeless in the Pico Union area. She also works for her grandparents’ catering business and has volunteered in Cuba with a charity organization. Kaitlyn is excited to gain a deeper understanding of civic advocacy and bond with a dynamic, motivated peer group in her city who also want to make a difference.
Madison Gillett (she/her)
Junior, Harvard Westlake School
Madison is a rising junior at Harvard Westlake school where she plays basketball and is looking to play golf in the next year. She enjoys art in a canvas and on film, as well as cooking and spending time outside. She hopes to gain better social skills and opportunities to help others.
Makaela Brown (she/her/hers)
Senior, Chadwick School
Makaela Brown attends Chadwick School. Community work has always been a great passion of hers. She has been a part of a nonprofit organization for two years called Democrashe, where she serves on the leadership team educating young girls on the civic process and developing the skills to succeed as young leaders.
Makaela works with her community’s coalition to organize campaigns and gather data to support larger causes in her area, for example, homelessness. She also leads her school’s Black Student Union and Student Diversity Council spaces. Makaela believes it is crucial to give back and support the communities that have transformed her into the person she is today.
In high school, she’s taken on various leadership roles, fueled by her desires to tackle worldwide inequalities. In The Coro Youth Fellows program, she hopes to develop the skills necessary to excel in the workforce, but also hopes to get to know and network with other passionate, like-minded individuals.
Maya Graff-Weisner (she/her)
Junior, Hamilton High School
Maya Graff-Weisner is a rising junior at Hamilton High School who is passionate about social justice, political change, and making a difference in her community. Maya has worked as an Assistant Teacher at her synagogue for three years and was a CIT at UCLA last summer. She was the captain of her JV soccer team and a member of the swim team. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and babysitting.
Maya is interested in civil rights, including traveling to Alabama to learn more about our history. She traveled to Costa Rica as a part of a service learning project with AMIGOS where she volunteered with local organizations. She is part of the YMCA’s Youth and Government Program and has been a Girl Scout for eight years. In joining the Coro Youth Fellows Program, Maya hopes to hone her leadership skills and apply those skills to making a difference.
Stella Solis (she/her)
Senior, John Burroughs High School
Stella Solis is a rising senior at John Burroughs High School, where her passion for political science drives her exploration of various disciplines within the field. As a cabinet member of the YMCA’s Youth and Government program, Stella actively promotes her delegation’s presence in California while spearheading efforts for ongoing enhancement. Aside from her civic engagement, she participates in her school’s Medical Academy, where she deepens her understanding of global medical issues and gains practical experience in patient care and treatment methods.
Stella is a Varsity Cross Country and track athlete where she has learned to work hard and persevere through struggles. Recognizing the significance of civic responsibility and effective leadership, Stella aims to leverage her multifaceted experiences and competencies through participation in the Coro program. With Coro, she endeavors to further cultivate her leadership acumen, confront challenges, and advocate for constructive change within her community, aspiring to be an influential voice for progress and transformation.
