The School-Based Health Alliance is honored to welcome four new Youth Advisory Council members for the 2023-24 term. They are strong advocates of school-based health care in their communities and inspire their peers to join them in the fight to improve health care access for all.
- Mia Hunter, a junior at William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, is dedicated to making a positive impact in the realm of education equity and policy reform. As a published researcher with the Columbia University Journal of Science Tech Ethics Policy, Mia has delved into the complexities of cultural identity-informed policymaking. Mia is the founder and president of the Carolina Classroom Collective, a teen civic engagement organization, and has spearheaded efforts to champion education equity and reform in their community.
- Joey Kaji is a senior at Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin. He began working in advocacy as a part of the Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) program, where he took on a project to help new SBHCs in his district. This past year, he worked with the Youth Governance Program (YAB) for Dane County to draft and pass a resolution portraying the county’s support for mental health.
- Ketan Tamirisa is a junior at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, Texas. He is passionate about facilitating change in his community and advocating for legislation to help mitigate disparities in healthcare. Ketan is currently conducting university-level research in health policy and is an intern for the American College of Cardiology Medical Student Board.
- Justin Wang is a senior at Lambert High School in Atlanta. His passion for SBHC advocacy stems from his interests in health economics and health policy. Justin has advocated for SBHC developments to his county’s Board of Commissioners and worked with his county’s school health staff to launch the school district’s first SBHC.
They join Lauren Metcalf, a senior at Cleveland High School in Portland, Oregon, who is continuing as a member of the YAC. Lauren is a Student Health Advocate in Oregon, where she has participated in Advocacy Day and communicated with local legislators. She has also worked with Planned Parenthood’s Teen Council, a peer sex education collective where she provided outreach presentations and attended weekly educational meetings. Additionally, she interns as a Youth Action Council member with her county’s health department.
SBHA continues to be inspired by the youth leadership our Youth Advisory Council demonstrates daily. To honor our commitment to youth development in the SBHC field, we are electing a YAC member to join our Board as a full voting member starting their term in September.
Read more about all of our council members.
