LGBTQ+ INSTITUTE

YOUTH ADVOCacy fellows

The LGBTQ+ Institute at the national Center for Civil and Human Rights Welcomes 21 Outstanding YOuth in our 2024 cohort. The Bios of our 2023 cohort can be read Below on this Page

Visitors to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights get a glimpse of a 19 year-old John Lewis, Catherine Burks-Brooks, Rabbi Israel "Si" Dresner, Stokley Carmichael, and Mae Francis Moultrie engaging in the courageous work to achieve racial equality and justice in a very hostile and unwelcoming South. These young people, mostly college students, received training on the philosophy and strategies of nonviolent protest. From bus boycotts (Claudette Colvin) to school desegregation (Ruby Bridges or the Little Rock Nine), to youth involved in the March on Washington and the more contemporary struggle for justice and equality, young people have always been at the center of social change movements. Too few of our cultural centers have been a training ground for young advocates.

It is our belief that Gen Z is uniquely positioned to be on the vanguard of thoughtful and strategic change provided the support of mentors, scholars, seasoned advocates. This is what the LGBTQ+ Institute’s Youth Advocacy Fellowship will provide over the next 12 months. It is not a fellowship exclusive to young people in the LGBTQ Community. In fact, the benefit of the fellowship is that a broad and diverse cohort of leaders come together to address all sorts of social justice issues.

The LGBTQ+ Institute, each year, identified 16 young people nationally, ages 16 to 25, who will receive guidance, mentoring, and support in connecting their professional aspirations to their social justice passions: from Public Health or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace, to Advocacy Education or Civil and Human Rights History. Understanding the immediate and urgent threats to transgender and non-binary members of our community– threats that continue to be fueled by misleading rhetoric, miseducation and ignorance – young people are well-positioned to lead the charge that transgender rights are both civil rights and also human rights.

The Advocacy Fellowship will be centered around collaborative learning opportunities where scholars are paired with another member of the cohort to address a shared social justice issue. The Institute’s Executive Director, Tim’m West, with the support our Advisory Board, will guide the fellows through a year-long experience that will:

Offer an introduction to subject matter experts in advocacy education
Provide opportunities for students to gain fundamental DE&I learning and development
Illuminate connections between our historical civil and human rights issues
Apply areas of interest to data and research (e.g., LGBTQ Institue Southern Survey).
Pair student pairs with seasoned advocates who guide their strategic proposals.
Nurture a strong camaraderie between emerging leaders who collectively actualize their thought leadership to shift both perspectives and public policy.

The Fellowship is centered around collaborative learning opportunities where scholars are paired with another member of the cohort to address an LGBTQ equity issue. The Institute’s Executive Director, Tim’m West, with the support of our Advisory Board, will guide the fellows through this year-long experience that will culminate in a presentation at our LGBTQ Institute Symposium in June 2024.

Who are our advocates? (see bios below)

Our first fellowship cohort draws young people from all over the nation with about half being high school juniors and seniors from high schools in California, New York, Georgia, and Florida, and the remaining advocates coming from colleges as diverse as Yale, Spelman, Duke, and Georgia State University. Importantly we hold space for young adults who are young professionals not connected to schools at all.

ALEX BERRY

Alex Berry (he/him) is a senior majoring in Journalism and Political Science at Georgia State University. He works as a student assistant in the Georgia State University Special Collections with its Gender and Sexuality collections. Alex spent his most recent semester conducting interviews with representatives at the Georgia State Capitol and writing articles on the 2023 Legislative Session. He plans to have a career in reporting to amplify and further understanding of political issues in the U.S.

Veran Chung

Veran Chung (she/her) is an Asian American high school senior at La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego, CA. She is vocal about social justice and believes diversity, women empowerment, LGBTQIA+ rights, harm reduction, and racial justice. She has marched for women’s rights, gun control, and abortion rights. She supported and helped her male transgender friend lobby with the Utah representatives to vote for the Equality Act and is involved in an advocacy group named New Haven Voices, which encourages troubled teens to speak out about their experiences at treatment centers.

Arya Doshi

Arya Doshi (she/her) is a senior at Pine View High School in Sarasota, Florida. Over the COVID-19 pandemic, Arya discovered that body image and eating disorders affected the general population significantly, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. She works with Yale Teen Power to educate adolescents about eating disorders and ALSO Youth, an LGBTQ+ youth center, to educate adolescents about body image and its impact across genders.

Mouri Fatheree

Mouri Fatheree (he/him) is a senior at Sequoyah High School in Pasadena, CA. He is a visual artist and has been making art since sixth grade and often includes themes of mental health and queer culture in his pieces. Since eighth grade, Mouri has been volunteering at College View School in Glendale, a school for students ages 3 to 22 with severe disabilities. He is also a Junior Ambassador at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Lauren Harteveldt

Coordinator

Lauren Harteveldt (she/her) is a sophomore at Dartmouth College intending to major in Psychology and minor in Education and Chinese. Lauren first broadened her DEI involvement as an advocate and a leader through her participation in the Greenwich Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Lauren wanted to broaden her reach and founded Aspiring Ally to raise awareness about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Dartmouth, Lauren is involved in the DREAM program, which works to close the opportunity gap for youth in low-income housing communities.

Maria Juárez

Coordinator

Maria Juárez (she/her) is a queer first-generation Mexican American who is dedicated to creating a safe and equitable healthcare space for the LGBTQIA community. She witnessed the discrimination faced by queer individuals in healthcare settings and was inspired to pursue a career in the health field. Maria's goal is to transform hospitals into places where queer individuals are celebrated, not just tolerated.

Ajay Khanna

Ajay Khanna (he/him) is a senior at Boston College, majoring in Applied Psychology and Human Development, and minoring in Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good. Throughout high school and much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ajay spent a significant amount of time leading various programs in an underserved neighborhood, including a financial literacy program but largely focused on teaching music and production lessons. He is also interested in human psychology and is partaking in a research project this summer, evaluating and analyzing the birthing experiences of adoptees giving birth to biological children.

Ian Montero

Ian Montero (he/him) is a high school senior at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, FL. He is a varsity track and field runner with a passion for theater and writing. He particularly appreciates poetry, and his favorite author is Ocean Vuong. He is the vice president of the Black Student Union. Ian intends to study business and economics. As a Hispanic individual, he is deeply appreciative of his background, especially his Peruvian and Cuban descent. He has an interest in learning new languages and is currently studying French in and out of school.

Jayden Pierrette

Jayden Pierrette (he/him), a freshman at Duke University starting in the Fall of 2023, has chosen to major in Political Science/Public Policy, driven by his passion for understanding and shaping the world of politics. Jayden has actively participated in several groups focused on tackling issues impacting underrepresented and intersectional communities during his time in high school. He understands the value of spreading knowledge about the obstacles the LGBTQ+ community faces in their fight for equality and just treatment.

Jason Ponder

Jason Ponder (he/him) is a youth advocate and photographer from Lithonia, Georgia. He is a recent graduate at Eastside High School in Covington, Ga, where he enjoyed the performing arts co-starring in musical productions like Mamma Mia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Little Mermaid. He also loves music, film, poetry and advocating for the marginalized people. His aspiration in life is to simply be happy, and a good person. Jason was a student of the Solutions NOT Punishment Collaborative’s Snap4Freedom School, a community organizing intensive fellowship program from 2020 to 2021. During that time, he learned a lot about the kinds of respect that people give and deserve.

Xavier Rolling

Xavier Rolling (he/him) is an Outreach Coordinator for Lost-n-Found Youth. He started his journey working with youth while interning at the Juvenile Detention Center in Shelby County Alabama. Listening to their stories inspired him to continue his education in Program Management with a concentration in Criminology at University of Phoenix. Having had a lived experience of homelessness wile living in Alabama, Xavier started a career path with Lost-n-Found Youth as a Program Associate when he moved back home to Atlanta. Today, he’s the Outreach Coordinator and Drop-in Center Manager where he supports youth empowerment.

Anna Tran

Anna Tran (she/her) is a sophomore at Bowdoin College intending to major in Anthropology with a minor in Asian Studies and is also on the pre-med track. From a young age, Anna experienced daily racism and anti-Asian sentiments from her predominantly-white community. Entering high school at Phillips Exeter Academy, she was propelled into a path of AAPI women empowerment. As founder and director of non-profit organization, Seeing Myself Writing, Anna allows Asian youth from all over to connect across the cultural confines of their communities. Anna harbors a deep interest in the intersections between the medical field and sociocultural aspects of our world and hopes to aid in bridging the understandings between patient and doctor.

Peter Tran

Peter Tran (he/him) is a senior anthropology major at Yale University with interests in archaeological and sociocultural studies. Though new to advocacy work, his time as a research intern for Eric J. Hertz, PC in cases of police brutality and environmentalism reaffirms his commitment to tackling intersectional issues. His attention to detail and critical eye will bolster the institute’s mission in educating people on LGBTQ+ movements for equality through a youth-centered lens. Born and raised in Atlanta, he looks forward to using his talents to push the needle forward in his hometown and the South more broadly.

Treasure Von-Holland

Treasure Von-Holland (she/they) is a junior at Southwest DeKalb High School in DeKalb County, Georgia. She has aspirations to attend Duke University and desires to study genetics and physiology. Additionally she is a poet, and among competing starters for her school's literary team, specifically in extemporaneous speaking. They volunteer over the summer through a program called Los Niños Primero, which helps Spanish-speaking kids get ahead in elementary education. She is also on the Youth Advisory Board for the LGBTQ Institute’s YOU(th) Belong program at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.