Steering Committee
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Rohan Dalal
Founder, California Association of Youth Commission
Founder and Chair, Hillsborough Youth Commission
Rohan is a senior at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough. He is passionate about uplifting youth voice and increasing civic engagement. After starting his town's youth commission, he seeks to support other towns to establish youth commissions. He is committed to raising awareness of inadvertent fentanyl poisoning in youth and hopes to write legislation to increase access to Narcan throughout California to address the fentanyl public health crisis. He loves playing football and cricket.
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Anya Dalal
Co-Founder, California Association of Youth Commissions
Vice-Chair, Hillsborough Youth Commission
Anya is a sophomore at Castilleja School in Palo Alto. She is passionate about connecting teens in her community, providing mental health support, and enhancing environmental sustainability. She seeks to raise awareness regarding fentanyl poisoning and increase access to Narcan. She also hopes to increase voter registration for teens. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer and spending time with her dog.
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Ben Michaels
Ben is a science-oriented junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School. A three-year member of Belmont’s Youth Advisory Committee, he is passionate about getting things done in his community by planning initiatives and seeing them to their fullest potential. Ben hopes to help every member of a California youth commission feel the same way; enjoying every step of the youth commission process. An avid snowboarder, he loves the outdoors and works at a ski resort.
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Penny Reed
Penny is a Crystal Springs Uplands School senior. She has served on the Burlingame Youth Committee for three years. Penny is passionate about connecting her town and the larger communities. Volunteering at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, she helps refugees study for their citizenship test. In CAYC, she hopes to connect like-minded youths across the state and develop more mature, aware youth commissions. She has played with her town's club for nearly a decade.
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Rikhav Shah
Rikhav is a junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School. On the San Mateo County Youth Commission (SMCYC), he has served on the educational equity and environmental justice subcommittees. He is passionate about early childhood education. He endeavors to collaborate with other youth commissions across California to create effective change at the local and state level. He is eager to expand the CAYC’s network of youth commissions.
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Sofia Shah
Sofia is a current junior at the Harker School and is a chairman of the Los Altos Hills Youth Commission. She enjoys serving on her town's youth commission because it allows her to give back to her local community. In joining CAYC, she seeks to encourage the same for all youth in California. In her free time, she enjoys debating and dancing.
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Winnie Liao
Winnie is a junior at Lowell High School in San Francisco. She represents District 3 on the SF Youth Commission, which encompasses Chinatown, the Embarcadero, the Financial District, and more. Winnie is passionate about increasing opportunities in education, childcare, and affordable housing, which has motivated her to serve on her commission's Housing, Recreation, and Transit (HRT) committee.