News & Stories
Our Youth Advisory Council (YAC) brings together high school students from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties to lead and make a real impact as grantmakers.
We’re so proud of everything our YAC members accomplished this year—and we want to give a special congratulations to our amazing graduating seniors!
Together, they awarded a total of $91,000 to 32 nonprofits across the region last fall, helping support programs that make a difference for local youth.
Now, our YAC grads are heading off to exciting new chapters—take a look at what they’re up to next!
- Arlo Augusta
Name: Arlo Augusta
Years of YAC Service: 3 (includes 1 year on YAC Leadership Team)
County: Grand Traverse
Post-Grad Plans: Attend Western Michigan University to major in Aviation Flight Science and march in the Bronco Marching Band
How YAC Impacted Me: YAC helped me gain a better perspective of the lives of my peers and colleagues and how to support their needs, and it helped give me obtain other perspectives on community issues that out youth faces in the region.
- Piper Barnard
Name: Piper Barnard
Years of YAC Service: 2
County: Benzie
Post-Grad Plans: Attend University of Michigan Ann Arbor to study physics
How YAC Impacted Me: I got to see aspects of my community that I didn't know existed because of the ability to connect with so many organizations.
- Abby Corpus
Name: Abby Corpus
Years of YAC Service: 1
County: Grand Traverse
Post-Grad Plans: I plan to attend the University of Georgia to study Biology on a pre-med track
How YAC Impacted Me: YAC has impacted me by brining me a sense of community and being the bridge between the different philanthropies and teens in my community. It has inspired me to advocate for others and take time to understand the needs of my community!
- Addie DeGood
Name: Addie DeGood
Years of YAC Service: 3 (includes 1 year on YAC Leadership Team)
County: Grand Traverse
Post-Grad Plans: Attend the University of Michigan
How YAC Impacted Me: It gave me so much experience in philanthropy work that I didn’t previously have and inspired me to continue this kind of work into my future.
- Mya Main
Name: Mya Main
Years of YAC Service: 2 (includes 1 year on YAC Leadership Team)
County: Benzie
Post-Grad Plans: I will be attending Baker to finish my Associate's Degree through the Early Middle College program. Then I will transfer to Northern Michigan University for a Bachelor's Degree in Ecology.
How YAC Impacted Me: Being a part of YAC honestly had a huge impact on me. It really strengthened my people-skills and how I work with others. Being a YAC leader showed me how to lead others without acting or feeling superior. I learned how to work with others in a way that I haven't really experienced before.
- Coltrane Paryani
Name: Coltrane Paryani
Years of YAC Service: 3 (includes 1 year on YAC Leadership Team)
County: Kalkaska
Post-Grad Plans: Attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study Physics and Aerospace & Astronautical Engineering
How YAC Impacted Me: Being a part of YAC showed me the incredible level of impact each and every person is capable of, simply by utilizing our voices and bringing our own unique perspectives to the table.
- Alyssa Steiner
Name: Alyssa Steiner
Years of YAC Service: 1
County: Grand Traverse
Post-Grad Plans: I am finishing up the early college program at NMC next year to get my associates and then will be transferring to a university.
How YAC Impacted Me: I learned a lot about how grants work! Reading through them helped me to understand better how they are structured and what funding we need in our community.
- Trey Stewart
Name: Trey Stewart
Years of YAC Service: 3
County: Grand Traverse
Post-Grad Plans: Studying Applied Mathematics at Brown University
How YAC Impacted Me: It opened my eyes to different perspectives and introduced me to problems in my community that I wasn’t familiar with.
Our other recently graduated YAC seniors include: Eliza Aldridge, Tucker Ballenger, Ava-mae Bradford, Tré Bromley, Edward Chan, Izzy Fournier, George MacPherson, Maggie MacPherson, Zoe MacPherson, Anna Martin, Ingrid Paciorka, Clayton Petty, Nora Puroll, Landon Rice, Addison Riemersma, Noah Wentzloff, Nora Wnek, Ben Wolff