Nicole (she/her) is an advocate in training for everyone to have the chance to take part in sports, and to eliminate bullying in school. Nicole loves to play sports, she excels in running and loves playing basketball. Nicole enjoys spending time with her family, dog and her cats. She once ran 209 miles (the distance across Michigan) in a week to promote transgender rights in sports and raise awareness of bullying in our schools. Let all girls play!

Jay Schwartz (all pronouns) is a high school student currently located in northern Colorado. Influenced by their intersectional identities, Jay seeks to find the niches within already-marginalized communities to help the most unique voices shine.

In their free time, Jay enjoys reading Russian classics, scrolling Wikipedia, and going to terrible hardcore shows.

Hello, I’m Adelaide- a nonbinary student! I have spent my time living in Michigan, enjoying the sun and sand of our great lake beaches. I love the company of my two dogs, as well as the time I get to spend with my 3 siblings. I am looking forward to attending MSU College of Science and Engineering in the fall! I am currently working towards a career in software engineering- I am obsessed with everything computer.

I have been given the wonderful opportunity to volunteer at an elderly care facility (9 years and counting!). I am also a member of the National Honors Society. I love contributing to my community and am passionate about advocating for human rights. Exploring gender has been a long and rewarding journey for me; I am grateful to my LGBTQ+ family at Stand with Trans for helping provide insight through my moments of inquisitiveness.

My name is Anthony, I’m a 17 year old trans man from Georgia, and this is one of my first experiences with any sort of trans youth program. I am also the eldest child to 3 younger sisters. I got involved with the YAB because a friend at Free Mom Hugs heard about it and thought that it would be a perfect opportunity for me. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone, so now here’s the chance for people to get to know me!

Some of my interests are music composition, insects, reptiles, and online gaming spaces. I play several different instruments including flute and piano, as well as participate in my school’s marching band. I hope to minor in composition. I enjoy listening to music about as much as writing it, and some of my favourite artists are Laufey, Sumia, Peach Pit, Radiohead, and Pierce the Veil.  I have taken a huge interest in insects, and I hope to major in college as an Entomologist, or a Herpetologist,as  getting to work with insects and/or reptiles for the rest of my life sounds like a dream come true. I currently own a good variety of bugs, such as darkling beetles and mantids, and I currently have one crested gecko, Bruno, along with several cats I care for. I like to find myself within communities, I play a lot of Pokemon and Splatoon, and have gotten myself involved in a lot of online game spaces to fill my interests during my free time.

Currently my goals/motivations are to not only get my own voice out there, but to help other trans people, especially youth, do the same. I think with everything going on both inside and outside of people’s personal lives, having a community like the YAB is a great way to do just that. I also hope to motivate people to take action, and hopefully make sure everyone knows they are not alone.

Hello, my name is Augusten (he/him). I am originally from Michigan but am currently a college student in Ohio majoring in fashion design. I began advocating for trans rights after coming out in 2022 and have been a proud member of the Stand With Trans Youth Advisory Board since it was started. Sharing stories and educating others on trans experiences is incredibly important to me as I am passionate about creating more accepting and safe communities for lgbtq youth.

Kieran (He/They) is a Transmasc/man, queer, jewish, masters student studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling at a college in Michigan. He works for an LGBT center, supporting and providing resources for a target demographic of young adult queer people. When he isn’t hosting queer-centered events, he may be reading in his office with his cat and listening to Hozier, if not that then try his Shul–maybe he’s there! Kieran is excited to be serving another year with the youth advisory board!

Hello. My name is Jess (She/Her). I am a senior student at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, getting my bachelors in vocal music education and vocal music performance. I recently had the opportunity to study in Italy over the summer. I can’t wait to represent the trans people of southeast Michigan as well as the US as we look to building a better future