From Youth Leader to Community Visionary

Photo credit: Hannah Rodriguez

 

Image description: A professional headshot of Hannah Rodriguez. She has shoulder-length dark hair and is wearing a black top, complemented by a pair of earrings and a necklace with a rectangular pendant. 

 

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Our Youth Advisory Councils, affectionately called YACs, involve young people as youth leaders and grantmakers. One particular YAC alum–Hannah Rodriguez–has carried on serving the Northern Michigan community into adulthood. 

For four years, Hannah participated in YAC as a high school student. She was an active recruiter, finding like-minded peers who also wanted to help make a difference in their community.  

“I was always looking for opportunities to make my community a better place and to gain a deeper understanding of challenges in my community,” said Hannah. “YAC was an exciting opportunity for me to be a voice for my community and peers and to affect change.” 

After graduating, Hannah attended the University of Michigan and received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Theory and Practice with a minor in Community Action Social Change. She then earned her Master of Social Work with an emphasis in Organizational and Community Leadership from Michigan State University. 

Hannah now works for the Manistee Community Foundation as a Program Officer, where she leads youth and education programs and initiatives, including serving as their YAC Advisor–bringing things full circle. She also serves as an MSW Field Instructor through MSU’s School of Social Work and as an advisor to the Michigan Community Foundation’s Youth Project Committee, which leads the development, design, and facilitation of youth programs at the Council of Michigan Foundations and for YACs across the state. To say YAC impacted Hannah’s life and career trajectory would be an understatement.  

“YAC provides young people with the ability to play an authentic leadership role in their community and use their voice to affect change,” said Hannah. “ A diverse and inclusive YAC can identify and address needs in the community that adults may simply not be aware of or understand. YACs can impact the future of a community, and that is a powerful opportunity.” 

Working hard to make a difference in Manistee County, Hannah never misses an opportunity to promote the benefits of YAC in Northern Michigan communities and her personal ties to the youth council. 

“My experience in YAC shaped who I am in my career and as an actively engaged member of my community. I am so grateful for the impact the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation has had in our area over the last thirty years and for its role in leading me to my current work and back home to the place I love so deeply.” 

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Writer: Alex Dailey