Welcome to the HY Board

Meet the 2023–2024 Highlands Youth Advisory Board

By Lindsey Pinkston, Highlands Council Executive Director and Wisteria Park Resident

The Highlands Youth (HY) Advisory Board was formed a decade ago with intentions to unify Issaquah Highlands youth through meaningful and fun social experiences like events, projects and initiatives.

We are proud to introduce the 2023–2024 roster of student leaders, which includes some returning members to the program as well as many new faces. Out of many qualified candidates, these students were selected based on a written application and peer interview.

Stay tuned for upcoming events for teens! We hope to see you this summer during our Global Grub & Groove series, where you can meet some of these youth community volunteers.

Make sure to follow @HYboard on Facebook! Check issaquahhighlands.com/events and issaquahhighlands.com/for-residents/ get-involved/highlands-youth/ for future events. Plus, subscribe to our new Highlands Youth E-News for upcoming volunteer opportunities and youth news.

*Denotes the member holds an officer position.

Aarav Singh - 8th Grade

Volunteer work in Issaquah Highlands will help me get involved in the community events and explore my area of interests along with studies.

Aarushi Katyal - 11th Grade

As a resident of Issaquah Highlands, I am most passionate about creating a strong sense of community. I believe that there is always room for improvement when it comes to creating a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

Alexis Yuen - 11th Grade

I have lived my entire life in Issaquah Highlands and have attended many events put on by the HY Board. Being able to walk down the hill to have fun with friends, or seeing how I am both just one in a group and one of a whole, is a feeling I have cherished for years.

Anisha Arasu - 7th Grade

I will make my voice heard by sharing my ideas and adding on to others’ ideas. I think that if we collaborate and let others know what we are thinking about certain issues, we can create great ideas and have a healthy community.

*Arya Mahajan - 12th Grade

I have participated and helped out in many different events at the HY. In addition, I bring innovative ideas, along with a great positive attitude.

Asher Pinkston - 10th Grade

I really enjoy working at events, especially the ones we planned as a group. I like being a part of bringing something fun to people.

Ashwin Suresh - 12th Grade

I really liked seeing all the work we put into planning the events and seeing them come into fruition when they happened. It felt very rewarding because after every event it felt like we really improved the process and made sure everyone had a great experience.

Avik Sitani - 7th Grade

I am most passionate about building a cohesive, welcoming community of youth in Issaquah Highlands.

I’m excited to introduce my friends to HY events in the community.

Grace Rich - 10th Grade

I really enjoyed working with the board to plan events and see them go through the process of being finalized. When the events were happening, I loved seeing people build connections and knowing that I helped make that happen.

Haley Lim - 8th Grade

I love getting to know more people in the community.

Jeric Yuen - 9th Grade

It’s fun and engaging to not only share ideas and plan for big community events, but also to see others enjoying the activities you planned for them.

Lily Pinkston - 8th Grade

I really enjoyed putting on the events and working together with other members of the HY.

Maia Esbensen - 9th Grade

What I enjoyed most about being on the HY Board this year is being able to have the feeling of being part of a team!

*Nicole de los Reyes - 11th Grade

I like to engage and help children who attend HY events, while also using my voice to promote youth happenings.

Riley Evans - 8th Grade

It always makes me happy to see people smile. And seeing all the people having fun at the events always made me smile, especially since I was helping run the event.

Ryan Aby - 11th Grade

I hope to be able to reach out and find new and fun ways to interact with our youth and help them to interact with each other.

Saira Hashmey - 10th Grade

Through the next year, I will strive to bring unique ideas to our ways of circulating events and volunteer opportunities.

Shaurya Behera - 9th Grade

I enjoy the feeling of being able to help out, especially the sense of accomplishment whenever we finished something big like the Middle School Halloween party.

Sydney Evans - 10th Grade

It’s rewarding to see kids at events having a good time after all our hard work. It makes me feel like it was well worth our time.

*Viggy Ravilla - 12th Grade

I really enjoy being on the HY Board because it gives me so many opportunities to be proactive within the community. It makes me feel good knowing that I am able to improve lives of residents.

Zinna Park - 10th Grade

My organizational skills help me to be more thorough, and by sharing these skills with others, I hope that it will able to make the community as a whole come together further to enact changes.