Maryland Youth Advisory Council

History

The Maryland Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) was established through the State legislature (Chapter 559, Acts of 2008, Chapter 69, Acts of 2009, and Chapter 620, Acts of 2016) in order to ensure that Maryland youth are given the opportunity to provide feedback and recommendations regarding public policies and programs that affect their future and to take a leadership role in creating meaningful change.

Our Mission to Maryland’s Young People

MYAC stands as a coalition of diverse young advocates and leaders from across the State. The Council elevates and addresses relevant youth concerns and policy issues by influencing legislation, spreading public awareness and serving as a liaison between youth and policymakers.

Our Vision for a Youth-Centric State

The Maryland Youth Advisory Council strives to be an effective voice that:

Incites change for the betterment of Maryland's youth,
Ensures equal opportunity for all youth regardless of background or circumstance,
Initiates political conversations with youth,
Educates youth on political issues, and
Is respected by legislators and other stakeholders on youth issues.

-Meet the 2025-2026 Council Members

Agency	Candidate Name	Current Status	County	ENGH County	School
GOV	Caitlyn Davis	Newly Appointed	Baltimore	Yes	New Town High School
GOV	*Thomas Evans	2nd term Member	Frederick County	Yes	Mount Saint Joseph HS (graduate)
GOV	David Rendeos	2nd Term Member	Montgomery	Yes	Montgomery Blair High School (graduate)
GOV	Qamryn Askew	2nd Term Member	Baltimore City	Yes	University of Maryland, Baltimore County
LMBs	Chloe Cato	Newly Appointed	Anne Arundal	Yes	Century HS
LMBs	Khania Charlton	Newly Appointed	Harford	No	Harford Technical High School
LMBs	Shiza Gondal	Newly Appointed	Talbot	No	Easton High School
LMBs	Isaiah Gregory	Newly Appointed	Baltimore City	Yes	Baltimore Design School
Pres. of the Senate	Joyce Yun	2nd Term Member	Howard	No	Glenelg Country School
Pres. of the Senate	Mark Li	Newly Appointed	Baltimore	Yes	River Hill High School
Pres. of the Senate	Evangeline Roath	Newly Appointed	Anne Arundel	Yes	Archbishop Spalding High School
President of Senate	Aarna Chakarvarty	2nd Term Member	Frederick	Yes	Urbana HS
Speaker of the House	Foresight Ogungbe	2nd Term Member	Baltimore	Yes	Eastern Technical HS
Speaker of the House	O’Marie Barnes	2nd Term Member	Prince George’s	Yes	Crossland HS
Speaker of the House	Kevin Jones	2nd Term Member	Charles	Yes	La Plata High School
Speaker of the House	Lucia Zaklin	2nd Term Member	Queen Anne’s	No	Kent Island High School
MD Assoc. of Student Councils	Peter Jin	Newly Appointed	Wicomico	No	James M. Bennett High School
MD Assoc. of Student Councils	Arpita Vijay	Newly Appointed	Montgomery	Yes	Walter Johnson High School
MD Assoc. of Student Councils	Safora Noor	Newly Appointed	Baltimore	Yes	Towson High School
MD Assoc. of Student Councils	Lorena Wu	2nd Term Member	Montgomery	Yes	Poolesville HS
Univ. System of MD Student Council	Graham Snyder	2nd Term Member	Washington	Yes	UMD - College Park
Univ. System of MD Student Council	Jefferson Vasquez- Reyes	2nd Term Member	Prince George’s	Yes	UMD - College Park

Current Officers:

Elected Executive Officers: Executive officers provide leadership, direction, and coordination to ensure the council functions effectively.

Chair: Gram Snyder
Vice Chair: Joyce Yun
Secretary: Lucia Zaklin
Legislative Committee Chair: Qamryn Askew
Community Initiatives Chair: Mark Li
Community Initiatives Media Office: Chloe Cato

Appointed Positions: The following members were appointed by the Chair to work alongside executive officers to advance logistics, operations, and reporting requirements.

Appointed Executive Member: O’Marie Barne
Appointed Executive Member: Jefferson Vasquez-Reyes
Appointed Executive Member: Evangeline Roath
Appointed Executive Member/Historian: Lorena Wu

2025-2026 Legislative Priorities

Annually MYAC develops and leads advocacy efforts based on a community-informed list of priorities. These priorities are crafted with the input of local youth throughout the state collected through MYAC’s fall Community Conversations event along with county-level town halls.

Below include the comprehensive list of priorities selected and voted on by the 2024-2025 Council.

Priority #1 Education and Resource Equity

Broadening Access to Learning Opportunities
Ensuring Equity in the Quality of Educational Facilities
Expansion of Staff and Student Education on AI and Developing Technology

Priority #2 Mental Health, Services, and Support

Providing Opioid Prevention and Awareness
Increasing Mental Health Resources
Implementing Mentorship Development

Priority #3 Safe School and Community Spaces

Reducing School and Community Violence
Developing Third Spaces for Students

Priority #4 Social Justice

Equitable Access to Resources for Marginalized Communities
Restorative Justice Practices Towards Conflict Resolution
Introducing and Increasing Youth Civic Engagement