Meet our National Youth Advisory Board

 

Isabel Agbassi

I’m Isabel Agbassi, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Public Health with a minor in Healthcare Reform and Innovation, and my post-graduate plans include pursuing an MD/MBA program to become a doctor that has a hand in reforming healthcare to make it more accessible and affordable for all. I’m passionate about health policy advocacy addressing health disparities, sustainability, food insecurity, access to education, and youth empowerment. The focus of the work I do is push for professional development opportunities and diversity in pre-health fields through coordinating events, mentorship for underrepresented high school and college students, advise for community-integrated health initiatives to address food insecurity, and raising awareness towards areas of improvement at UT Austin and in the overall Austin community.

 

Nicoletta Kolpakov

Hi, I’m Nicoletta (she/her), a public policy researcher and communications director with six years of experience in the industry-leading large-scale legislative reform and media efforts. No stranger to working under legislative pressures, I bring extensive experience in policy communications and brand development working on congressional campaigns, national think tanks, and fast-growing tech companies. In past roles, I have worked as an organizer for NextUp Oregon, a leader in the youth voter and criminal justice reform movements; managing field operations for CIRC Action Fund, the largest immigrant rights coalition in Colorado, and more recently working in policy research to depolarize the systems that gridlock American politics.

 

Michael Wiafe

Michael Wiafe is a graduating Master of Public Policy candidate at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy where he focuses on higher education, socioeconomic mobility/advancement, equity, and inequality. He is a recent graduate of San Diego State University (SDSU) with a degree in Political Science and is an emerging voice in young leadership and higher education with experience in research, philanthropy, advocacy, and public governance in California. He jokes that he is a “retired” student leader having served terms in the executive office for the students of SDSU as well as President of the Cal State Student Association representing the largest 4-year student body in the nation and is now Senior Advisor to the ASUC President at UC Berkeley. His advocacy interests are centered on the belief that the situation that someone is born into should not be a determining factor in their success and pushes for the expansion of the decision-making table to include young leaders creating a culture of intergenerational policy. He hosts Higher Ed Rewired, the national podcast of the California State University, and PolicyWise, a Youth Leadership Institute podcast centered on intergenerational policy conversations with young people passionate about changing the world.

Lia Guzman Genao

Lia Guzman Genao is a college student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in Law & Society with a minor in Political Science. Lia was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at the age of 13. This experience has helped her understand firsthand the struggles that working-class families face on a daily basis. She strongly believes in the power of civic engagement as a way to create systemic change. Through her work, Lia hopes to uplift, empower, and advocate for people of all backgrounds in the political process.

Chris Nelson

Hello, I’m Chris Nelson. I’ve had a passion for systemic change for as long as I can remember. This informed my decision to pursue an MSW and work in policy; I currently work with the Colorado House of Representatives. As a young adult, I experienced the struggle of low wages, employer maltreatment, and not having adequate health care. This has helped inform my main advocacy interests: wealth inequality and labor. I believe that improving economic opportunity and working conditions will have a positive effect on many areas of people’s lives.

Bella Garcia

Bella Garcia is a senior at UT Austin, double-majoring in Political Communications and Spanish. She plans to attend law school with hopes of pursuing political advocacy and government relations in her future career. As an alumnus of the Young Advocates Spring 2021 cohort, Bella is excited to return to the Young Invincibles family to continue promoting meaningful and impactful legislation to better our communities nationwide.

Sierrah Chavis

My name is Sierrah Chavis and I am currently a curriculum specialist for a PreK-5 school. I support the curriculum and instruction and support teachers and building leaders with best practices, interventions, and strategies to support the learning needs of all students. I am also an active community member with several organizations including board member of the Disability Law Center, Executive Vice Chair for the Butterfly Project, Founder of Girls on a Mission and HerImpact, Professional Development Committee Chair for the Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities, Facilitator for the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and an award recipient for the impact leader award for the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. My advocacy interests include teen dating violence, gender and racial equality, and equitable access to quality public education.

Khalil Ferguson

Khalil Ferguson currently serves as the President of the United CORE Alliance (UCA), a 501c3 non-profit organization that engages populations and communities most harmed by the War on Drugs to create pathways for job placement in emerging markets, facilitates educational opportunities to increase economic mobility, and organizes legal support to formerly incarcerated individuals. Khalil’s focus on strategies for combating gentrification and supporting inclusive economic development programs has resulted in appointments to the City of Sacramento’s Measure U Tax Oversight Committee and the City Manager’s Inclusive Economic Development and Investment Committee. He also serves as the Secretary for the Democratic Party Black Caucus Legislative Committee and is the Chair for the Cannabis Equity Trade Certification Policy Committee.

Marvin Slaughter

Marvin Slaughter is a Portfolio Manager on the College and Career Success team at the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab, where he focuses on the Lab’s portfolio of research designs related to improving outcomes for students attending Community Colleges of Chicago. Before joining the Inclusive Economy Lab, Marvin was the Interim Director at the African American Leadership and Policy Institute, a non-partisan research and advocacy organization focused on the identification, development, and implementation of policy approaches to achieve racial and socioeconomic equity through the lens of Black community interests and applications.

Marvin is a reparations researcher working with esteemed researchers Dr. William Darity and A Kirsten Mullen on a forthcoming publication regarding the cumulative cost of racism and cost of Black reparations. Marvin has also served as a social equity researcher in the cannabis policy area.

Marvin graduated with a B.A. in political science and economics from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Emily Tuppince

Hello, my name is Emily Tuppince! I’m currently working at Bank of America as a project manager intern for the IT department. In my free time, I’m studying business management at NOVA. My advocacy interests are higher education and health insurance. I’m excited to be on NYAB and make an impact!!

“Don’t stop until you’re proud of you”