Mia is a high school junior from Southern California and a participant in Plan International USA’s 2025 Youth Leadership Academy. The YLA showed her the power of youth voices in driving meaningful change.

During her time with the academy, she founded Project Unlaced, a youth-led initiative that empowers young women to build a healthy, confident relationship with their bodies. Through Project Unlaced, Mia leads peer-driven workshops, coordinates a team of volunteers and facilitates research-informed conversations that promote gender  equality, empowerment and mental health. This work was inspired by Mia’s own struggle with an eating disorder.

In the future, Mia hopes to continue her advocacy and research in public health policy. In her free time, she enjoys running and finding new books to read.

Quote: “I’m excited to serve on the YAB alongside such inspiring young leaders as we work to elevate youth voices and advance gender equality.”

Joy is a high school junior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who is deeply committed to elevating student voice, advancing mental health advocacy and ensuring young people are meaningfully included in decision-making spaces.

At school, Joy serves as junior class president and as a member of her district’s Superintendent Advisory Council, where she works directly with school and district leaders to bring student perspectives into conversations about school climate, academic access and opportunity gaps in under-resourced schools. She is especially passionate about expanding leadership opportunities in under-resourced communities, helping students see themselves as leaders rather than just participants and turning student ideas into meaningful action.

Beyond her district, Joy’s advocacy extends through statewide and national youth organizations, where she collaborates with other young leaders to push for stronger mental health policies and more equitable education systems. She has spoken at conferences, worked with lawmakers and contributed to youth-led campaigns centered on honesty, empathy and tangible change. As a student fellow with the Bill of Rights Institute, Joy engages in conversations about democracy, civil discourse and civic leadership alongside students from across the country.

Interested in law and public service, Joy hopes to continue advocating for policies that amplify the voices of underserved communities, drawing on her own lived experiences. Outside of advocacy, she enjoys playing tennis and volleyball, mentoring younger students and spending time at her local library.

Quote: “Being surrounded by such an incredible group of Youth Advisory Board members — each passionate about making women’s voices heard in leadership spaces — encourages me to show up as the change the world needs.”

Joann is a high school senior from Massachusetts planning to pursue studies in public health and policy, with a focus on community- based prevention and youth advocacy. She is passionate about youth substance prevention and mental health, interests shaped by years of work with Impact Norwood, a local prevention coalition dedicated to building healthier, more connected communities.

Through Impact Norwood, Joann has helped lead youth-driven initiatives including the We Are the Norms campaign, a Sticker Shock campaign and a Photovoice project that elevates student perspectives on prevention and wellness. She also co-created her town’s first youth-led wellness magazine, featuring submissions from community members ranging from kindergarten students to senior citizens, creating a shared platform for stories and resources across generations.

At the regional level, Joann works with MassCall3, where she has advocated at the Massachusetts State House, speaking with legislators about increasing the excise tax on alcohol and directing revenue toward youth prevention and public health programs. She collaborates with peers across the state to strengthen a youth network that brings local experiences into broader policy conversations.

Inspired by her Ghanaian heritage, Joann is passionate about advancing gender equity and expanding access to education, especially for girls and young people in underserved communities. She hopes to continue advocating for youth-centered public health and policy solutions that connect community voices to real-world change. In her free time, Joann enjoys baking her “world-class” toffee chocolate chip cookies with friends, crocheting and finding creative ways to build connection through storytelling and art.

Quote: “I’m grateful to be part of Plan’s work to advance equality for children and girls, and to stand alongside inspiring young women across the nation as we help shape a more equitable future together.”

Holland is a high school senior from Portland, Oregon, and this is her first year with Plan!

In high school, she founded a chapter of Best Buddies, partnering with a national nonprofit dedicated to creating inclusion and community for students with disabilities. Through Best Buddies, she was able to represent Oregon at the Best Buddies Leadership Conference and mentor special education students to become better advocates for themselves.

Every summer, Holland is a counselor at Camp Jabberwocky. She acts as a 24-hour caretaker for adults with disabilities, supporting daily needs such as bathing, feeding and emotional wellbeing.

Within her high school she has held multiple leadership roles, including the president of her school’s Racial Equity Alliance and founder of Female BIPOC Student Alliance. In these roles she has led student initiatives addressing racial justice, including organizing a school renaming campaign and fundraising  over $45,000 for local bail funds and refugee support organizations.

Holland loves to run, journal and listen to music! In the future, she hopes to continue her passions of inclusion, community and advocacy!

Himangini is studying mechanical engineering with minors in business administration and aerospace engineering at Louisiana State University. 

In high school, she founded Geaux Girls STEM, a Baton Rouge-based initiative dedicated to bridging gender and socioeconomic gaps in STEM education. Through Geaux Girls, she’s reached more than 100 young students with hands-on workshops and mentorship opportunities. Her work has been featured in local media, and she was recognized as a Time for Change Youth Challenge Winner. 

She joined Plan International USA in 2022 as a Youth Leadership Academy participant and later became a Youth Advisory Board member. Today, she leads the recruitment subcommittee, serves on the data analysis subcommittee and mentors current YLA participants. She’s also participated in International Day of the Girl activations with Vertex Inc. and served as an on-site counselor for the 2025 Youth Leadership Academy. 

In her free time, she enjoys LSU sports, reading science fiction and exploring new matcha spots. 

Quote: “It’s an honor to serve alongside other inspiring young people who share similar advocacy goals. This service brings together our lived experiences to shape our engagement opportunities and projects, and it helps us grow both as a board and as individuals.