Meet the 2019 Y Street Leadership Team

My name is Idayziah and I am a senior at Hopewell High School. I am going into my second year being apart of Y-Street and my first year being a member on the Y Street Leadership Team (YSLT). This was my school’s first year participating in Y Street and having members go to the Y Street Leadership Team Summit. It was an amazing opportunity for the three members from my school to experience a week such as this one with many other youth advocates from across Virginia. We were able to talk about our successes with last year’s campaigns, Great Starts with Breakfast and 24/7, as well as receive an introduction on how to become an expert on our new campaigns, Rev Your Bev and Share the Air. It gave us a chance to connect with each other about different ways to promote a healthier Virginia, starting with our schools and communities. These were some of the most passionate and influential youth I have ever met!

We had many opportunities to help one another overcome public speaking, talking to the media, and answering questions in interviews. In one week we went from good Y Street members to exceptional Y Street leaders! Using our newly gained skills, we prepared ourselves for our annual YSLT networking lunch later that week. Most of us were nervous but, leave it up to our YFO’s, Lea and Mel, to help us get the jitters out with a shakedown countdown exercise to [literally] shake out those nerves! It was amazing to talk with professionals who were on the same mission as us. Even though we had a lot of serious business, the week was filled with icebreakers, roommate activities, and not to mention free food. This week was more than learning about how to become a better leader, it was also about growing new and everlasting friendships. This event helped me make connections with people I would have never met without Y Street. The summit and the new YSLT members gave me a different outlook on how I can help my community. It gave me several ideas on how I can make a change but most importantly an effective change. Now I can start effectively influencing my peers and key decision makers in my community. Overall this summit gave me a better understanding on how important the youth voices are when it comes to changing Virginia for the better. No organization other than Y Street has shown me how to become the voice of change in my school and community, along with the many other new YSLT members. I will take the skills I have learned from the summit and apply them in my everyday life and help promote a healthier Virginia with the help of the new 2019-2020 YSLT Members:

Brunswick High School
Desmyn Owens
Jarielle Seward

Central High School
Shannon Nicely

Charlottesville High School
Abigail Tackett
Ashlyn Cherix

George Wythe High School
Amaia Horton

Giles High School
David Johnson
Ruth Brown
Ruth Perkins

Granby High School
Carys Jenkins
Shawna Alston

Greensville County High School
Savion Taylor

Hopewell High School
Bianca Bonila
Idayziah Jones
Rossy Cruz

Manchester High School
Cali Minton
Hannah Houston
Sydney Smith

Potomac High School
Precious Donkor

Powhatan High School
Olivia Hoover
Sheyla Daniles

Tabb High School
Eviona Dang
Hannah Namkoomg
Sabrina Ngugen

JR Tucker high school
Jarrin Norton

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