Our Mission: Passionate student members of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County dedicated to benefiting the youth and community by promoting the importance of voting and civic engagement.
Brooke Phimsoutham, Youth Council Co-Chair
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Brooke Phimsoutham is currently a high school senior from Burlingame, California and is a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. Brooke joined the youth council because of her interests in law and politics, which stemmed from her time working at the West Coast Workers Comp Attorney Group during her sophomore year. At school, she is a board member of the student equity council which helps promote equality for students. She is also an active member in the student-run organization Card Express, where she often volunteers to create cards for the elderly in her community. In her free time, Brooke loves to play video games with her friends and snowboard in the winter.
Ari Guelman, Youth Council Co-Chair
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Ari Guelman is currently a high school junior from San Carlos, California and a member of the LLeague of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. Ari joined the youth council because he is passionate about voting and hopes to learn and understand more about our nation's voting systems. At school, he is President of the Hydration Club where he promotes the benefits of water and health. He is also an active member of his school's Jewish Student Union, where he often volunteers for his community. Ari also plays two sports which includes cross country and track. In his free time, he likes to hang out with his friends or go play soccer at his city's local soccer field. He also enjoys traveling to scenic places such as Hawaii and Spain.
Josh MacLeitch
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Josh MacLeitch is currently a high school junior from San Carlos, California and is a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. Josh joined the youth council in hopes of learning more about voting rights and the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election in November. He is excited to understand how voting affects the democracy of our country as well as the different propositions on the ballot this year. Outside of school, Josh enjoys playing club soccer for the San Carlos United Soccer Team. He also loves hanging out with his friends and family at various parks in his community.
Zurine Cheng, Youth Council Founder & Past Chair
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Zurine Cheng is currently a college freshman from Millbrae, California and serves as the current Chair of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. In addition to her role as Youth Council Chair, Zurine is a member of LWVNCSM's Voter Services Tabling Committee and a contributor to the league's research studies on local and national policy. Zurine is passionate about voting rights, and expanding the knowledge of civic engagement throughout the youth, serving as the Student Board Member for her district and becoming Chair of the her city's youth advisory committee. During her free time, Zurine loves to go hiking and volunteer at her local food bank.
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Sophia Eng is currently a high school sophomore from Millbrae, California and a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. Sophia joined the youth council because she is interested in politics and law, and wants to encourage youth to be more engaged in civics. At school, she is the secretary and an attorney in her school’s Mock Trial team, as well as a member of the Debate team. She also plays water polo and swims competitively. In her free time, Sophia likes traveling to new places, reading, and hanging out with her friends.
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Jamie Yu is currently a high school junior from South San Francisco, California and is a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo. Jamie joined the youth council because she cares about politics and wants to help educate people on voting systems. At school, she is manager for her school’s Mock Trial and treasurer of a club called E.A.T., which promotes equality and aids those in poverty. She is also in her school’s flag football team and works two jobs tutoring. In her free time, she likes to go out to eat with her friends and go shopping.
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Jaiden Ou is a sophomore at Aragon High School and a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. He wanted to get involved and be more experienced in the world of politics, so he joined the youth council for the League of Women Voters. In school, he is the captain of the junior varsity basketball team and a key member of the varsity badminton team. Also, he is in clubs like Model Congress and DECA. Outside of school, Jaiden runs a non-profit by using badminton as a medium for advocating for sustainable housing. He also is the founder of a youth basketball training business and a member of the social justice committee of the Youth Public Policy Institute. In his free time, Jaiden enjoys hanging out with friends, making fun tiktoks, and eating tasty food.
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Jason Musselman is a high school senior from San Mateo CA & a member of the LWV of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. He was inspired to join by his grandma (who is a long time volunteer for the League) and his passion about history and politics. At school, he’s a founding member of the Culinary Arts club and takes physics & statistics classes in hopes of going into engineering or business/economics when he’s older. His dream is to work in the semiconductor industry to help create the chips that run the world. In his free time, he likes hanging out with his cats & friends, weightlifting, reading fantasy books, and playing video games.
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Lily Aidi is currently a high school senior from Millbrae, California and is a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. Lily joined the youth council because of her interests in law and government. She is an active member in United Nations Club, Mock Trial, and Debate Team at school and hopes these extracurriculars will help her pursue a career in law later on. She also has over 200 volunteer hours mentoring youth in the neighborhood about argumentation and is a co-founder of the Taylor Middle School Debate Team. She hopes to contribute to democratic systems in her community. In her free time, Lily loves to go swimming and travel in the summer.
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Mia Bercow is currently a high school junior from Menlo Park, California, and is a member of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County Youth Council. Mia joined the youth council because she is passionate about policy, voting rights, and voting education. At school, she chairs for her school’s Model United Nations team and leads a club for the organization she started to help promote social media education and awareness. She also is an active member of her school’s Jewish student alliance affinity group and helps to organize events and philanthropy opportunities. Mia plays volleyball for her school's team and has been a captain for the past three years. Outside of school she is a member of the Diller Teen Foundation and National Charity League. In her free time, she likes going out to fun restaurant places with her friends and spending time with her dog.
Photos from Our Recent Tabling in San Mateo, California! During our tabling at this event, we passed over 500 Vote 411 guides, 200 "Future Voter" Stickers to the youth, and pre-registered and registered countless San Mateo County residents!
Thank you to City of San Mateo Mayor Liaz Diaz Nash for visiting us!
The Youth Council works alongside different committees of the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County as well as the League of Women Voters California State Chapter. Please feel free to check out our website and their website to understand more about our current projects and research interests.
If you have any questions about the Youth Council, their projects, or current research, please feel free to contact the Youth Council Chair.
Zurine Cheng (zurine.cheng@lwvncsmc.org)