Gilroy’s youth commission is an 11-member board of teens of all ages to serve as an advisory group to City Council for issues that affect young people in Gilroy. They also work on volunteer project throughout the year. During Council’s Oct. 1 meeting, Council members appointed who would fill the six vacant spots on the commission. Of the 11 applications received, here are the teens they chose:
Olivia Baxter is a sophomore at Christopher High School. This summer, she went on a missions trip to Mexico with her church, Gilroy Presbyterian. She looks forward to representing the African American youth in Gilroy.
Jessica Cabatingan is a senior, and has served two years on the youth commission already. She wants to make a “lasting impact” on the youth of Gilroy, especially through recreation programs.
Alyssa Dorn, is a senior and is involved in various local volunteer work such as cleaning Uvas Creek and is on staff at a local youth leadership organization. Dorn hopes to engage the youth of Gilroy to be more involved with their community.
Gianfranco Filice is the Freshman Class President at Monte Vista Christian and is passionate about inspiring Gilroy’s youth to care about humanitarian issues, both locally and globally.
Katie Miner is a senior at CHS and a leader for children’s day camp at her church, Gilroy Presbyterian. She hopes to create a program in Gilroy that links high school students to elementary school students for tutoring and mentorship.
Tevin Voorhees is a previous commission member which involved him in various volunteer projects, such as hosting an annual event for seniors. His main concern is there is “nothing to do in town,” for youth and hopes to give teens an alternative to crime.
