Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful has welcomed a new group of students to its Green Youth Advisory Council for the 2022-2023 school year.
Inspired by Keep America Beautiful’s National Youth Advisory Council, Green YAC is a local service learning and leadership development program for high school students that allows participants to lend a youthful voice to the organization and take part in eco-focused non-profit events while acting as advocates for environmental change.
“We’re truly excited about this incoming class of Green Youth Advisory Council members,” Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, said. “Before the end of this school year, they will have an opportunity to propose new programs, create initiatives to grow awareness, serve as service-leaders at community events, provide key insights on how we can engage an up-and-coming generation of environmental stewards and so much more. We hope to empower each and every one of them to have an impact on the communities where these rising stars live, work and attend school, while engaging other young people to follow their lead. It is our hope that they will take what they learn during their time with us and grow their reach to impact their cities, their state, their region, their country and the world at large. Of course, what we’re finding is that we as an organization have a lot to learn from them, too.”
Green YAC helps students develop leadership skills while educating them on litter prevention, beautification, community greening, waste reduction, recycling and food insecurity. The program also encourages students to collaborate with like-minded peers from schools all across the county that they may not have been able to interact with otherwise.
Students who participate in the Green YAC are also given the opportunity to receive service hours, and seniors on the advisory council will be considered for a $1,000 post-secondary scholarship.
To learn more about the Green Youth Advisory Council and other Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful programs, please visit www.gwinnettcb.org.
The newest members of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s Green Youth Advisory Council for the 2022-2023 school year are:
- Stephanie Aguirre, Senior – Paul Duke STEM HS
- Hailey Brown, Junior – Mill Creek HS
- Asha El, Freshman – Norcross HS
- Alice Garcia, Junior – Berkmar HS
- Haven Hardy, Senior – Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Esther Jung, Sophomore – Mill Creek HS
- Kaylin Koen, Senior – Mountain View HS
- Hannah Nguyen Le, Senior – Paul Duke STEM HS
- Carolina Luevano, Senior – Paul Duke STEM HS
- Anthony McIver, Senior – Parkview HS
- Mrinali Pathak, Freshman – North Gwinnett HS
- Vinh Pham, Junior – Brookwood HS
- Serena Pradhan, Sophomore – Parkview HS
- Luke Winter, Senior – Greater Atlanta Christian
- Jean Yu, Senior – Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is also welcomes back ten returning members from last year’s Green YAC:
- Ariella Ayenesazan, Junior – Peachtree Ridge HS
- Suraj Chatoth, Senior – North Gwinnett HS
- Danielle Chun, Junior – Mill Creek HS
- Ella Lee, Junior – Mill Creek HS
- Jack Prewitt, Senior – Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Arshan Rafiq, Junior – Peachtree Ridge HS
- Amay Shah, Senior – Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Miles Simmons, Senior – Archer HS
- Shivali Singh, Sophomore – Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Trevor Spake, Senior – Brookwood HS
