Sandeep Peddada

Sandeep Peddada is proud to be serving as the Youth Commissioner for District 1 this upcoming year.  He has been heavily involved in the District 1 Youth Advisory Council (YAC) the past two years, and served as Vice-Chair of the YAC last year.  Through his work with the YAC and the youth commission, Sandeep has gained a passion and appreciation for community service and civic engagement.  Over the past two years, he has spent over 180 hours giving back to his community through community service events such as the Great American Litter Pickup, Blackford's National Night Out, and many of the Starbird Youth Center's holiday events.  He has also been very active in city affairs by attending meetings such as the Police Chief recruitment meeting and the Mayor's Budget Priority Setting Meeting.  This upcoming year, Sandeep hopes to expand the role and focus of his YAC from simply community service to city politics and youth involvement in city government.

For more information or to join the Youth Advisory Council of District 1, email Sandeep Peddada at D1youthcommission@gmail.com  

Emily To

My name is Emily To and I am the District 2 Youth Commissioner. Currently a senior at Oak Grove High School, I have been a highly involved member in several different community service clubs such as Key Club, Interact Club, Vietnamese Student Union, California Scholarship Federation, and the National Honor Society since freshman year. I have a strong budding interest in science, which was discovered through my high involvement in various science fairs. During the school year, I work in a Bioengineering lab at San Jose State University researching and experimenting for projects, and I also currently work as a research intern in a Forensics lab for the summer of 2011.
Last year Youth Commissioner, Annie Chung, encouraged me to attend District 2's Youth Advisory Council Meetings, After attending my very first meeting, I became highly aware of all the issues that plague the youth, and I wanted to do something about It. Because I feel that gangs and the achievement gap in education are the two biggest challenges, I hope to make a difference by the end of my term. By the end of my term, I hope to have led a community of youth to be more proactive, involved, and educated. For more information or to join District 2's Youth Advisory Council, please email me at d2yac@yahoo.com

 

Esmeralda Valerio

Hello, my name is Esmeralda Valerio and I am the District 3 Youth Commissioner. I am 17 years old and I attend San Jose High School as a Senior. I dance Ballet Folklorico for a non-profit dance company and I also Cheer, although I took a break off of it this year, I do plan on continuing cheerleading through college. I enjoy being a proactive member of society. One of my favorite quotes is “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” At school, I am very involved as I am the ASB Treasurer, as well as the Secretary of the Pacific Islanders Club and I am also in charge of Cultural Affairs of the Latino Student Union Club. After attending the “No Hesitation for Participation” Youth Conference with my school’s Leadership class, I absolutely knew I wanted to be a part of the Youth Commission. Beginning my term has really opened my eyes to the issues that are seen in District 3. My main goal is to represent my District the best I can as I believe the youth should have a respectable and powerful voice in society. I strive to inspire other youth to be a part of the Commission and the YAC’s just like the Youth Commission inspired me. If you would like to send me your thoughts or become a part of the District 3 Youth Advisory Council, please email me at district3youthcommissioner@gmail.com

Max Chen

My name is Max Chen, and I am currently a junior at Independence High School. As your District 4 youth commissioner, my main goal is to help prepare the young people of San Jose for the rigors and challenges of the real world. By giving youth a voice in making decisions for our city, I look to provide an outlet for young people to earnestly express their opinions, thoughts, and recommendations. Since we are the ones who will ultimately become the future leaders of Silicon Valley, it is crucial that the youth hit the ground running, with sufficient knowledge and awareness of the world around them, prepared to excel and succeed.

I have played basketball for several years, and I was on our school team for the last two seasons. My strengths lie in math and science, and I have competed at the Synopsis Science Championship in years past. I also play the violin as part of our school’s symphony orchestra.

For more information or to join the Youth Advisory Council of District 4, email me at D4youthcommission@gmail.com 

Veronica Abad

Brendon Yu

Hello, my name is Brendon Yu and I am the new District 6 Youth Commissioner. So far, I am the second youngest amongst our group of commissioners and will be a sophomore at Bellarmine College Preparatory this coming school year. I am involved in two sports: cross country running and golf, and they are both wonderful and I wish to continue them for the next three years of my high school career.

My desire to be a Youth Commissioner  began due to my involvements in Speech and Debate, and community service. In extemporaneous speaking, I had to come up with intense, analytical speeches on either politics or economical plans. This linked with getting a better view of the community caused me to open my eyes and realize just how much we have to change, and that change cannot just be started by a wish, but from a person who was willing to devote time into this change. Therefore, within my term, I am anticipating much progress among the youths in my district and the way that they are treated through many plans that are to be implemented by the councilmen of San Jose.

Hope everybody who reads this or is within San Jose can not only wish me, but also my fellow commissioners luck in succeeding in whatever goal that we have set for ourselves and for the city.

Being a commissioner is an exciting experience and if anyone would like to join the District 6 YAC e-mail me at D6youthcommission@gmail.com

Vacant

 

Rosaleen Dhaliwal

My name is Rose Dhaliwal and I am a senior at University Preparatory Academy charter school. As a youth commissioner, I love that I have so many opportunities to get to know a diversified population of youth, as well as other leaders at both the city and state level. I am a huge advocate of recognizing the great things youth have done and will do with support and whichever resources we can provide. After high school, I would like to go towards a degree related to medicine and work in the health care profession. As an alumnus of People to People Ambassador Programs, I have been exposed to the cultural and social diversity of numerous European nations and the importance of promoting world peace and community involvement. My love for travelling has also taken me to countries such as India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. In my free time, I love to dance, sing, act, and play basketball. I hope and plan to provide for the community by continuing my work with the Blanket Buddy program, an organization I co-founded to collect donations and deliver them to homeless shelters within the city of San Jose.

Vacant

 

Layla Forooghi

My name is Layla Forooghi, and I have served on the Youth Commission as District 10 Commissioner for the fiscal year of 2010-2011, and will be serving for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Prior to being the Youth Commissioner, I was a part of my district’s Youth Advisory Council since the age of 12. I graduated from Leland High School in the spring of 2011, and will be staying in the city of San Jose to attend San Jose State University where I will major English Composition and Literature and minor in Business Management. I am excited to start another year with the Youth Commission and see what we can do next as leaders. Outside of public service, I enjoy reading, writing, and painting.

If you would like to be a part of the District 10 Youth Advisory Council please feel free to e-mail me at D10youthcommission@gmail.com  

Mariam Khan

Hello my name is Mariam Khan and I am the City-Wide Youth Commissioner. I am currently a senior at Notre Dame High School. My primary reason for joining the Youth Commission was to give a voice to the youth of San Jose on issues that affect them. My main goal is to represent the diverse population of youth in the City to the best of my ability. Since youth are unable to vote, it becomes difficult for them to participate in civic engagement. However, I believe that the Youth Commission enables the youth to recognize that their opinions do matter to local government. It's simply a matter of integrating the input of the youth into the San Jose City Council's decision-making process.

A major challenge I believe the San Jose youth face today is the current budget crisis. Many essential city services that directly target the youth are in danger of being cut or drastically reduced—including, but not limited to: various youth centers, community centers, STAND, the Safe School Campus Initiative, city sports programs, etc. However, it is nothing we cannot overcome. As the City-wide Youth Commissioner, I am dedicated to servicing the youth of my city, and I refuse to back down. The Youth Commission itself has further broadened my horizon, and given me the opportunity to positively impact youth in a way I never thought possible before. Through the Commission, I have developed several interests such as the SJ2020 initiative (geared towards closing the Achievement Gap) and the juvenile justice system (the high rate of recidivism, the need for social services for at-risk youth).

If you have any questions or would like to send me your thoughts, please feel free to do so at citywideyouthcommission@gmail.com