100 Young Americans Selected for National Youth250 Bureau
First-of-its-kind “Gen Z hotline” helps communities prepare to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday
December 13, 2024 | Atlanta, GA — Made By Us, the national coalition of museums and historic sites connecting young adults to credible sources, today announced the selection of 100 dynamic young Americans for the inaugural national Youth250 Bureau.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Youth250 Bureau amplifies young people’s imaginations, ideas, and input, ensuring their voices lead the commemoration of this historic milestone. The Bureau serves as a critical resource for organizations and communities planning programs to mark the occasion, ensuring these initiatives resonate with the future inheritors of American democracy.
The Bureau’s 100 members are aged 18 to 30, hail from 45 states and territories, and represent a broad spectrum of perspectives, including students, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and creators. Ten of these members will serve as Community Leads, while all participants engage in 20 hours of training and coaching. Their impact will be captured in an upcoming docu-series, capturing Gen Z perspectives at this pivotal moment in U.S. history.
Starting February 2025, organizations and communities planning to commemorate the 250th anniversary can access the Bureau for youth input through focus groups, material reviews, co-ideation, content creation, and more. An accompanying toolkit will offer research, worksheets, and actionable tips for institutions wishing to engage younger generations.
“It’s time for America to tap into its biggest asset — the youth wave sweeping our nation,” said Caroline Klibanoff, Executive Director of Made By Us and a New America US@250 Senior Fellow. “The U.S. 250th is an opportunity to cultivate pride, reckoning, and aspiration in the American story, and this starts with giving the next generation a seat at the table.”
The Youth250 Bureau is supported by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and launched in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives Foundation, National Park Service, Teen Vogue, DoSomething, CoGenerate, PBS, American Association for State and Local History, and Pulso. The project builds on cross-generational workshops held at the Atlanta History Center, Conner Prairie, Eastern State Penitentiary and Utah Historical Society earlier this year, as well as a sprint to create the design brief for the nation’s first-ever youth bureau at Stanford d.school’s Future’s Happening.
“Young people are ready to share fresh ideas for our country’s future,” said Alex Edgar, Youth Engagement Manager for Made By Us. “Youth250 Bureau Members include Forbes 30-Under-30 winners, military members, new immigrants, gamers, and Beyoncé fans. They represent a spectrum across the Gen Z experience.”
This initiative aims not only to empower youth but also to transform the nation’s institutions, broaden its stories, and leave a lasting legacy of Gen Z’s impact. The effort will accelerate and grow as the anniversary approaches.
To request an interview, discuss collaboration or support, or seek additional information, contact Caroline@HistoryMadeByUs.org.
Learn more at Youth250.org.
The Youth250 Bureau
*Denotes Community Lead
Sara Abdulla, 27, Chicago, IL
Mussab Ali, 27, Jersey City, NJ
Paola Alonso Guerrero, 26, Grand Prairie, TX
Jorge Alvarez, 25, Jersey City, NJ
Sofia Alvarez, 27, Los Angeles, CA
Anatola Araba, 26, Los Angeles, CA
Dante Bernard, 24, New Springfield, OH
Hannah Botts, 21, Danville, KY
Robby Brooks, 22, Colorado Springs, CO
*Justice Brown, 22, New Haven, CT
Shayna Canty, 26, Henryville, PA
SaMiya Carroll, 21, St. Louis, MO
Ashley Chavez, 19, Hyattsville, MD
Katie Costa, 25, Atlanta, GA
Ana Cruz, 19, Caguas, PR
Daniel Dabney, 20, Gary, IN
George Damtey, 24, Salisbury, NC
Diamoni Davis, 20, New London, CT
Mali De La Cruz, 24, Milwaukee, WI
*Trey Delida, 25, Lexington, KY
Ruby DiCarlo, 24, Seward, AK
Lauren Doepke, 24, Washington, DC
Finn Does, 19, Berkeley, CA
Andrew Dominguez Farias, 25, Lincoln, NE
Levi Ekstrom, 23, Whitinsville, MA
Achea Elliott, 26, Milwaukee, WI
Ryan Erwin, 27, Des Moines, IA
Sarah Fiedler, 29, Redondo Beach, CA
*Sarah Fling, 27, Washington, DC
Nyshyne Frieson, 21, Huntington, WV
Michelle Fuentes, 30, Smyrna, GA
Yasmine Ganemtore, 19, Bronx, NY
Arielle Geismar, 23, Washington, DC
Hal Gensler, 22, Berea, KY
Nathaniel George, 18, Durham, NC
Andrew German, 27, Menifee, CA
Laura Gomez, 19, Houston, TX
Nayra Green, 21, Salt Lake City, UT
Sergio Hernandez, 23, Watsonville, CA
Ram Hernández, 23, McAllen, TX
Justin Hill, 26, Philadelphia, PA
Dylan Humphrey, 20, Boston, MA
Angelina Johnson, 23, Carrollton, TX
Sophie Kaloustian, 21, Missouri City, TX
Sierra Koski, 24, Oakley, MI
*Kaylee LaTocha, 23, Anchorage, AK
Carina Laventure, 18, Washington, DC
Corinne Lerma, 21, Cincinnati, OH
*Jasmine Lewis, 22, Tuscaloosa, AL
Nicole Li, 23, Washington, DC
Zhane McCorvey, 20, Jackson, MS
Gavin McKay, 21, Milton, FL
Ashley Mejia, 24, Miami, FL
Suha Musa, 23, New York, NY
*Wyatt Nako, 21, Washington, DC
Erik Nielsen, 19, Ann Arbor, MI
Marion Noble, 22, Los Angeles, CA
Isabel Ohakamma, 20, Charlottesville, VA
Martin Orea, 18, Santa Monica, CA
Michael Ortega, 28, Washington, DC
*Allie Pae, 21, Middletown, CT
Mallory Panuelo, 26, Conway, SC
DeShawn Parrish, 25, Concord, NH
Ciara Person, 22, Columbus, OH
Kayla Pilgrim, 18, Berwyn, IL
Chloe Roach, 26, Portland, OR
Katie Roy, 27, Jersey City, NJ
David Saleh, 21, South Bend, IN
Jocel Sánchez, 21, Compton, CA
Meg Schanes, 23, Lafayette Hill, PA
Egan Schmidt Weiss, 25, Laurel, MD
Sofia Schnurer, 22, Berkeley, CA
A.J. Schumann, 22, Rio Rancho, NM
Lauren Sermersheim, 23, Asheville, NC
Savannah Shaon, 26, Boise, ID
Nahom Sisay, 18, Dallas, TX
Savannah Smalley, 19, Philadelphia, PA
Andrew Song, 24, Silverdale, WA
*Lex Stewart, 29, Austin, TX
Khadidah Stone, 28, Birmingham, AL
Matt Suescun, 19, Cambridge, MA
Wanda Suiter, 23, Kansas City, MO
Nora Sun, 19, Cambridge, MA
Jonnae Sylvester, 22, Fullerton, CA
Faria Tavacoli, 21, Las Vegas, NV
Hailey Taylor, 24, Draper, UT
KaRa Lyn Thrasher, 29, Scottsdale, AZ
Adam Tillery, 28, Detroit, MI
Emilia Toth, 21, Portland, ME
Tyler Tucker, 25, Washington, DC
A.J. Ulwelling, 23, Washington, DC
*Zev van Zanten, 21, Durham, NC
*Grace Vance, 22, Little Rock, AR
Monique Vargas, 25, Muncie, IN
Alexandra Vidal, 27, Fort Lee, NJ
Connor Walsh, 29, Seattle, WA
Alexandra Watts, 30, Phoenix, AZ
Angelica Williams, 22, Detroit, MI
J’Vonnie Williamson, 18, Houston, TX
Marrow Woods, 21, Macon, GA
