Youth Seat/Advisory Council Applications

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 Applications are now CLOSED for the youth seat and advisory council.

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Students with the following qualifications were considered:

- GPA of a 3.0 or higher

- Be a Hanover County Resident

- Attend a Hanover County Public School (i.e. Hanover or Patrick Henry High School)

- Have community service or work experience with people who have developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, and/or substance use disorder

- 1 Letter of Recommendation for the youth council (2 for the youth seat) will be required and an essay

Please note: if you apply for the youth SEAT and are not chosen your application will automatically be put in the running for the council.

Hello, my name is Teagan Gilhooly and I am a rising Junior at Atlee High School. I enjoy all things outdoors along with spending time with my friends and helping out in my community. My love for helping younger kids has come from being very involved in my church nursery and helping all kids with different abilities play and have a great time together! I am so excited for my opportunity to serve on the HCSS Youth Advisory Council!

My name is Aidan Howell, and I’m a rising freshman at Atlee High School. I enjoy playing sports, being outdoors, and spending time with my family and dog. I’ve been involved in programs like TILT, the Big Feet Meet at CMS, and South Anna 4-H. These experiences taught me the value of inclusion, teamwork, and friendship—qualities that are important to me. I’m excited for the opportunity to serve on the HCSS Youth Advisory Council and hope to make a positive impact in our community.

My name is Kaleigh Landers I am a rising Junior at Atlee High School. I enjoy all things with my friends and family and I love getting to know new people. I serve as a volunteer at Vacation Bible School, Miss Hanover Abilities Pageant, a buddy for Challenger Soccer and Basketball, and Night to Shine, at Cool Spring Baptist Church. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to be on the youth council!

My name is Seren McCoy, I am 17 and a rising senior at Patrick Henry High School. I live in western Hanover with my parents, sister and two dogs and cats. I am a part of my school’s yearbook staff and have volunteered at Action Reaction Jiu Jitsu for several years where I get to meet people from all types of backgrounds. I am very active in the VMFA and other libraries and museums. I love to read in my free time and enjoy helping others. I am excited for the opportunity to serve on the Youth Advisory Council and give back to my community!

My name is Emma Medei and I am 16 years old and a rising junior at Patrick Henry high school. I swim for Patrick Henry high school, Ashland Barracudas, and NOVA of Virginia, I also enjoy teaching swim lessons at the local YMCA. I love summer, the beach, and spending time with my friends. I also love being apart of the AllStar basketball and track team at my high school, and I am very exited and grateful to continue to serve my community through the Youth Council.

My name is Camden Metzger. I am a rising Junior at Mechanicsville High School. I enjoy playing sports especially football and hanging out with my friends and family. I serve as a buddy for Compass Challenger Open Gyms, as a referee at Special Olympics, and have volunteered  with Night to Shine, at Cool Spring Baptist Church. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to be on the youth council!

Hi! My name is Mia Parese and I am a rising junior at Atlee High school. I am involved in many clubs and organizations in my community. I find a lot of joy in volunteering with kids of all abilities and I have helped out with various events such as the Miss Hanover Abilities pageant, Night to Shine, RVAccess, All Star Basketball at AHS, and this year I am helping out with Challenger sports. I am in Atlee’s TILT program and I play varsity soccer and field hockey for my school. I love spending time with my friends and helping out in my community. I am so excited for this opportunity to serve on the Youth Advisory Council!

Hello, My name is Tia Patel and I am a rising senior at PH, I live with my parents and my sister and I absolutely love working for others and the community in general. I am always enthusiastic working with kids and love to spend my time learning, growing and developing myself with the kids I always look after, be it at home or at school or anywhere else. Working as a mentor and tutor for school I always try to do the best I can and serve others in my community.  I currently do SODA, BETA and dance and hope to do more. I am so excited to work with the Youth Advisory Council!

Anderson Payne is a rising sophomore at Atlee High School. She serves as a volunteer at Vacation Bible School, Challenger Soccer and Basketball at Cool Spring Baptist Church. Anderson was a member of TILT at Chickahomany Middle School and regularly attends Young Life Capernaum. She is very  grateful for this opportunity to serve on the Youth Advisory Council.

Zoe Schoener is a rising sophomore at Patrick Henry High School. She plays volleyball for her school and a travel team. She volunteers as a coach on the All Star Basketball team at Patrick Henry, and will be a member of SODA next school year. Zoe is so excited to spend her time apart of the council.

Hello, my name is Sadie Tiller and I am currently a rising senior at Hanover High School. I have spent time working with and helping people with disabilities within our community through my volunteering practices, such as working within the Challenger Sports Programs and helping run events that offer specialized support for disabled children. As I continue my last year of high school and make my way into college I wish to spread more awareness and acceptance of all disabilities, whether they are intellectual, physical, or even hidden; I also hope to reduce to the social stigma surrounding them through this practice of educating others on the nature of different disabilities, in hopes that I will be able to leave a positive impact on how our community views disabilities and disabled people. 

Hi! My name is Ashley Williams and I am a rising Junior at Atlee High School. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends along with helping out in my community. In the past years I have served as a Buddy with Challenger Sports, Night to shine, Miss Hanover Abilities Pageant, and I am a member of Tilt at Atlee. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Youth Council.