Worksession re Meet and greet with Assembly Youth Representative Candidates - August 8, 2025

Why don't we go ahead and come to order? Hello everybody, samai. It's 1:01 PM, today's Friday, August 8th. We're here on work session to meet our potential youth representatives. We got 4 out of 5 applicants were invited to this conversation.

Before we do that, we'll do our assembly member introductions for the record, and then we will begin. So, ah, stop. This is my chance.

Aaron Balbonet. Zach Johnson. Keith LaPargne. Yonah Silvers. Ann Brown.

Christopher Constant. Do we have anyone on the phone? So in order to make the microphones work, you press the button and the green light comes on. You don't have to hold the button, but once the green light's on, your mic is hot. Be aware of that.

And then when you're done talking, press it again. That way it turns off. They're pretty sensitive mics, and so if you're whispering your inner monologue, it may pick up on the record forever. So, um, Just be wary. So welcome everybody.

The title of the work session today is Meet and Greet with Assemblymember Hughes' Representative Candidates. And, um, if you want to get in the queue, members, go ahead and let me know, let me know, send me a text. Um, and thank you everybody for being here. It's time to select the next year for this next session's Assembly Youth Representatives. Purpose today is to get to know the candidates for Assembly's Youth Representative alternate positions.

The selection responsibility falls to me in partnership with with the vice chair, but following the process set out by my predecessor, then Assembly Chair France, now mayor, we've invited the candidates to spend time with us so we can all hear the— from the prospective candidates. So we had 10 applicants this year, which is a great number for us. It takes a lot of work to get those applications in, and this year we have 10, and we were able to sort it down to 5. And today we have 4 of those 5. Each one is from a different area in Anchorage.

And of course, in a moment, introduce themselves, tell us where they're from and why they're here. And as a reminder, youth represented in alternate terms for the upcoming school year will receive a seat in regular and special meetings. They may join committees and participate in more sessions and informal meetings as their calendars allow. I don't think we've really had much participation by, uh, youth members at the committee's level or general session. I don't know if Mr. Mullen is around as well.

So each youth member Whoever is selected will receive all the same materials assembly members receive in regular and special meetings and are given a preferential vote on each item up for vote except for marijuana and alcohol-related items. The selected candidates will receive training and orientation and ideally be matched with assembly members as mentors. And some of you are interested in being a mentor, we'll have that talk later. So now we'll go ahead and, um, do just a name introduction. Briefly say your name, what school you're from if you're in school, and what part of town you're from.

We'll hand it down and then we'll come back to questions. So let's start. Um, hello, my name is Kennedy Bowser and I'm from Chugiak High School and I'm from Igloolooka. Thank you. Hello, my name is Monica Eggleston.

I go to Betty Davis East Anchorage High School and I live in East Area. Hello, my name is Bill Morsh. I'm from South High School and I live in the South Anchorage area. Hello, my name is Jack Thompson. I go to Highland Academy Charter School.

I'm from Blue Blairs Cove, downtown area. All right, thank you. So, um, thank you to you young people for making the time of your last days of summer vacation before we get back to school and start the year. I understand that it can be a little bit intimidating sitting here in these seats like this. Um, Pamela, we could have you sitting over there.

Intense. But, um, you know, very few of us were involved in our local government to any extent like this when we were your age, so I think I can speak for all of us when I say we're grateful for you for being here and putting yourselves out to apply for this, for these positions. So we'll start by giving you each a few minutes to share a bit about yourselves and what you feel you can bring or add to the assembly. Once you've all had a chance to respond, we're going to open the floor to colleagues to ask questions And we'll kind of roll through members. I'll just pick someone to start first.

Won't be the same person every time. And, um, at the end we'll give you a chance to make any closing comments that you wish to make. So as I said, when it's your turn, just have the mic, press the button, light's green. When you're done, turn it off. And so, um, we'll go ahead and start with you, Ms. Bowser.

And again, the question is, please take a few minutes, tell us about yourself. And what you feel you might add or bring to the assembly. Um, sorry, I'm at Chugiak High School. I did student government for 2 years, and I'm also the vice president of the National Honor Society at our school. And I'm also in E-Club, which is Environmental Action, and this year it was focused on like restoring reefs and donating to coral reefs.

And I feel like at my high school I witnessed like firsthand and issues affecting our youth, such as emotional instability and just the pressure of being a high schooler in general, because it's normalized to drive. You may have younger siblings you have to pick up, and you also have a job. And on top of that, it's expected that you're also excellent in your academics. And I feel like that's one issue. And another issue is just mental health in general.

That's a big issue. And I feel like there isn't— there's resources here, but we could have more, especially targeted at our youth. And there isn't a lot of just places for youth in general to feel comfortable, like youth centers. And I feel like by doing that, we could maybe solve some of the issues. Thank you.

Um, okay, so first I just wanted to start off with like my favorite hobby. My favorite thing to do is sing. Um, I have been training for 3 years to classical singer and have done a bunch of camps and stuff. That's just like a little fun fact about me. The other thing that I'm also really passionate about is helping people.

So for the past couple years, I've been a part of student government, and this upcoming year I'll be student body vice president of my school student government. I'm a part of SAB, which is Student Advisory Board for the Cambridge School District. Um, I've been a part of flying conferences, and I've also I've spoken with a lot of youth for advocacy. Specifically, the advocacy that I've been working on lately is education in our public schools. That's just a really big thing for East because we were threatened that we would lose our choir, and I'm a singer, and so that was a really important, um, issue for me, and that's really what I focused on last year.

And so for this, I would really want to bring like student voices because I've worked with a lot of youth, not just in my school but across the state, working, um, with other student governments across the state for, um, change in our schools. And I've also worked with youth in the boroughs. Like, um, I used to live in Costco and keep in touch with them, just like working on that. And then I just really want to help make Anchorage the best that it can be, especially with its youth. And I think that because I— because of how many opportunities I've had with youth, I've been able to just like communicate with them and really make a change with help and like with all the youth in the community.

All right, welcome, Mr. Lewis. Today we are— right now we're doing a brief introduction, and the question you were asked is to tell us about yourself and what you feel you might add or bring to the assembly. And to turn the mic on, hit the button. The green light will come on and stay on, and when you're done, press it so it'll turn back off. Thank you.

Can you please repeat the question one more time? Absolutely. It's just simply take a few minutes to tell us about yourself and what you feel you can bring to the assembly. Okay. Hello, my name is Jacob Olivares.

I am a student at West Anchorage High School, a senior, and, uh, going to— on track to graduate. Um, I, to be honest, I don't really have much experience in government. However, I would really like to to learn about how these governments work and function, especially one where I am subjected to.

So, so, thanks. Apologies for my stuttering. I do have a lot of students who who take issue with, uh, within the city, um, especially there are a lot of issues with mental health and, and, uh, stuff, um, and, uh, I, I feel like I could be a really good, um, really good, uh, communicator between those, uh, those peers around us, those young peers around us in Cambridge. And, uh, here at the local city government.

Thank you. Thank you. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. This here was Marsh.

Thank you so much. Um, hi, honorable assembly members. I'm Val Marsh. I'll do my best to keep this brief. I have a little rundown, but, um, yeah, I have always worked, um, with teens my whole life.

I started in martial arts, if you might have read my resume, when I was about 8 years old. And when I reached 13, I started training with the United States Karate National Federation on a team. Started traveling internationally representing the US as an ambassador. And the more I worked with the team collaboratively and on an international scale, I felt my leadership— like, excuse me— I felt my leadership skills growing. Because martial arts instills not only discipline but also inclusiveness and ambassadorship.

And I took that with me to what is called HOBY, and you might have heard of it. It's called Heroic Brown Youth Leadership Congress, and I got to go there recently, about last month, for the WLC, which is a collection of students in their junior and senior year who come together to try to bring change. And it was an inclusive environment. I've never been around people like that. All of us wanted to instill change.

I met a man by the name Ethan Zahn. He was on Survivor. He won. He created a grassroots soccer organization for students, um, in rural areas to gain more education. And I was like, oh, like, Alaska could definitely use that, you know what I mean?

Rural areas, um, they suffer from lack of education. They suffer from lack of teachers. And I just, I saw that in Ethan Zahn and my fellow ambassadors at WLC, and I said, here's where we can make change. And we did that. We created organizations as a project at WLC, and I'm here to bring it to Anchorage to show you guys what I can bring to the youth of Anchorage.

And not only through karate and the WLC, I've also been a part of National Honor Society at my school. Not any positions yet, but I've been helping with planning service projects. Uh, I do mock trial with the team as well. I also went to Model UN where I met, um, Jackson. Um, and I am vice president of Eco Friends at my school.

Um, very passionate about ecology. Um, so yeah, that's a little bit about me and what I may bring as youth representative. Thank you so much. Thank you. Yeah, um, my name is Jack Thompson, obviously, and my heart is beating out of my chest, so I'm trying not to embarrass myself.

From the esteemed members of the Assembly, but I'm a member of the South Edition Community Council on its executive board. I'm part of the Municipal Historical Preservation Commission. I'll be leading up the Oscar Andersen Restoration Project. I don't know if you guys know that museum, it's down in Alderbury, but they're putting me in charge of that. I've been involved in ALS awareness, Lou Gehrig's disease, you guys know, and a million other things.

I'm part of the local rugby team. Go Barbarians! Yeah, the Burgundy Barbarians. But, um, I think the main issue that I would like to put forward, as I think everyone here can cooperate, is that there is a mental health crisis among the youth of not just Anchorage or Alaska, but America. And many of my peers, they feel disaffected or detached, and when they look to the future, they don't really see themselves in it.

And You know, maybe I just need happier friends, or, or there is a serious, serious problem. And I think, I don't know, I think it is extraordinary that there's so many qualified candidates here that weren't able to represent the youth and actually put those problems to the forefront, have them addressed by the Assembly. And if I am selected, I have I have seen. I didn't have a particularly happy childhood, and I think, I think it's important to have someone that's overcome the adversity and the, uh, the trials and the darkness of mental health problems to actually represent that and bring forward solutions. I think, I think that's something I can bring to the table.

Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Thanks for being here, and I know we'll have probably several questions for you, but hopefully You, as we talk, hopefully you'll feel more comfortable because we're not really— you know, um, uh, so just to put that on the table, my question is, um, and I'll say also the question I'm going to ask, we're not going to give answers to, but what I'm curious about is what you're curious about, what questions you have. So again, I want to— so you're not asking us questions that we're going to answer, but I'm thinking just in general, as you've lived in the city, as you see what's happening, maybe whether it's specific to the assembly or in general with the about the city, the way it works. What's something that you're curious or wondering about, or you've just always thought, why is it like that?

I'm just curious, kind of, you know, any, any, any of the above I'd be interested in. We'll go ahead and start with Ms. Hills. Okay, um, I think my biggest question, um, is definitely what the city is doing about, um, with the people who are experiencing homelessness. I've heard I've heard some things, uh, just because I've kind of watched past, um, assembly meetings, and then also just kind of what some of the adults have said. But I'm really curious on like how that the city is helping with the people's studies and, you know, how that is going on, because that's really something that I care about.

Uh, sorry, sorry, may I have a little bit more time to think of a question? Sure, sure, thank you, that's fine. Um, I have a question based on rural education, uh, rural education, sorry. Um, I attend Arctic Encounters regularly, and, um, the issue that's been brought up mostly is the fiber that's being transmitted to rural places, which is helping education, but to furthermore, like, provide staff for the education in rural communities and what we're doing to fix that. Thank you.

Thank you. Um, yeah, I'm curious how we can possibly expand the role of youth representative to actually maybe, um, I don't know, I mean, I'm curious as to what you guys might have, but I think it would be an idea we're looking at to actually go out and teach kids how they can get involved in that, give them a stake in their future. In this government and teach them how to get involved in state and municipal and even federal government. Yeah, thank you. Um, I'm just curious as to like how all the other factors that were said, like homelessness and just education and all the other things going on in Anchorage, how mental health leads into those factors and how we can just look at it as an umbrella and find a solution that way instead of trying to find individual solutions.

Thank you. Jacob? As the other students have asked, I'm also concerned about, about what, what Cambridge is doing about its homeless people and how it's treating it. But another question I would like to ask is, is what is Anchorage doing to, to support its students, especially from what we've heard about the financial or the budgeting troubles within the Anchorage School District? All right, thank you.

Yeah, again, thank you all for being here and putting your names forward. Um, kudos for that. My question, uh, as I mentioned, folks are aware, you know, on a regular Assembly Tuesday meetings, you know, we consider a number of policy ideas, right? We debate them until we vote on them. And one of the roles that the youth member can provide is offering their own testimony on these, right?

And it's a valuable perspective, and we appreciate that you guys bring with you that we don't necessarily have. So I guess my question would be, and I think this is just maybe for whoever wants to take it, um, can you think of a specific policy that the Assembly has debated and voted on, you know, in recent memory, where if you had the opportunity to be there and speak up on it, you would have chosen to do so? Maybe what you would have said that would have added to the conversation.

Right, uh, the way he framed the question is to more of a wish to answer, so if you want to speak to it, you can now call me One at a time.

Well, I mean, I'm forgetting the actual house— or not house bill, but the actual number. It was the one that, um, uh, it outlawed homelessness— not outlawed, but made it a misdemeanor to be around public trails and parks. And I don't know, I think, um, I think it was a very contentious issue, and I think I wasn't personally there for the debate, but if there was a youth voice, maybe it could have offered a certain perspective. Because I mean, I have been attacked before while walking to school, but I think it is important that it's an issue that's treated with compassion. And I think there's a certain nuance that could have been provided.

Although I don't have a direct, um, anything to offer, I think it would have benefited from a youth perspective.

Anyone else? Anyone else? Okay, we're going to save Mateo's on that one. Any other questions? Yara and then Mateo.

So I'm thinking about the statement that youth are not seeing themselves in the future, and I'm wondering if anybody can tackle the question of like what What is driving that? What are the factors contributing to that?

So I will go ahead and go through everybody's more efficiently. This time it's your turn to start, Mr. Olivares. Um, well, that phrase that our youth don't see ourselves in the future, is that what's in the Wilson, right? Yeah, personally for me, this was mainly due to the things going around in not just Anchorage but the nation-wide, especially with the rising costs of housing, which I believe is especially high here in Anchorage, as well as the rising cost of anything else such as college tuition, probably even, even normal items at them such as groceries or, or, or games.

Thank you. [SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] Yeah, so on the fact that youth don't see themselves in the future of Anchorage, Um, I believe it can be very hard for a teen or youth to know what roles are available. This position and this, um, setup we have here with all these candidates— I got lucky in finding this because I sought it out. There's kids that, you know, it doesn't appear like right in front of them, like youth positions. Um, sure, you have high school clubs and you have activism programs that a teen can maybe volunteer at, but they don't see leadership in their future.

And I feel like to advocate that here and to press that forward is what's going to change that. So thank you so much. Yeah, I mean, I think I see that going back to the mental health crisis, it's just that they're having trouble getting out of bed in the morning and they look 5 years ahead and they barely see themselves in that And all they see in the news is, oh, national debt is $30, $40 trillion. Oh, the BSA is $1,000. Oh, the education's getting stripped away.

And I'm sure everyone here has an opinion on what's going on with the Governor vetoing the bills, but I think it is integral that we give them a way out, a way forward, and that we, um, we show them that they matter. And that if there's an issue that they care about, if they feel like they're underrepresented to some extent, I mean, give them a representative, but tell them about that representative. I, as Bella said, I only found out because of the FCC newsletter, the Federation of Community Councils, and yeah. I—. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] But yeah, no, I think it's just integral that we address the crisis at hand, because that's what it is, it is a crisis.

Thank you. Um, I think that all the factors like college debt and housing and food insecurity all influence, um, the mental health of our youth. And I think just everything going on in the world in general, not like excluded to just Anchorage, like Just seeing news, like, it's not so happy anymore. Like, you don't see many good stories. Like, it's like all the things that are being voted on and influence, or just the things that are being chosen that influence our youth, there isn't a perspective from the youth, and it's not giving people hope.

It's definitely affecting the mental health And I think that with this position, it could definitely just push out a lot more of those voices. I just think the youth needs more opportunities, if anything.

I really think that the reason why the youth don't see a future is because— a part of that is because the education, just kind of what's happening in our public schools right now. I've seen a lot of like students. The only reason they go to school, the only reason they like make that future for themselves is because of these extracurricular activities that we're losing. And I think that the reason that students aren't seeing that future is just because of the way that our schools are right now. And I think that it's so important that a priority be to fix that, because I know that it's something that gives me less anxiety and gives me less trouble is choir.

And kind of what I talked about a little bit when I applied for this is the fact that there were multiple students that I knew that were kind of not giving themselves an opportunity to grow because they had these struggles that they were dealing with. And choir, this extracurricular activity, gave them that purpose. And now they're going on to beautiful and brighter things. One of them is studying it in college, something that they didn't think they could do. One of them is just like an amazing human being and is going off to doing so many things.

And making sure that we keep these programs that we almost lost last year, some of them that we did, that that's giving youth a future. And if we don't pursue that and we don't focus on like the public or just any education, and if we focus on stuff that isn't particularly STEM, then that's really what's going to help it. Because I think I've said this before, but we can't expect students to have a future at 18 if they haven't gotten every opportunity to explore their future. So I think that's That's one thing that is stopping our students. Thank you.

All right, next we have Mr. Malatea. Well, first of all, I don't know how—. Is that something leadership chooses? Is that how this works? Good luck, the burden is on me.

I just—. Man, this is—. You guys are all so smart and impressive and your answers have been so thoughtful today. Um, I don't know. Aaron and I were laughing because who subscribes to the FCC newsletter?

I don't think any of us have done that. Anyway, pretty cool. I think my question is, we've talked about some of the challenges facing you, some of the challenges here in Anchorage. My question is, what are you most stoked about when it comes to Anchorage? What excites you about Anchorage?

What do you— whether it's, you know, something you like to do on a weekend, or is there anything that you and your friends, you and your peers, um, appreciate about Anchorage? We'll start with you, as far as—. Yeah, so I'm actually really happy you asked that because, um, I just went on a hike that I go on a lot with my family. It's just the Sunset Flap Top. Any local knows about it.

It's the best part of Flap Top, in my opinion. Um, I went there with 3 of my friends last night, we had a blast, watched the sunset, came down, did a little jog down, it was really fun. So I guess wildlife in general in Anchorage is the best, one of the best parts about it. Kids get to explore, it's, you know, we have safety precautions put in place so bears and moose don't hurt us, and we have the right tools. Anchorage is very good about that and having fun in a safe environment and growing up in the in the woods as a kid, in the mountains as a kid, it really can form a person.

I think it's definitely formed me, so thank you. You know, I want to go to that exactly, is that there's a way— there's more options here to better yourself than any other place you can go. It's the last frontier. It's the most beautiful place on Earth. And then you can, you can go outside day after day and, I don't know, really help yourself and really just get involved.

And, and then I don't know, it's just something so magical and majestic about Anchorage. How it's this little sliver of civilization and then there's the great beyond right next to it. And it's breathtaking and extraordinary. And then I guess there's another thing that I am excited for. It's—.

Okay, well, this is gonna sound silly. Like I'm, uh— anyway, it's the leadership here. I have a story, I mean, an individual interaction with many of you here. I mean, Vice Chair Brawley, I was doing a paper a while ago, I was like, hey, could you, could you do an interview for this? And she said, of course.

Does like a 45-minute interview. I reached out to Christopher Constant about a project and he's like, yeah, we can get coffee. You, Daniel Wallin, I reached out to you saying, hey, could we do something about ALS awareness? You said, of course. And you contacted me with Jennifer and we wrote a resolution for ALS.

You can I don't know, I think that's something that's so extraordinary. I haven't seen anywhere else leadership that really cares. And really, I mean, there's 5 kids here who are— you guys brought them here to represent, represent the youth. You know that there's a crisis and you're trying to find solutions. I think that's phenomenal.

Something that excites me about Anchorage is Me and my friends really love music. Like, it's something that we really bond over. And when those plays come into Anchorage and we get to see them perform, we at least try to go to every single one. It's just a way to build community, and it's one of my favorite things about Anchorage. I really just like creativity in general.

I think that's a great thing about Anchorage, and it has so much of it. Like, you can just— you can't walk a block without seeing doing some piece of art just anywhere, and I think that's a great thing about Anchorage. Okay, so I think I mentioned before that I really like choir, and I also forgot to mention that I really love theater. And one thing that really excites me about Anchorage is just the community theater. I, uh, my— like, when I was 14 and I first moved here, because I used to live in Kotzebue and then I moved down here I really wanted to do this play because I was super nervous and all stuff, but this community just like opened up to me and I've like never looked back and I've gotten to know everyone so well.

And then because of that, I got to know writers that live in Anchorage and just like all these community theaters that just like bring students in from like, like these shy students just like I was, and I've seen them and they've gone through and they're just like bubbling and they just have so much creativity and it forms an incredible to better speakers and better singers and better actors and just better people. And so what definitely excites me is all the community theater here, like, um, just like, I don't know, like ACT, if you've seen that, they kind of, they go to the PAC too and all that stuff, and just how the community also invites high school, like when West performed at the PAC. And then just like how I've seen the people who go to PAC have also helped with East Theater when I said that we needed help and they just reached out and they so that they would try and help us. And just that, the whole community and Anchorage theater, it just like excites me so much, and I'm so glad that there is a huge theater community here. Thank you.

Mr. Vargas.

I agree with her. As a city of which like the other, the next biggest city is all the way in Washington, I feel that Anchorage and the people within have this unique identity. It especially applies with the wildlife here in Anchorage. You don't—. It's not normal in other cities to see megafauna such as moose or even bears just wandering the streets of Anchorage.

In, well, not just a big city, an urban city. And there is also a pretty diverse set of people here. Our schools are pretty much the most multicultural schools within the entire nation. So we get to see a lot of experiences and a lot of wildlife here. That makes Anchorage unique and stand out among the rest of the Lower 48's— well, the rest of the nation, sorry.

[SPEAKING CHINOOK] All right, does everybody have— yeah, okay. So just in summary: nature, accessibility to government, theater, music, and this kind of urban landscape that's diverse with people and wildlife. Great. All right, so next in the queue I have Mr. Martinez and Ms.

Baldé and then Ms. Vine.

Hey y'all, nice to meet you guys. Thank you for being here. I appreciate you all stepping forward in a variety of ways. I will shout out the FCC newsletter, but no, seriously, Specifically, just to that point, when people say, you know, getting out the word in more, more places, that's kind of one of those things that happens. And so there are— that just really raises the point that there are so many points of contact in our community that I wanted to flag one of those areas and ask you about it.

Do you all bus, bike, or scoot? Are you multimodal? And I would love to know your favorite, uh, Scoot or bus or bike route, like if you ride the trails. But I'm also interested in if you use PeopleMover, right? So what is your alternative transportation in Anchorage, if you have any or if you use any, aside from vehicles and cars?

And then my follow-up to if you bus, bike, or Scoot, is essentially, uh, if you, if you can, if you can snap your fingers and have adults know one thing that you would like us to know to make better decisions, what would that one thing be? So multimodal— how do you get around other than cars? And if you could have adults know one thing to help us make better decisions, what would that one thing be? Cool. And you're going to start with, I guess, Mr. Thompson.

Yeah, so, uh, I am an avid Route 10 enthusiast and also Chester Creek. That's how—. That's generally how I get to school. Like, yeah, definitely check Route 10, guys, if you haven't already. But no, I was actually, um, in the assembly chambers when, uh, you put forward a a motion to make bus routes free for kids under 18, and then some representative of, uh, I believe the Transit Commission, tried to block it because it hadn't gone through yet.

And honestly, I almost sent you an email afterwards because I was ecstatic that you were opening up— you were giving that access to, to kids, because, you know, access is opportunity. And that's what— I mean, a lot of what I've been talking about is opportunity is what a lot of our kids need. And I don't know, I was kind of irate, but I decided not to send an email to you. But I like, I almost got up there. I was like, I am a member of the Historical Preservation Commission, and yeah, check the badge, and you don't need to be doing this.

Let the kids ride free. But, but, but, um, yeah, I think one thing I think I'd like to harp back on that is that access is opportunity. Community, and I would love to see more access for the kids, and that's what I would want adults to know. Who is faster? Who else?

Um, my way of transportation, if I'm not taking the bus or I'm getting a ride, I just walk or even skateboard. Skateboarding is nice. Pause. No, you missed that. Other than a car, if you take the bus, I want to know If you don't take the bus, yeah, so not other than a bus, yeah, if you— other than a vehicle, do you take a bus?

Do people move on other things like that? Yeah, I take the bus. Yeah, yeah, cool. Um, and skateboards. And skateboards.

That's Monty Mullen. Monty Mullen. Yeah, but she skipped buses, I heard that. And if I have to just snap my fingers and let a person know one thing, I just want them I would like them to know, um, just listen to me. I'm sure there's other perspectives out there.

There's tons of people who would love to have their voices heard. They would love to provide an opinion. They're all equally as important, and I think just listen overall.

Thank you. Chelsea? Um, I really like walking if I'm not using a car. I have really bad sense of direction though. Like, I've gotten lost in my cross-country club, so, um, I don't really know my route actually, but I really do enjoy it.

I walk with my mom every morning at like 6:30, and I actually walked— my dad drove to work today, and I walked with mom to get the car so I could come to this later. But, um, yes, I really like walking, and I think that if I could snap my fingers and let adults know something, it was that students understand, they just need to be told. And a lot of them don't hear it, but they can understand, and they want to. And it's not something that people are just doing to do it, but people care, and students do care. They just sometimes don't know, but they can, and they are able to.

Right, and, um, let's move on. So I drove here. That was probably a mistake because I'm a new driver and I was not familiar with, with, uh, with how to park in downtown. That's real, that's real. But other than, other than the car, I do, I do take the I do take the bus, especially bus route number 10.

That goes from downtown to my house in East Anchorage, so that's one of my lifelines to the rest of the city. And other than that, there's also— I also have a I'm a big biker. A lot of people get shocked when I tell them that I biked all the way to Northwood Elementary from my home, all the way past East Anchorage High School.

And usually for the biking route, I always take take the one that— oh, I usually take Chester Creek Trail. That also goes from west to east. Yep, so that's another lifeline for me for transporting myself other than car throughout the city. Well, just the northern part.

Bike all the ways down south. Now I'm in Rocker Creek. Um, practical route. I would probably have a heart attack. Um, uh, one thing I would like for adults to consider is, um, is to reach out, try to reach out for more diverse voices from, uh, especially from, from the outreach to the youth for us, um, and, uh, and to other people.

So, uh, such as, uh, probably maybe you can even, uh, get, get a, get a good understanding of the homeless if you talk to them. So yeah, that's my answer. Thank you. Um, Ms. Marsh. Thank you.

Um, yeah, I run to school because my tennis coach has our attendance as our AllTrails record, so I have to. Um, so yeah, I do run. I'm very close to my school though, so it's not an issue. Um, but yeah, if I'm not driving to school, I run. Um, other than that, uh, Hobie was actually in Alaska at one point.

I attended the state Hobie first, and we actually used used the public transportation to get to the museum to volunteer there for a little bit. So, um, and what I heard among my fellow ambassadors was they were kind of scared to use public transportation in general. I was like, why is that? And they're like, I've never been on a public bus. I'm like, well, Anchorage is actually pretty accessible.

I'm like, the public buses, they're not scary if you go on them. So we all actually had a really good time. We're singing some songs on the way to the museum. It was really nice. Um, so yeah, buses are great as well.

Um, something I would like the adults to hear, if I could just have you guys know, is— and I wrote in all caps here— HEAR US! We want to learn. So if— do your best, if you know there's going to be an audience of kids, to educate. We want to learn. We want to learn more about what you do, more about government, so we can in the future act.

We all want to act. We want to change our future for the better, and that's why we're all here. Um, and another thing I wanted to say on the public transportation is I was at a community council meeting recently on accessibility to public transportation, and, um, actually I, um, was talking with some people that visited, uh, Suserland in Norway recently on bike trails in the area. And, um, yeah, it's a big thing in Anchorage, and I really appreciate that about city. It's very bike accessible, walking accessible.

So thank you for your question, it was very nice. So thank you so much. All right, um, that's everybody for that question. Next is—. Yeah, well, thank you so much for being here.

You all are such qualified applicants. I don't envy the chair's choice here. Um, how many of you know The guy on Instagram that does the Subway Hot Takes. Do you know who I'm talking about? The guy who like goes up to people in the subway and he has this like a little subway cart and he's like, Subway Hot Takes, what's your hot take?

And then the person has to like say whatever their hot take is. Um, I would like to know your Anchorage version of Subway Hot Takes. And I know that's kind of out of left field, so like take a minute to think about what's your hot take. You don't have to defend it, but what's your hot take? And it could be about English, it could be about— it could be about education, it could be about anything really.

What's your hot take? If you were sitting next to me on the subway and I leaned over and was like, hey, subway hot take, what would you say? That's my first question. And then my second question is just about your own sort of personal— your personal aspirations, whether they're personal, professional, what do you hope that your future holds? I know a couple of you were walking into your senior year and thinking about next steps.

Um, so yeah, what do you think is after high school for you? What do you hope for? So we'll go ahead and start again with, um, I'll come back to my topic. I have to think on it for a little bit, but my My plan for— I'm going into my junior year right now, but my plan is I want to do something with writing. I want to—.

I like creativity, like I said before. I want to do like creative writing. I want to maybe do screenwriting, and I think acting is good too, but I'm not at that level yet, and I think that's something I'd like to look into. And my hot take Um, I think—. We'll start with Miss—.

Um, okay, I would say my hot take, and I want to preface this saying that I think Anchorage is very beautiful and that I love Anchorage. My anchor topic is that Anchorage is really, really pretty when the first snow hits, and then the mud hits, and then it's not as beautiful as it was before. And I'm just gonna— that's hot. Hey, yep, okay. Um, and then what was the second question?

Oh, aspirations. Okay, my aspiration after high school is to hopefully go out of state to, um, to study music. And then after that to go to law school and then come back to Alaska and work in the North Slope, go back to Kotzebue and work as a public defender there and kind of in the villages in that area, and then like move throughout Alaska doing that kind of thing, but mostly being up in the North Slope doing that.

I'll start with my future first. I definitely plan after— when I graduate high school to go to college, to go to higher education.

I really— I really— right now I'm still really vying probably for— for probably becoming an anthropologist or or musician. Um, unfortunately, I don't have any other higher-paying aspirations. Um, uh, and, uh, I would, I would, uh, I'm, uh, going to apply for, for schools as such as, uh, UA, especially that because my hometown university. Um, but, but, uh, I'll also try to maybe go out of state, I mean, in San Francisco State University or Boulder University in Colorado, and maybe I'll move back to Anchorage. And I really think I don't know a lot about my hot take for here because, because, um, even though I've lived here my whole life, it just seems like a normal city.

My hot take is skiing is the best sport of a lifelong— I know, I know. But, um, actually my serious hot take—. Taking a position. No, no, sorry, I just, I'm very firm on that. And, um, I actually put Anchorage art is better than any art because we have some insane city artists here and I just I've been to other cities, I've been to Chicago recently, I've been to New York, I've seen their art, and it's very different, but Anchorage is very, um, I think it's very in tune with the community, which I like a lot.

It's very Alaskan, I would say. For me in the future, I would definitely, I've been looking at pursuing law, specifically in the East Coast schools. Because my sister is currently attending West Point. Definitely don't want to go there. That's her thing, not mine.

But yeah, I want to be near her. So I was going to attend law school in the East Coast and come back to Anchorage. And I'm hoping to make Attorney General someday. So thank you. Thank you, Mr. Thompson.

So as for my hot take, I think there should be more than 1 year of some of those. And? Yeah, and there probably should be one for school as well. And we should get rid of the monoclasse. And we should get rid of the monoclasse.

I mean, yeah, you guys have a lot here. Send it to Fairfax or something. But anyways, for my career aspirations, I do hope to be a career diplomat in the American Foreign Service one day. I hope to lead diplomatic missions in places like Kurdistan or Haiti or Zimbabwe, places like that where I can really make a real difference. And I don't know, I mean, not just as an ambassador, but hopefully at the end of my career, I don't know if you know it, but I'd be able to be Secretary of State or Undersecretary of State and work at the top levels of our federal diplomatic department.

All right, and last question. Yeah, thanks. Um, and I know we're short on time, so I mean, I've been doing a lot of flying, and when you sit in the exit row, they ask for a verbal confirmation that you fulfill the duty. So I'm going to ask a version of that, which is, um, and of course knowing that, that if we have multiple, uh, youth reps, that they would be taking turns during the, during the meeting. Our assembly meetings, the biggest kind of part of your job would be, um, they're on every other Tuesday, basically twice a month, from 5 to up to 11 PM, sometimes sooner than that.

So, so wanting just a kind of verbal confirmation that you feel like you could meet that expectation, you know, again, knowing that you might be taking turns and that you're not every single meeting like we are. And then my other kind of question, if you can answer just quickly, kind of piggybacking on what Mr. Bolland said, I'm curious kind of what place to you in Anchorage feels like home. Home? And I'm going to say not your house, not school, but is there a place where you either you think of as like, this is a place that I feel really connected to in Anchorage, um, or a place that you just have a lot of kind of history with? Um, so, so first, do you understand that Armenians go late and you'd be responsible to be there for those Tuesdays and, and fill those duties?

And then also, uh, one of your favorite places that feels like home. So how did we start off last time? You sort of put it Um, yes, I'd be able to fill all the requirements. Uh, I've worked it out with my mom just in case whatever happens, not to be like— okay, anyway, um, but did you say school was not an option? Nice.

Yeah, okay, um, I think something that would definitely feel like A home to me would be the community theater. Not to like bring that again, but definitely like, do you think that that would be home? Just because I spent a lot of time there and like, I just have a lot of the stuff that I do now, like I probably wouldn't be able to speak in front of you now if I didn't hang out around there. And I've just made so many friends and people who've like, changed my life. And I just hang out there all the time, and I've gotten a lot of experience and exposure.

So definitely, Anchorage Community Theater, ACT, you should check out their productions. They're really good. You do? Oh, thank you. We have a fellow bestie in Anchorage.

We want to turn exposure buzz a bit. We appreciate that. Mr. Lawrence? I can confirm I will be able to to attend town city hall meetings from every other Tuesday from 5 to 11 PM. That will definitely overlap with my dance practices for the Filipino community of Anchorage, Alaska, but I don't think they'll care.

No, they'll understand.

The president, the president, Lorna Garcia, is the one that suggested that I apply to the youth representative anyway. So I think she probably knows what I was— that I'm gonna be unavailable for those times. Um, and the question about what place feels home to me other than my actual house or, uh, let's say, high school. Um, as I've grown up, I think, uh, I could say that probably, maybe, probably the, the Laney Park strip is kind of like another home for me. It's where, it's where I've had a lot of, um, I went a lot there a lot for For festivals such as the Pride Parade or for the Dream Team Festival.

I've also won there briefly.

I've also performed there for a lot of occasions such as the annual API celebration and as well as the Bisasana for our anchorjai, the Filipinos. So that's why I feel like the Living Park is a second home to me. Thank you. A third home.

I would say a, um, oh, number one, yeah, I can make the Tuesday, 5 to 11. That'll be perfect for my schedule. Um, secondly, um, a home to me in Anchorage, Alaska. I could say, you know, the mountains, because it would be a lot, but, um, I would have to say Okamoto School of Karate, some right across from Bailey's Furniture in town. I don't know if you've ever passed by it, but I grew up there.

Um, I've met my second father. He's my sensei. I love him so much for performing at the at the state fair soon, so come check us out. Um, but yeah, I grew up in that dojo and I've met lifelong friends and family there, and the community that it's brought for me and how it's made Anchorage feel like home ever since moving from California— big transition— um, it really has made Anchorage feel like a home to me. So yeah.

Thank you. Mr. Thompson? Uh, for the first question, yes, I will be able to fulfill my obligations. But for the second moment, I think I want to say the trail system that we have. I think it's, um, such an extraordinary— I guess kind of unique, at least in my experience, to, um, any other city or community.

And I was really able to find solace there when I first moved here and find a community among the people who are there actively. But I am surprised I would be able to make the meetings and from 5 to 11 PM. And the place that feels like a second home would probably be the Anchorage Museum. I like seeing all the art we have, and it's not even just it's art in general, it's that it's art exclusive to our community, and I like that. It's just a way to see our history and our culture, and that's a good thing.

I'm—. Yeah, you started. Okay, so we are nearly out of time. Um, every member up here will get 30 seconds right now, closing statements.

Okay, pressure. Um, so as the Youth Assembly member, I just want to bring inclusion and a voice. Um, that's all I've done all my life was bring a voice everywhere I've been, internationally and nationally. I brought a voice, and I feel like my voice really is a representation of how the youth feel and how my friends would want to be represented and how other kids in my community, my students at the dojo, want to be represented in their future in Alaska. And my experience in the Arctic Encounters Committee would bring a lot there.

Thank you so much. So, uh, we're going to have you start this long— Thompson, Theresa. Well, I just want to say that it's, um, so extraordinary to see obviously capable candidates I'll be representing Anchorage's youth, just how integral this role really is in giving us a voice and a stake in our community and in our future. And I just think it's incredible that you guys put this forward and that it was, I believe it was Mayor France that initiated this project. She was the chair at the time.

It was Miss Rivera.

Something extraordinary. I'm very glad just to be here. I think Mr. Martinez worked on the administration side, so Mr. Martinez was also there. Go ahead. I would just like to say thank you for the opportunity to even be here and speak right now, and I think that I could bring a unique perspective of just youth and not only students across Anchorage and I feel like student government has prepared me for situations like this, and I could help organize things, I could help plan things, I could— I don't know, I would just try my best to help my community.

Thank you. So, um, go ahead. Thank you. I just want to thank you all for this opportunity. Thank you, everyone.

As everyone's kind of said, just kind of mirroring that. I also wanted to say that I think that the— like Logan said, the most important thing is the student voice. And since I've talked with a bunch of students, I think that it's important that as you guys kind of look maybe for next year or just like this year, just to talk about like the SAB, the Student Advisory Board, has so many capable students. All the student governments that I've talked to and spoken with when like working about advocacy, There's so many students that are able to do that, but they can't explain it. I think I also thank all of you for the opportunity.

I wish you guys, uh, other candidates, luck in, uh, being admitted here in the assembly. I am— I, I myself, I would like to learn about the government. I'm ready to take part in it and bring the voice of the of my peers to, um, to the Anchorage city government. I just wanted to thank you for advocating for the youth in Anchorage, and I just hope you really understand how important that is. All right, so finally, I would like to thank Ms. Heather McAlpine, Ombudsman's Office, who appointed Deputy Ombudsman Jennifer Van Plassen from Legislative Services for supporting the Youth Representative Program.

Ms. Mongkalpatt has done an incredible job of recruitment and bringing together and developing this program after a kind of a pause and building off the strong base that she created last year. She's handed the program over to coordinate Ms. Van Clause, who will support the program during the 2025-2026 school year. I hope to make the decision with the Life Chair very soon. We will notify folks as soon as we come to a decision. And thank you, everybody, for being here.

Sam, go ahead. Also, a shout out to the Youth Advisory Commission that I know has been working against it as well, so please share with your peers that that's an available opportunity. Thanks. All right, thank you. And with that, then, we will stand adjourned for approximately 10 minutes before our work session.