Alex Askerov I was born and raised in Seattle, WA. I attended Schmitz Park Elementary school, then carried on to Madison Middle School. I was enrolled into West Seattle High School, but then transferred to Chief Sealth International High School after two years. Throughout high school I've participated in sports such as soccer, and football. Writing is my passion, and I hope to build on that skill greatly. I also attend boxing classes five days a week. I've tutored young students, assisted the European Chamber of Commerce, and participated in many public service programs. I have a heavy Russian heritage, and am fairly diverse in the understanding of culture and society. I hope that the Youth Commission will act as a spring board, propelling me into the community, as well as sparking a start to my input to our society. I also hope to better our community via The Commission. I'm sure being a part of The Seattle Youth Commission will better my future, as well as the future of Seattle.

Anders Peterson (Ingraham '15) was born and raised in Seattle, in the Pinehurst neighborhood. He is an active member at his school, and in his community. He runs for the Track and Cross Country teams at Ingraham, is involved in the GSA, and is co-president of the Human Rights Club. In his free time he likes to read and listen to music. He joined SYC to make a difference in Seattle and develop leadership skills.

Andrew Hermann A senior at Seattle Preparatory School, Andrew Hermann is honored and excited to be a part of the 2012-2013 Seattle Youth Commission. He is passionate about the environment, and making the world a better place for people at home and abroad. He enjoys participating in service trips, playing the saxophone, and running. Even though he has only lived in Seattle for less than two years, he has quickly immersed himself in the local community by working at the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Aquarium, and being a Seafair International Ambassador.

Bryce Goldsen (Bishop Blanchet, ‘15) has lived on Capitol Hill his whole life. He wants to work for equal rights and fair treatment to make Seattle a better place for all people. Bryce wants to contribute to make sure that all youth and all types of families are respected, have a voice in city government, and feel comfortable in their communities. Through working with the Commission he wants to learn more about the political process and how to serve effectively in government to strengthen our schools, communities and city. He is excited about working with students throughout the city to address the challenges facing youth and all members of our community. Bryce loves to play baseball and basketball.

Cecilia Kalthoff is a seventh grader at Salmon Bay middle school and has lived in Seattle her entire life. This is her first year on Seattle Youth Commission and hopes to make a difference in many young people’s lives. She is very supportive of gay rights and is very active in her schools GSA.   She has always wanted to be helpful and more involved with the city. On her free time she likes to spend time with her friends. 

Celina Jackson (Garfield '13) was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Seattle when she was eight years old. She lives with her parents and younger sister. She joined the Commission last year in hopes of taking on a greater role of activism in her community and meeting some cool people who are also interested in civic government and political organizing.

Christine Lu My name is Christine Lu. I am seventeen years old, and currently a junior at Chief Sealth International High School. I also a Running Start student taking part time classes at South Seattle Community College. I am also currently enrolled in the Academy of Finance class at Sealth. In my spare time I enjoy reading, tennis, and soccer. I was interested in Seattle Youth Commission since it seemed like a new, different way to become involved. I was interested in for Education mostly, and I wanted to be a part of what affected not just my future, but everybody's. I enjoy trying out new things, and learning how fun it is to meet new people, and do activities.

Delannah Collins-Wright (Cleveland High School); Enjoys meeting new youth! Delannah is an honor roll student at her school, and is Secretary for Cleveland high school freshman class!  In her free time, she likes getting involved with community programs. She is a very easy, outgoing person. Delannah attends a various amount of programs at University of Washington. She plans to attend at the University of Washington for college. Her future goals are to stay on the honor roll all 4 years of high school. She also plans to get into as many programs as possible that will lead toward her future success. She would like to major in dentistry or become an engineer!

Hannah Trettenero (Garfield, ’14) was born in Columbia, Missouri, and moved around a lot before moving to Seattle. This is her first year as a youth commissioner and she is very excited to meet a diverse group of people and make a difference in her community.  She is interested in environmental issues, along with education and public health.  She is very excited to learn more about local government and to interact with government officials.  In her spare time Hannah enjoys playing sports, baking, spending time outside, and being around her family and friends.

Ilani Nurick (Nathan Hale ’14) was born in Jerusalem, Israel and moved to Seattle when he was 5. He hopes that through his involvement with the Youth Commission, he will be able to make a difference in environmental issues. He cares passionately about the environment and making the world a better place for all its inhabitants, humans and animals. He wants to get a better understanding of how government works and how decisions are made. In his spare time Ilani enjoys playing soccer, learning about and exploring new places and cultures, scuba diving, and volunteering as a beach naturalist on the Puget Sound.

Jack Noland (Garfield '13) was born in Bozeman, Montana, but has grown up in Seattle.  He has always been interested in social justice and the American political system.  He joined the Commission to cultivate a greater understanding of municipal government, bring attention to the issues concerning Seattle's youth, and connect himself with the like-minded, interesting people of the SYC.  In his free time, Jack enjoys reading, debating, and playing soccer.  He hopes to study political science and economics in college before pursuing a law degree that will hopefully help him enter the legal or political world.

Karanja Mburu I am a sophomore at Franklin High School. Yeah c/o 2014 is where it's at. I am out-going, cool, and a nice person to be around with. I was interested in Seattle Youth Commission because I was really trying to make a difference in my community. I want to be able to become somebody in life, and I thankful that I am in Seattle Youth Commission and trying to pursue my goal in helping stop Youth Violence. As of now I am trying to maintain my good grades in high school to graduate. My future dreams are to attend University of South California or University of Washington to study International Business.

Katya Anderson (Bush ‘16) lives on Capitol Hill and has been interested in government as long as she can remember. Katya is passionate about educational issues, income inequity, and a lack of recognition that teenagers can be productive members of society. In her free time, Katya likes to read about Native American history, learn Spanish, and write stories. Last year, she was at Washington Middle School and a member of the Education Committee on the Youth Commission. This year, she hopes to come at Youth Commission work with new experience and old-fashioned effort, accomplishing more than ever.

Kian Vesteinsson (Garfield ’13), a twin, was born in Denmark but grew up in Seattle. His mother is Indian and his father is Icelandic, and he enjoys reading and playing video games in his spare time. He was on the Education Subcommittee last year, and is really excited to be back on the Commission and to continue doing awesome work on the SYC.

Leoma James (Bishop Blanchet ’13): I have lived in Washington my whole life. I’m 16 years young and have grown up in the Central and South East parts of Seattle. Next year will be my third year serving on class cabinet for Bishop Blanchet. Two years ago was when I really started getting more involved in my community after I lost a friend due to gun-violence. Hopefully being a part of this commission I could help improve my community and make a difference in the lives of the people that live here.

My name is Matt Fulle, and I attend the Seattle Academy of Arts and Science. Moving to Capitol Hill before 6th grade, I am very interested in government and seeing that the youth of Seattle get their deserved voices in the futures that they will live. I enjoy reading stacks of history and current events books in my spare time and playing video games with my friends. I write speeches for fun and spend most of my winter playing basketball and being on the Speech and Debate Team at the SAAS. I hope to represent my neighborhood of Seattle and Seattle’s youth in general as they are intrinsic to Seattle’s society.

Megan Warshaw (Garfield ’12) was born and raised in Seattle. She sees the Youth Commission as a way to give a voice to teens in Seattle. Her participation in the commission is also based on her desire to see results and make a difference by the end of the year. Ultimately, her goal is to have a career in public service, and the commission will give her the experience necessary. She is also currently involved in the Seattle Art Museum and is excited to be even more involved in the city.

Moriah Williams (Rainier Beach ’13): I was born and raised in Seattle with my five younger sisters. I currently live and attend school in south Seattle where I love helping my school and community become a better place. I enjoy exploring the many hidden gems and wonders of Seattle as well as shopping in the wonderful jungle you formally know as downtown Seattle. I am a National Honors Society officer as well as the class president for the class of 2013. I joined youth commissions because it gives me an opportunity to put action behind my words and make a significant different in the issues that effect my family, my community, and my city.

Olive Burd (The Center School '14) has lived in Seattle all of her life. She's a first-year member of the Seattle Youth Commission, and is interested in engaging with a diverse community of youth. She is ready to voice her own opinions as well as others who may not have the opportunity or ability. She's very passionate about racial issues going on within the Seattle community. When she's not busy getting straight A's, she's playing junior roller derby, reading a book, or hanging out with friends.

Rafael Regan  I am Rafael Regan and originally from Asunción Paraguay. I was adopted and lived on Bainbridge Island for thirteen years before I moved to Costa Rica for seventh grade. After that, I moved to Seattle to start my high school education. I currently go to Ballard High School and am seventeen years old. I enjoy getting to know my community through the work I do on the Seattle Youth Commission as well as the work I do around my community. I have a strong interest in urban planning as well as mass transportation planning. I am currently involved in sports such as Ultimate Frisbee, Cross Country, and am part of the Earth Service Club and Debate Team as my school.

Ryan Lenea (Nathan Hale ’14) has lived on Vashon Island his whole life until recently when he moved to North Seattle’s Lake City to attend Nathan Hale.  He is interested in education because his mother is a teacher, and would like to make Seattle a more environmentally conscious place by promoting sustainability, and incorporating what he learned about ecology from his time on Vashon. He is interested in politics, decision making, and government, and joined the Seattle Youth Commission to gain a greater understanding of them all, as well as make Seattle’s youth voice heard.  He is on the school newspaper and both the debate and chess teams. He also enjoys reading, wrestling, soccer and tennis.

Thomas Kovacs (West Seattle High School): I was born in Napa, CA, and moved to Seattle when I was three years old. I attended public elementary school and was accepted to The Bush School for 6th grade and stayed there until the end of my freshman year whereupon I transferred to West Seattle High School. Throughout my time attending these institutions I have participated in Drama productions, held academic governance offices, and developed environmental utilities programs. My time in diverse environments such as these has granted me a unique worldview and cultivated the skills necessary to work effectively with others.

Tristan Lee is a senior at Nathan Hale High School. He is an editor on his school newspaper and very involved on his ASB. (I'm running for ASB president but I won't know for a week) Tristan applied to be a Youth Commissioner after being politically inspired after helping organize a student run anti education cuts group. While on the Commission, he hopes to learn how to accomplish meaningful change in his community. When not at school or involved in politics, Tristan enjoys playing bass guitar and listening to music.

Valentina Gonzalez-Marth Valentina is a sophomore at Cleveland High School. She was born in Port-Au-Prince Haiti and came to the United States when she was eight years old.  She has lived in Seattle for five years. She joined the Seattle Youth Commission in order to get to know other youth in Seattle and to inspire other teens to speak up for the changes that they feel are needed. She is passionate about the Justice system and the education system. After high school she is planning on going to a University in order to obtain a doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Her hobbies are learning and helping others. She loves to travel and cook.

Zena Getachew is a student at Roosevelt High School where she participates in Vocal Jazz and the Black Student Union. This year will be her first year as a youth commissioner and she is excited to make a difference in violence among youth and racial issues. Zena volunteers at the North West African American museum in the Central District where she has developed a strong connection for African American history in the state of Washington.