TALENT SHOW 2023
Join us for the 2023 Talent Show!
The Talent Show will be a part of Saturday Night Fun. Participants need to apply ~ complete this application form by March 15th!
2022 Assembly Wrap Up!
It was ‘Back to Work’ for our 73rd Assembly. Although we were not able to grace the halls of the Capitol due to COVID protocols, we were able to safely meet in person in Springfield. Democracy is not a spectator sport, and can happen anywhere. And so that is what we did – we met at the Crowne Plaza and at the Bank of Springfield Center. 750 students debated, discussed, presented and ‘did’ democracy, and it was so good to be back!
Scroll down for a list of our Student Leadership Team, Student Award Winners and our Volunteer Service Award Winners!
Student Leadership Team:
Major Officers
Aayush Gupta, Waubonsie Valley
Nikhil Venkat, Metea Valley
Lt. Governor:
Thrinav Sathya, Metea Valley
Secretary of State:
Calvin See, Neuqua Valley
Presidents of the Senate:
Sanjay Ganesh, Neuqua Valley
Emma Spence, Sesser-Valier
Ragnav Taneja, Neuqua Valley
Speakers of the House:
Jasmine Castillo, Sesser-Valier
Shaun Fieldman, Neuqua Valley
Delaney Kirk, Gateway Region Y
Executive Director of Lobbyists:
Cynthia Jing, Neuqua Valley
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
- Aida Adam, United Township
- Zeennah Akorede, Carmel Catholic
- Abhinav Arun, Waubonsie Valley
- Ross Bodine, Williamsville
- Aleigha Bunnell, Sesser Valier
- Sam Crutcher,Sycamore
- Jaleel Drones-Akins, Kenwood Academy
- Lily Garcia, Bradley Bourbonnais
- Kyle Gorman, Normal Community
- Eesha Gowda, Carterville
- Usman Khan, Waubonsie Valley
- Prisha Kittu, Carterville
- Andrew Mann, Bradley Bourbonnais
- Brooklyn McKee, Sesser Valier
- Leslie Moreno, United Township
- Osasu Okungbowa, Richards
- Shruti Panse, Neuqua Valley
- Farah Rahman, Waubonsie Valley
- Sage Reagan, Gateway Region Y
- Abby Robinson, Neuqua Valley
- Will Roney, BBCHS
- Amara Saleem, Metea Valley
- Omnia Salih, United Township
- Yashas Sardesai, Neuqua Valley
- Naina Sarup, Neuqua Valley
- Hansika Sathianarayanan, Neuqua Valley
- Jack Schuerenberg, Waubonsie Valley
- Salimah Scott, Neuqua Valley
- Anusha Selva, Neuqua Valley
- Daksh Shandilya, Neuqua Valley
- Tyler Shasteen, Carterville
- Anish Singh, Neuqua Valley
- Wanrou Sun, Neuqua Valley
- Asha Suresh, Neuqua Valley
- Kadija Sylla, United Township
- Ela Taneja, Neuqua Valley
- Zach Trubitt, Eisenhower
- Vidya Venkatachalam, Neuqua Valley
- Gabe Woolsey, Sesser-Valier
- Megan You, Gateway Region Y
Devotion Leaders
- Asher Bates, Sesser Valier
- Josh Yeley, Williamsville
Executive Director of Lobbyists
- Cynthia Jing, Neuqua Valley
Assistant Director of Lobbyists
- Sofia Afreen, Lake Park High School
- Khushi Aggarwal, Lake Park High School
- Nolan Armstrong, Mt. Vernon Township
- Luke Barry, Sesser-Valier High School
- Sarah Faustino, Stagg High School
- Seamus Keough, Stagg High School
- Zack Massoni, Carmel Catholic High School
- Yasmeen Nogura, Stagg High School
- Brady See, Neuqua Valley High School
- Emerson Zhang, Neuqua Valley High School
Clerk of the House
- Brianna Jones, Eisenhower
- Suhaani Singh, Neuqua Valley
- Louisa Wilson, Williamsville
Secretary of the Senate
- Sebastian Rebidas, Stagg
- Meiling Sun, Neuqua Valley
- Olivia Tipton, Sesser-Valier
Sergeant-at-Arms of the House
- Sydney Erickson, BBCHS
- Sid Jaignanesh, Neuqua Valley
- Makenna Reedy, Williamsville
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate
- Bailey Neibch, Frankfort
- Paridhi Ranjan, Waubonsie Valley
- Landen Zimmerman, BBCHS
MEDIA CORPS
Editors
- Liz Arias, Lake Park
- Lea Bartos, Lake Park
- Joey Brant, Lake Park
Social Media Editor
- Madison Powell, Lake Park
Assistant Social Media Editors
- Kendall Eddington, WWS
- Ellie Ford, Williamsville
Video Producers
- Tess Earl, United Township
- Nikhil Senthil, Metea Valley
STUDENT STEERING COMMITTEE
CHAIR: Lt. Governor Thrinav Sathya, Metea Valley
VICE CHAIR: Lauren Verthein, Metea Valley
Aiste Siupienius, Addison Trail
Alexandra Sullivan, Andrew High School
Megan Muzzey, Batavia High School
Norah Thurow, Batavia High School
Nicole Huffaker, Bradley Bourbonnais Comm.
Gianna Randazzo, Bradley Bourbonnais Comm.
Michelle Nolasco, Carl Sandburg High School
Zeenah Akorede, Carmel Catholic High School
Tyler Shasteen, Carterville
Sage Regan, Gateway Region YMCA
Joey Brant, Lake Park High School
Roshini Ashrit, Metea Valley High School
Thrinav Sathya, Metea Valley High School
Nikhil Venkat, Metea Valley High School
Lauren Verthein, Metea Valley High School
Jackson Snodgrass, Mt. Vernon Township
Nate Gonzalez, Naperville North/Central
Kunal Daftari, Neuqua Valley High School
Anya Pulluru, Neuqua Valley High School
Calvin See, Neuqua Valley High School
Sam Haggarty, Normal Community High School
Nathaniel D’Orazio, Northeast Independent
Alexis Degler, Pinckneyville
Maggie Stacey, Sesser-Valier High School
Scott Lichamer, Sycamore High School
Esha Agrawal, Waubonsie Valley High School
Aayush Gupta, Waubonsie Valley High School
Leoni Reilley, Wheaton North
Amelia Carnana, Wheaton Warrenville South
Patrick Herr, Wheaton Warrenville South
Ross Bodine, Williamsville High School
Student Award Winners:
BEST LEGISLATORS
Blue House Yashas Sardesai – Neuqua Valley
Blue Senate Ela Taneja – Neuqua Valley
Gray Senate Reagan Basso – Sesser-Valier
Gray House Abby Robinson – Neuqua Valley
Orange Senate Gavin Smith – Waubonsie Valley
Orange House Ross Bodine – Williamsville
LOBBYISTS
| Blue
1 Miriam Niestat-Kenwood Academy 2 Zack Massoni-Carmel Catholic 3 Sanjay Bommisetty-Metea Valley |
Gray
1 Rudy Shen-Neuqua Valley 2 Glenna Bottom-Wheaton Warrenville South 3 Kacper Bizub-Stagg |
Orange
1 Emerson Zhang-Neuqua Valley 2 Sriman Tipirneni-Waubonsie Valley 3 Brady See-Neuqua Valley |
STATE ISSUES FORUM
| Cardinal
1 Meiling Sun – Neuqua Valley 2 Phoenix Calabrese – Sycamore 3 Nina Mendes – Neuqua Valley |
Violet
1 Kaelyn McGhie – Neuqua Valley 2 Sabrina Tse – Naperville Central 3 Emma Fennes – Sesser-Valier |
White-Tailed Deer
1 Suhaani Singh – Neuqua Valley 2 Julia Surzykiewicz – Lake Park 3 Sam Calderwood – Wheaton North |
JUDICIAL
Winner of Clerk-Bailiff Forum and Head Clerk Bailiff
Shria Devarakonda – Waubonsie Valley
Winners of Thunderdome
Taylor Sarah Rush, Sanjana Sivakumar (State-Appellee) – Metea Valley
Fletcher Nikhil Venkat, Neha Tokala (State-Appellee) – Metea Valley
Best Written Opinions – People v. Taylor: Court 2; People v. Fletcher: Court 9 (Honorable Mention Court 10)
People vs. Taylor- State-Appellee
Bench Memo
- Esha Agrawal, Dishita Mansukhani – Waubonsie Valley
- Sarah Rush, Sanjana Sivakumar – Metea Valley
- Gavin Hewawasam, Rohan Mendes – Neuqua Valley
Oral Argument
- Sarah Rush, Sanjana Sivakumar – Metea Valley
- Esha Agrawal, Dishita Mansukhani – Waubonsie Valley
- Gavin Hewawasam, Rohan Mendes – Neuqua Valley
Overall
- Esha Agrawal, Dishita Mansukhani – Waubonsie Valley
- Sarah Rush, Sanjana Sivakumar – Metea Valley
- Gavin Hewawasam, Rohan Mendes – Neuqua Valley
People vs. Taylor – Defendant-Appellant
Bench Memo
- Saniya Desai, Samhita Subramanian – Waubonsie Valley
- Darby Elo, Taylor Shi, Betty Smith – Naperville Central/North
- Diyadatt Seeryada, Areesha Sundrani – Waubonsie Valley
Oral Argument
- Darby Elo, Taylor Shi, Betty Smith – Naperville Central/North
- Shreya Jaisingh ,Madeline Walbridge – Metea Valley
- Vishnu Mahesh, Arnav Shandilya – Neuqua Valley
Overall
- Darby Elo,Taylor Shi, Betty Smith – Naperville Central/North
- Shreya Jaisingh, Madeline Walbridge – Metea Valley
- Saniya Desai, Samhita Subramanian – Waubonsie Valley
People vs. Fletcher- State-Appellee
Bench Memo
- Rishika Gaddamanagu, Anya Pulluru, Vivian Durkin, Neuqua Valley
- Eshaam Bhattad, Rajan Sukhatme – Stevenson
- Charles Becker, Michael Partyka – Lake Park
Oral Argument
- Nikhil Venkat, Neha Tokala – Metea Valley
- Raja Chokkalingam, Gavin Ebenezer – Waubonsie Valley
- Sri Marapudi, Sahil Chari – Metea Valley
Overall
- Rishika Gaddamanagu, Anya Pulluru, Vivian Durkin, Neuqua Valley
- Eshaam Bhattad, Rajan Sukhatme – Stevenson
- Raja Chokkalingam, Gavin Ebenezer – Waubonsie Valley
People vs. Fletcher – Defendant-Appellant
Bench Memo
- Krystyn Shae Reyes, Janelle Zhou – Waubonsie Valley
- Ayesha Ajaz, Tara Vijay – Waubonsie Valley
- Shreya Anand, Dhivya Chari – Waubonsie Valley
Oral Argument
- Krystyn Shae Reyes, Janelle Zhou – Waubonsie Valley
- Cadence Fung, Shadan Al Zuhari, Tori Barson – Wheaton Warrenville South
- Shaun Jacob, Ronak Chandrana, Ethan Hung – Neuqua Valley
Overall
- Krystyn Shae Reyes, Janelle Zhou – Waubonsie Valley
- Shreya Anand, Dhivya Chair – Waubonsie Valley
- Ayesha Ajaz, Tara Vijay – Waubonsie Valley
Passed Bills:
Click HERE for a link to the bills passed and signed by our Governor, Aayush Gupta this year.
Volunteer Service Awards:
Youth and Government would like to acknowledge the following advisors, board members and program volunteers that give of their time and talents to make Illinois YMCA Youth and Government the best program for civic engagement, leadership, and learning democracy. Thank you so much!
2021 SERVICE APPRECIATION AWARDS
5 Years
Dominique Estes Judicial Advisor, Alumna of Waubonsie Valley
Mary Kettering Head Advisor, Chicago Academy of the Arts, Alumna Batavia
Sheri Wigant Head Advisor, Kishwaukee, Alumna Kewanee
10 Years
Michael Barnes Judicial Advisor, Alumnus Stevenson
Dennis Favaro Head Advisor, McHenry Co., Former Board of Directors Member, Former Youth Governor, Alumnus Bradley Bourbonnais
Alexandra Hamilton Advisor Lake Park
Aaron Henricks Advisor Oswego
Brandon Krozel Program Volunteer, Former Program Board, Former President of the Senate, Alumnus Wheaton Warrenville South
Christopher MacDonald Judicial Advisor, Alumnus Stevenson
Richard Mitchell Judicial Advisor, Wheaton Warrenville South
David Overstreet Judicial Advisor, Alumnus Mt. Vernon Township
15 Years
Catherine (Cat) Bishir Judicial Advisor, NeuquaValley
Rachael Dovgin Program Volunteer, Head Advisor Richards, Former Program Board Chair
Stephanie Pinta Head Advisor Kenwood Academy, Development, Alumna Westmont
Nick Romano Former Head Advisor Andrew, Development
Brenda Shay Head Advisor Oswego
Jeff Sichz Advisor Lake Park, Program Board Member, Alumnus York
Paul Whisler Advisor Neuqua Valley
20 Years
Don Fulmer Advisor Laker Park
Tammy Schutzenhofer Judicial Advisor Neuqua Valley
25 Years
Diane DeLorenzo Program Board Vice Chair, Alumna Leyden
Matt Donkin Former Board of Directors, Alumnus West Frankfort
Jared Knapp Board of Directors, Alumnus Mt. Vernon Township
Karen O’Shea Former Program Board Chair, Alumna Stagg
30 Years
Dawn D’Orazio Head Advisor Northeast Independent, Former Board and Program Board member, Former Youth Governor, alumna Galesburg
Suzanne Whitehead Head Advisor Gateway Region Y, Program Board Chair, Alumna Governor French Academy
Lincoln Award for Extraordinary Volunteer Service – Robert Lampros
2022 SERVICE APPRECIATION AWARDS
5 Years
Levonne Cescolini-Boyer Head Advisor, Addison Trail
Robin Chang Advisor, Waubonsie Valley
Emily Depasquale Program Board, Lobbyist Coordinator, alumna BBCHS
John Gulley Advisor, Sesser-Valier, former Program Board, alumnus, Sesser-Valier
Bob Maroney Board of Directors
10 Years
Krishna Appalaneni Judicial Advisor, alumnus Waubonsie Valley
Melodee Garner Advisor, Sesser-Valier
Justin Gomez Program Volunteer
Alexandra Hamilton Advisor, Lake Park
Mark Lobes Head Advisor, Andrew
Jeffrey Ptacek Head Advisor, Carmel Catholic, Program Board, alumnus Leyden
Zach McCoy-Brock Program Volunteer, alumnus Waubonsie Valley
15 Years
Matthew Livesay Program Board, Judicial Advisor
Fred Tietze Program Volunteer
Kevin Tucker Program Volunteer, former Program Board Vice Chair
20 Years
Sean Docherty Advisor, Mt. Vernon
Jay Robertson Advisor, Lake Park
Adam Zmuda Head Advisor, Stagg
25 Years
Jennifer Lacroix Program Board, Judicial Coordinator, alumna Evanston Township
Amanda Tucker Former Board of Directors, alumna Galesburg
30 Years
Timothy Johnson Head Advisor, Naperville North, former Board of Directors
Chris Kirk Board of Directors, alumnus Mt. Vernon Township
Retiring David Severance Advisor, Waubonsie Valley
2023 Assembly Wrap Up!
We were back! Back in Springfield and back in the beautiful Illinois Capitol for our 74th Assembly. Over 890 students came to Springfield, debated, presented and met students from all over Illinois.
Scroll down for a list of our Student Leadership Team, Student Award Winners and our Volunteer Service Award Winners!
Student Leadership Team:
Major Officers
Luke Fosdick, Neuqua Valley
Zoe Williams, Metea Valley
Lt. Governor:
Daksh Shandilya, Neuqua Valley
Secretary of State:
Wanrou Sun, Neuqua Valley
Presidents of the Senate:
Aleigha Bunnell, Sesser-Valier
Jaleel Drones-Akins, Kenwood Academy
Ragnav Taneja, Neuqua Valley
Speakers of the House:
Cynthia Jing, Neuqua Valley
Delaney Kirk, Gateway Region Y
April Zhang, Neuqua Valley
Executive Director of Lobbyists:
Jillian Mannisto, Neuqua Valley
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
- Khushi Aggarwal – Lake Park
- Krish Aggarwal – Metea Valley
- Justas Bobrevicius – Westmont
- Musa Bukhari – Waubonsie Valley
- Sam Caputo – Sycamore
- Riya Chintala – Metea Valley
- Emily Chiou – Neuqua Valley
- Nathaniel D’Orazio – Northeast Independent
- Daniel Ghera – Stagg
- Dayton Harper – Mt. Vernon Township
- Aaliyah Hawk – Sesser-Valier
- Veronica Hummert – Gateway Region Y
- Sam Hung – Neuqua Valley
- Alex Jeong – Neuqua Valley
- Brianna Jones – Eisenhower
- Oliver Keicher – Sycamore
- Elizabeth Kleckner – Sycamore
- Kathy Lee – Neuqua Valley
- Thomas McComb – Sycamore
- Kaelyn McGhie – Neuqua Valley
- Violet McIntyre – Richards
- Nate Miller – Sycamore
- Vanessa Orintas – Richards
- Farah Rahman – Waubonsie Valley
- Salimah Scott – Neuqua Valley
- Sanjana Settipalli – Neuqua Valley
- Gracie Shopinski – Woodlawn
- Hannah Utlaut – Sesser-Valier
- Megan You – Gateway Region Y
Devotion Leaders
- Asher Bates, Sesser Valier
- Tyler Boecker, Oswego
- CJ George, Carmel Catholic
- Nick Waldron, Williamsville
Assistant Directors of Lobbyists
- Aditi Amarnath – Neuqua Valley
- Belle Connolly – Carl Sandburg
- Jordon Gully – Gateway Region Y
- SIddharth Jaiganesh – Neuqua Valley
- Claire Nash – Neuqua Valley
- Maya Rounds – Sesser Valier
- Emily Shield – Waubonsie Valley
Clerk of the House
- Parker Johnson – Benton
- Shritan Tummala – Bloomington Normal Y
- Sarah Haque – Neuqua Valley
Secretary of the Senate
- Hunter Boyle – Andrew High School
- Cole Buchanan – Benton
- Vanshika Shetty – Neuqua Valley
Sergeant-at-Arms of the House
- Jakarri Baugh – Eisenhower
- Grace Nelson – Batavia
- Eli Prost – Mt. Vernon
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate
- Chelsea Boothe – Batavia
- Gunnar England – Waltonville
- Sam Owens – Kenwood Academy
MEDIA CORPS
Editors
- Kendall Eddington – Wheaton Warrenville South
- Luisa Frackiewicz – Lake Park
Social Media Editor
- Madison Powell, Lake Park
Assistant Social Media Editors
- Hannah Faulkner, Lake Park
STUDENT STEERING COMMITTEE
CHAIR: Lt. Governor Daksh Shandilya – Neuqua Valley
VICE CHAIR: Jackson Snodsmith – Mt. Vernon
- Aiste Siupienius – Addison Trail
- Megan Muzzey – Batavia High School
- Norah Thurow – Batavia High School
- Nicole Huffaker – Bradley Bourbonnais Comm.
- Avery Kelly – Carl Sandburg High School
- Hannah Adkins – Frankfort Community
- Veronica Hummert – Gateway Region YMCA
- Krish Aggarwal – Metea Valley High School
- Roshini Ashrit – Metea Valley High School
- Zoe Williams – Metea Valley High School
- Nate Gonzalez – Naperville North/Central
- Luke Fosdick – Neuqua Valley High School
- Sneha Ghosh – Neuqua Valley High School
- Wanrou Sun – Neuqua Valley High School
- Michael Amato – Neuqua Valley High School
- Nathaniel D’Orazio – Northeast Independent
- Thomas Johnson – Oswego High School
- Carson Moore – Oswego High School
- Sallee Collins – Pinckneyville High School
- Vanessa Orintas – Richards High School
- Olivia Tipton – Sesser-Valier High School
- Henry Meinert – Sesser-Valier High School
- Oliver Keichner – Sycamore High School
- Cassandra Chamoun – Sycamore High School
- Tryton Fassett – Waltonville High School
- Musa Bukhari – Waubonsie Valley High School
- Maya Sanny – Waubonsie Valley High School
- Amelia Carnana – Wheaton Warrenville South
- Ethan Timm – Williamsville High School
Student Award Winners:
BEST LEGISLATORS
Blue House Veronica Hummert – Gateway Region Y
Blue Senate Hawkeye Pirtle – Whitney Young
Gray Senate Thomas McComb – Sycamore
Gray House Meiling Sun – Neuqua Valley
Orange Senate Asha Suresh – Neuqua Valley
Orange House Calvin Steger – Neuqua Valley
LOBBYISTS
| Blue
1 Camille Pirtle – Whitney Young 2 Alicia Labriola – Bradley Bourbonnais 3 Jordan Gully – Gateway Region Y |
Gray
1 Layla Sutherland – Lake Park 2 Shreya Patel – Lake Park 3 Aditi Amaranth – Neuqua Valley |
Orange
1 Sid Jaiganesh – Neuqua Valley 2 Uma Bisla – Waubonsie Valley 3 Yogitha Narala – Waubonsie Valley |
| Lobbyists of Distinction:
Ishita Borikar – Waubonsie Valley Claire Nash – Neuqua Valley |
STATE ISSUES FORUM
| Cardinal
1 Eliane Kadima – Neuqua Valley 2 Yashika Singh – Neuqua Valley 3 Jude Hackett – Wheaton North |
Violet
1 Justin Wu – Sycamore 2 Aditi Kaushal – Neuqua Valley 3 Vanshika Shetty – Neuqua Valley |
White-Tailed Deer
1 Chelsea Boothe – Batavia 2 Parker Johnson – Benton 3 Truman Carnine – Mt. Vernon |
JUDICIAL
Head Clerk Bailiff: Siya Malhotra (Neuqua Valley)
Best Written Opinion
- Court 4 (judging People v. Archer)
- Court 12 (judging People v. Wilson)
Thunderdome Teams (winner indicated in bold and *)
People v. Archer
*Defendant/Appellant, Saniya Desai, Jeanelle Zhou (Waubonsie Valley)*
vs.
State/Appellee,Vikrant Avineni, Saatvi Durai (Waubonsie Valley)
People v. Wilson
Defendant/Appellant, Pranay Madey, Nishant Sharat (Metea Valley)
vs.
*State/Appellee, Samhita Subramanian, Maya Sanny (Waubonsie Valley)*
_________________________________________________________
People v. Archer – Defendant/Appellant
Bench Memo
- Darby Elo, Emilee Renc (Naperville Central)
- Akshara Arvind, Rida Majeed, Pravallika Gadupuri (Waubonsie Valley)
- Saniya Desai, Jeanelle Zhou (Waubonsie Valley)
Oral Argument
- Saniya Desai, Jeanelle Zhou (Waubonsie Valley)
- Shaun Jacob, Anika Chandola, Lily Hoffman (Neuqua Valley)
- Darby Elo, Emilee Renc (Naperville Central)
Overall Score
- Darby Elo, Emilee Renc (Naperville Central)
- Saniya Desai, Jeanelle Zhou (Waubonsie Valley)
- Akshara Arvind, Rida Majeed, Pravallika Gadupuri (Waubonsie Valley)
People v. Archer – State/Appellee
Bench Memo
- Allison Fecke, Arian Lagarija, Gavin Sonntag (Wheaton Warrenville South)
- Annika Char, Anjana Viswanathan (Metea Valley)
- Vikrant Avineni, Saatvi Durai (Waubonsie Valley)
Oral Argument
- Vikrant Avineni, Saatvi Durai (Waubonsie Valley)
- Akina Manelkar, Iniya Chandrakumar (Waubonsie Valley)
- Suchita Rao, Sonika Arunodhayam (Metea Valley)
Overall Score
- Vikrant Avineni, Saatvi Durai (Waubonsie Valley)
- Allison Fecke, Arian Lagarija, Gavin Sonntag (Wheaton Warrenville South)
- Akina Manelkar, Iniya Chandrakumar (Waubonsie Valley)
People v. Wilson – Defendant/Appellant
Bench Memo
- Mannsha Assudani, Divya Date (Waubonsie Valley)
- Megan Cereno, Lauren Smilie (Neuqua Valley)
- TIE for third:
Sanjana Kamphampati, Rithika Manchala (Metea Valley)
Mihir Tuteja (Metea Valley)
Oral Argument
- Pranay Madey, Nishant Sharat (Metea Valley)
- Ayesha Ajaz, Peter Eta, Teresa Salazar (Waubonsie Valley)
- Vibha Srikanth, Michael Amato, Katie Min (Neuqua Valley)
Overall Score
- Mannsha Assudani, Divya Date (Waubonsie Valley)
- Megen Cereno, Lauren Smilie (Neuqua Valley)
- Sanjana Kambhampati, Rithika Manchala (Metea Valley)
People v. Wilson – State/Appellee
Bench Memo
- Ethan Montanez, Sophia Daly (Wheaton Warrenville South)
- Achint Saberwal, Zoe Williams (Metea Valley)
- Hamza Ali Sheikh, Humza Asif (Waubonsie Valley)
Oral Argument
- Samhita Subramanian, Maya Sanny (Waubonsie Valley)
- Achint Saberwal, Zoe Williams (Metea Valley)
- Vikram Narasimham, Vallabh Arun (Waubonsie Valley)
Overall Score
- Achint Saberwal, Zoe Williams (Metea Valley)
- Samhita Subramanian, Maya Sanny (Waubonsie Valley)
- Shlokah Sarkar, Arushi Agarwal (Metea Valley)
Passed Bills:
Click HERE for a link to the bills passed and signed by our Governor, Luke Fosdick, this year.
2023 Service Appreciation Awards:
Youth and Government would like to acknowledge the following advisors, board members and program volunteers that give of their time and talents to make Illinois YMCA Youth and Government the best program for civic engagement, leadership, and learning democracy. Thank you so much!
5 Years
Tom Carroll – Board of Directors
Colby Huff – Program Board, Alumnus of Raymond Lincolnwood
James Mattera – Advisor, Carl Sandburg
Jay Mehta – Advisor, Wheaton North
Cheri Peterson – Advisor, Mt. Vernon
Dominique Tucker – Board of Directors, Aluma of Bradley Bourbonnais
Kevin Worland – Program Volunteer
10 Years
Keagan Castro – Head Advisor, Wheaton North
Nadia Gonzalez – Judicial Program Volunteer, Alumna of Waubonsie Valley
Joshua Hall – Head Advisor, Alumnus of West Frankfort
John Noffke – Advisor, Naperville North
Shayma Patel – Judicial Program Volunteer, Judicial Advisor Naperville North/Central
Danielle Reehoff – Advisor, Lake Park
Kathleen Willis – Board of Directors, Alumna of AddisonTrail
15 Years
Phillip Garee – Board of Directors, Alumnus of Neuqua Valley
Pat Usher – Head Advisor, Carl Sandburg
20 Years
Lindsey Clark – Program Volunteer, Former Program/Board of Directors, Alumna of
Wheaton Warrenville South
Kelly Kasper – Head Advisor, Eisenhower, Program Board
Peter Landreth – Head Advisor, Westmont
John Powell – Head Advisor, Lake Park, Program Board
25 Years
Susan Fuhrer – Advisor, Metea Valley, Program Board
30 Years
Craig Garner – Head Advisor, Sesser-Valier, Board of Directors, Alumnus Sesser Valier
Kristin Miller – Advisor, Sycamore, Former Board/Interim CEO, Alumna Mt. Vernon
Alumni Association
Description
For the first time – Illinois Youth & Government is launching an alumni association to help all our former participants keep up with the fun for years after graduation! Receive the best of each year’s bills, Observer newspapers, and judicial review straight to your inbox and help us continue to operate a high-quality program annually.
The association will provide exclusive access to alumni events, discounts for other fundraising events, and a more direct connection to the Annual Assembly from the comfort of home!
This program currently runs at a $150 loss per student as we have strived to keep prices low to encourage opportunities for students across the state. We rely on donations to fill that gap and support need-based scholarships to ensure that no student is turned away.
Please consider becoming a patron today to hear about your impact directly from our students and fill the gap in our subsidized program pricing!
Sponsorship Benefits
Tier |
Sponsor Benefits |
|---|---|
Friend of the Program$25+ |
|
Patron of the Program$100+ |
|
Illinois Club$500+ |
|
Capitol Club$1,000+ |
|
Questions? See our FAQ below or email Robert Lampros (Program Board Chair & 2012 Alumni) at alumni@ilymcayg.org
What if I already donated this year?
Firstly, thank you for your support this year! You will be grandfathered into the program at your existing donation level. Please look out for a note regarding your current status. Please reach out to alumni@ilymcayg.org if you have any additional questions.
How else can I be involved in Youth & Gov as an adult?
Outside of financial support, there are many opportunities to continue to stay involved as an adult! Each year volunteers guide students and operate the program in Springfield. College-aged alumni can become part of our young alumni program to learn more about other areas and see old friends every year!
Where can I access old bill books and Observers?
For the bill books and observers we currently have digitized, search in your inbox for an email with the subject line ‘Welcome to the IL Y&G Alumni Association’. This note should contain the instructions for how to access historical documents.
2021 Assembly Wrap-Up!
As one of our candidates said, ILYG2021 was the “Zoom Where it Happened.” The 72nd Assembly and 47th Judicial Assembly was virtual with almost 700 students participating. While we were not gracing the halls of the Capitol, democracy can happen anywhere; and that is what happened.
Student Leadership Team:
Major Officers
David Surzykiewicz, Lake Park
Thomas Musgrave, Bradley Bourbonnais
Lt. Governor:
Sameer Jain, Neuqua Valley
Secretary of State:
Sarah Wu, Neuqua Valley
Presidents of the Senate:
Namish Kaistha, Neuqua Valley
Kolton Powell, Williamsville
Emma Spence, Sesser-Valier
Speakers of the House:
Jasmine Castillo, Sesser-Valier
Kenzie Kirk, Gateway Region Y
Cooper Sohst, Oswego
Executive Director of Lobbyists:
Daksh Shandilya, Neuqua Valley
Passed Legislation:
- Click HERE for a link to a list of our Passed bills for this year, signed by Youth Governor David Surzykiewicz, Lake Park High School
Candidate Speeches from Pre-Leg I
We had speeches from our Major Officer Candidates for 2022 at Pre-Leg 1! Voting to see who will run at Assembly will be done at Pre-Leg II, December 4th. We will also be having a Candidate Forum closer to Pre-Leg II so you can get to know the candidates better!
Click here to go to the links for the speeches. It is password protected; please ask your head advisor for the password!