Youth Ambassadors
Our Youth Ambassador Program is a training program about teaching youth to be leaders in their states. We talk about what is happening in states about alternatives to guardianship. We teach youth about advocacy and leadership. Youth can learn about their rights and how to make decisions for themselves. Youth can share what they learn with other young people and their families. View our Youth Ambassador curriculum!
So far, we have trained 15 Youth Ambassadors from Vermont, Wisconsin, and Georgia. Please meet our Youth Ambassadors!
Meet the Ambassadors
- All
- Georgia
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
Angad Sahgal
Georgia
Angad is a freshman at Georgia State University's IDEAL program. His uplifting and positive attitude is contagious and his biggest strength. He sets goals and works diligently to achieve them. One of his proudest accomplishments to date is earning a Black Belt in karate and attending college. He is an artist and sells his art and wearable art independently and on Synergies Work - a non-profit working to promote businesses of people with disabilities. He plans to start his own business and be a strong advocate for people with disabilities.
Darien Todd
Georgia
Darien is 25 and from Ellenwood GA. He graduated from Kennesaw State University where he majored in public speaking. Darien now works at the Center for Leadership in Disability, at Georgia State University, as the Community Advocate Specialist where he educates and trains others on advocacy. He is also an alumnus of the Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program, the AUCD Leadership Academy and My Voice, My Participation, My Board program where he is currently a trainer. Watch Darien's interview about supported decision-making on Real Talk with Rita Young.
Derek Heard
Georgia
Derek is 21-years old, lives in Albany, Georgia and attends Lee County High School. He is a self-advocate and artist who enjoys food, graphic design, painting, drawing, and playing video games. Derek believes that a picture can say a lot. He has used his love of art to help spread the message of equality around the rights of people with disabilities. He is a passionate disability voting advocate. Derek is a board member of Uniting for Change, a network of self-advocates, and REV Up Georgia. He aspires to become a professional character design artist.
Elisha McKenzie
Georgia
Elisha lives in Suwanee, Georgia and will be graduating from high school in 2022. Her motto is: “I was born ready.” Elisha wants to make sure people think about what is possible when thinking about supported decision-making vs guardianship. She serves on her Church’s Guest Services Team and enjoys helping people, learning about technology, and playing sports. She is learning the acoustic guitar and wants to become a Zumba instructor. As a youth ambassador, she wants everyone to know: “You can make your own decisions with support.”
Hasan Ko
Vermont
Hasan Ko is a peer leader of Green Mountain Self-Advocate’s work on including people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds. He came to the United States from Myanmar in 2008. Hasan says, “No matter where we come from, we have the right to be ourselves in our own way.” Hasan is the president of Champlain Voices, his local self-advocacy group and serves on the board of his provider agency. He teaches self-advocacy workshops to students with disabilities. Hasan has a strong work ethic and mentors youth preparing for their first job. His message to mentees is, “I am telling you this because I want to share about a life of never giving up.” Hasan represents GMSA on several national projects and is the co-lead on Vermont’s Supported Decision-Making Team.
Taylor Terry
Vermont
Taylor Terry completed a Think College certificate program at the University of Vermont. “I learned the ropes of living independently on my own and how to create my own business, Taylor’s Cupcakes for a Cure.” She added cookies to her menu since going to CookieCon in Orlando, Florida. Taylor is an active board member of Green Mountain Self-Advocates. She fights for her rights as a person with a disability. She is eager to learn new ways to be a part of the self-advocacy community in Vermont. Taylor serves on committees that review plain language information to make sure it is accessible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Jordan Anderson
Wisconsin
Jordan is 19 years old and a 2021 high school graduate. Jordan is a strong advocate for supported decision-making and co-leads the Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice project for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. He has a dual role as a co-lead and a Youth Ambassador for the project and is helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship. Jordan is currently enrolled in Project Search.
Joe Grillo
Georgia
Joe is 19 and attends high school in White County, GA. Being born and raised in the mountains of northeast GA, he enjoys the great outdoors and is a big fan of the Grateful Dead. Joe decided to become a Youth Ambassador to show others with significant disabilities how he uses supported decision-making to direct and control his life.
Leslie Thornton
Georgia
Leslie is a 27-year-old from St. Mary’s, GA who is passionate about people with disabilities having real lives, with real jobs, real relationships and making real decisions. She works to advocate for the human and civil rights of all people and equality for people with disabilities, especially in employment. She has spent the last four years working as a Social Media Content Developer. Leslie believes, “equity should be a standard for all lives. No human being has more worth than another.”
Lehana Guyette
Vermont
Lehana Guyette works as an advocate for Green Mountain Self-Advocates. She is also an active local organizer with the Vermont Workers Center. She speaks at rallies calling for health care for everyone as part of the Health Care Is a Human Right Campaign. Lehana represents people with disabilities on the Governor’s Health Equity Advisory Commission working to reduce health disparities in Vermont. Lehana is making a video to explain the steps she took to become her own payee. You have the right to receive your own Social Security check and learn how to handle your money yourself. Lehana is a member of Capitol Advocates Together, a local self-advocacy group in Montpelier, Vermont.
Isabella Carrera-Skorstad
Vermont
Isabella Carrera-Skorstad is 18 years old and goes to high school in Essex, Vermont. She has a passion for gardening and enjoys working at Gardener’s Supply. Bella is a strong advocate for her friends at school, especially students who have a hard time communicating. They’ve been together for years and she knows what they want. If Bella notices her peers not being included, she is the first to speak up on their behalf. Bella is also a fearless snowboarder riding the slopes of Vermont.
William Becker
Wisconsin
Will is an 18-year-old from Oregon, WI. He is currently in the transition program at Oregon High School. Will has been living the principles of supported decision-making since he started participating in his IEP meetings in 3rd grade. Will likes basketball, bowling, and spending time with his family.
Jennie
Wisconsin
Jennie is a 24-year-old self-advocate from the Milwaukee area and Youth Ambassador for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities’ Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice project helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship. Jennie loves her job at Panera Bread where she has a position in food prep, which means she prepares foods and measures out portions.
Alesia Saffold
Wisconsin
Alesia is a self-advocate from Milwaukee and a Partners in Policymaking graduate. She is a Youth Ambassador for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities’ Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice project helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship.
Ashley Mathy
Wisconsin
Ashley is a mentor and Youth Ambassador for the CYVYC project for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (WBPDD). She is a 25-year-old disability advocate who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (autism spectrum). She is a Wisconsin Policymaking Partner, Employment 1st Ambassador, and President of People First’s Rhinelander Chapter. Most recently, she was appointed to the Board of Directors for WBPDD. Ashley has spoken around the state of Wisconsin advocating for individuals with special needs. She co-hosts the Self-Determination channel on YouTube.