Maryland Youth Advisory Council

About MYAC

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

2025-2026 Council Member Directory

Appointing Authority	Name	Status	County	ENOUGH	School/Institution
GOV	Caitlyn Davis	Newly Appointed	Baltimore	Yes	New Town High School
GOV	Thomas Evans	2nd Term Member	Frederick	Yes	Mount Saint Joseph HS
GOV	David Rendeos	2nd Term Member	Montgomery	Yes	Montgomery Blair High School
GOV	Qamryn Askew	2nd Term Member	Baltimore City	Yes	UMBC
LMBs	Chloe Cato	Newly Appointed	Anne Arundel	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
Pres. of the 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
MASC	Peter Jin	Newly Appointed	Wicomico	No	James M. Bennett High School
MASC	Arpita Vijay	Newly Appointed	Montgomery	Yes	Walter Johnson High School
MASC	Safora Noor	Newly Appointed	Baltimore	Yes	Towson High School
MASC	Lorena Wu	2nd Term Member	Montgomery	Yes	Poolesville HS
USM Student Council	Graham Snyder	2nd Term Member	Washington	Yes	UMD - College Park
USM 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 Graham Snyder

Vice Chair Joyce Yun

Secretary Lucia Zaklin

Legislative Committee Chair Qamryn Askew

Community Initiatives Chair Mark Li

Community Initiatives Media Officer 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 Barnes

Appointed Executive Member Jefferson Vasquez-Reyes

Appointed Executive Member Evangeline Roath

Appointed Executive Member / Historian Lorena Wu

2025-2026 Legislative Priorities

Priorities selected and voted on by the 2025-2026 Council are:

Priority #1: Education and Resource Equity

I. Access to Learning Opportunities

Expand advanced education, technical education, and vocational programs.
Bridge achievement gaps to ensure youth from diverse backgrounds can access high-level education and career guidance.

II. Equity in the Quality of Educational Facilities

Address disproportionate funding in and across districts to ensure equitable access to resources and opportunities.

III. Staff and Student Education on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Developing Technology

Enhance and define classroom practices to teach appropriate and relevant uses of AI.
Guide educators in balancing the integration of AI in classrooms effectively, ensuring it supports learning without replacing critical teaching elements.

Priority #2: Mental Health, Services, and Support

I. Substance Prevention and Awareness

Prevention and reduction from early through late education.

II. Increasing Mental Health Resources

Increase the effectiveness of programs, and better integrate counselors and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs).

III. Youth Mentorship

Implement programs to educate parents, adults, and other caretakers to refine their mentor roles.

Priority #3: Safe School and Community Spaces

I. Increasing School and Community Safety

Increase professional development opportunities for educators and personnel to recognize signs of violence and employ preventative measures.
Prevention, not Reaction: Identify proactive and preventative models to reduce student disciplinary instances.
Promote infrastructure to promote safe travel to educational and community destinations.

II. Developing Third Spaces for Students

Support environments for students to remain engaged outside of school environments.
Enhance youth involvement opportunities in community groups and spaces.

Priority #4: Social Justice

I. Restorative Justice Practices Towards Conflict Resolution

Address physical, mental, and verbal harm inflicted on individuals and communities.
Promote accountability practices.
Apply through schools and criminal justice systems.

II. Introducing and Increasing Youth Civic Engagement

Promote programs that uplift civics and service excellence.
Standardize civics into school curriculums.