Mayor TenHaken Announces Members of 2023–2024 Mayor’s Youth Council
Published on October 03, 2023
Mayor Paul TenHaken has kicked off the 2023–2024 Mayor’s Youth Council with 13 new students and 3 returning students from the 2022–2023 cohort. Applications opened earlier this spring for students in Sioux Falls entering their junior and senior years of high school in the 2023–2024 school year. Out of dozens of applicants and consequent interviews, a total of 16 students were chosen to serve on this year’s Mayor’s Youth Council.
This is the third year of the Mayor’s Youth Council, which is aimed at providing the next generation with an opportunity to share input on community issues, learn about City government, build relationships with their peers and City leaders, and develop leadership skills. Throughout the school year, students will attend tours of City facilities, meet with City leaders, and learn the “ins and outs” of how departments work together as One Team to serve the community. The group will tour facilities like the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill, the Water Purification Plant, and the Public Safety Campus.
“I always look forward to the kickoff of the Mayor’s Youth Council because it reminds me that the important decisions we’re making today will have a real impact on this next generation tomorrow. It’s vital we include their voices in these decisions, and the Mayor’s Youth Council is one way we can do that,” said Mayor Paul TenHaken. “This year’s cohort is a bright group of students with a wide variety of perspectives, and I look forward to engaging and learning from them throughout the school year.”
The following students have been selected to serve on the Mayor’s Youth Council: Aayush Mohapatra, Betelihiem Tecleab, Champ Baumgarten, and Monica Ajith, Jefferson High School; Adeline Roths and Ava Gonzalez, Lincoln High School; Emma Ambroz, O’Gorman High School; David Yusten Jr., Nathan Arens, Nicholas Maas, Savannah Woods, Roosevelt High School; Calvin Adamson, Sioux Falls Christian; Maddie Johnson, Sunday Rose, Alanna Smith, and Siyanne Redda, Washington High School.
The Mayor’s Youth Council is led by a core City planning team, which includes Chad Quissell, Training Facility/Emergency Management Coordinator; Chris Myers, Water Superintendent; Dustin Hansen, Street Operations Manager; Kim Stulken, Talent Manager; Officer Michelle Hockett, Sioux Falls Police Department; Siera Christianson, Executive Assistant to Mayor TenHaken; and Vanessa Gomez, Public Relations and Communications Officer for Mayor TenHaken’s Office.
