YCC Leadership

YCC Leadership Structure

The YCC leadership team includes co-presidents and committees who work to recruit and support each year’s cohort of fellows.

Key Committees

• LEADERSHIP TRAINING

  • Builds a unique YCC Training Schedule each year to most effectively deliver programming

  • Develops training materials for YCC to make sessions even more engaging

  • Organizes the YCC Social Change Conference each spring to showcase student projects

  • Collects feedback from YCC fellows to improve the fellowship program year after year

• OUTREACH

  • Recruits YCC Outreach Coordinators in each D.C. school and across the country 

  • Recruits student activists and adult mentors to form a diverse YCC community

  • Utilizes social media to build visibility for YCC initiatives

  • Recruits members from community organizations to participate in YCC

Co-President Stephanie Kengne is a senior at Rockville High School, MD. She is passionate about medicine, STEM education, and advocacy. She serves as the founder of plantingSTEMs, a non-profit organization that has served over 200 youth in Maryland, and is a current intern at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory where she is exploring her interest in neuroscience. She looks forward to helping others utilize their own resources and passion through YCC to create sustainable and impactful change.

Co-President Madhavibala Mohanakrishnan is a senior at Ridge High School, NJ. She creates social change through advocating for climate education and is passionate about educational equity and empowering marginalized communities. As Founder and Executive Director of GreenWaySquad, an organization that has served thousands of youth worldwide, and President of the Neurodiversity Ambassadors Club, she aspires to help others, one community at a time. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, research, painting, and public speaking.

Vice President of Outreach Sofia Valencia is a senior at St. Andrews Episcopal School, MD. She is dedicated to social justice through advocating for climate action as President of her school’s environmental club and works to advocate for the Latinx community at her school as a member of the Latinx club. In her free time she enjoys reading, playing soccer, going to the gym, and spending time with her friends and family. Through YCC she hopes to inspire more youth to advocate for what they believe in and create change. 

Outreach Co-chair Valerie Tsang is a junior at Poolesville High School, MD. She is dedicated towards creating equal opportunity for youth in Montgomery County. She is passionate about art, psychology, and serving the community. As the founder of SparkArts, she hopes to bridge the art education gap by creating accessible opportunities for students. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, exploring, and cooking. Through YCC, she hopes to help and inspire youth leaders to create change in their communities!

Outreach Co-Vice Chair Yedina is a senior from Rockville, Maryland. She is passionate about all things microbiology, and studying the intersection between science and social justice. She is excited to work in YCC this year to help empower student voices, and expand her perspective as she meets and interacts with other student activists! In her free time, Yedina loves to read comics and fantasy books, listen to musicals, and try new foods.

Leadership Training Committee Co-Chair Luke Lamour is a high school civic leader, and public speaker who has used his own speaking ability, curiosity and writing skills to promote critical-thinking skills among young people. As a debate coach for the nationally-recognized Westfield Academy and the founder of Action4Civics, Luke has used his voice to organize youth civic and debate programming across Connecticut. As a Scholastic Kids Press reporter, Luke has interviewed leaders including Barack Obama, Cory Booker, Jim Clyburn, and Allison Herren Lee, with his reporting reaching over 25 million young readers. As a writer, Luke published Jimmy Carter: From the Peanut Life to the Presidency at the age of nine. In his free time, Luke enjoys producing stop-motion animations.

Leadership Training Co-Chair Washini Madduma is a senior at Rockville High School, MD. She is passionate about art, about advocacy, and about STEM. In her free time she loves to draw, read, and cook. She joined YCC during the 2025-2026 cohort and learned a lot about advocacy. Through YCC, she hopes to continue to help others create projects and continue their aspirations!

Leadership Training Co-Chair Tristan Lee is a Student Leader who goes to Quince Orchard High School based in Montgomery County. He has a passion for law and politics and hopes to be a lawyer someday. As a former fellow who fostered a project, Tristan focuses on food insecurity in his organization and continues to mentor and assist YCC in the training of new fellows. He enjoys hiking, listening to music, and being in the gym. 

Nardos Amaniuel is a senior at Wheaton High School,MD. She is passionate about neuroscience and helping others. The hobbies she enjoys are art and reading books. She was a past fellow, passionate about stem and closing opportunity gaps. Through continuing YCC, she hopes to support others with the advocacy journey.

Leadership Co-Vice Chair Ruth Binyam is a senior at Wheaton High School in Maryland. She is passionate about nursing, working with kids, and being creative. In her free time, she enjoys painting and pottery. Through YCC, Ruth hopes to meet new people, learn from others, and use her interests and experiences to make a positive impact in her community.