The RYSE Youth Innovation Advisors ensure that our Hub centers youth voice and cultural relevance in sexual health innovations. Read on to learn more about our current Youth Innovation Advisors supporting our Hub!
Kayle (she/her), a proud native of Mississippi, is dedicated to advocacy and social change. She is currently obtaining a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Public Policy Leadership, with minors in Sports/Business Administration and American Sign Language from the University of Mississippi. She is deeply passionate about ensuring all youth receive sex education and youth-friendly healthcare services. As a Youth Innovation Advisor, Kayle aims to further her impact on youth's sexual and mental wellbeing through her expertise in public policy and social justice.
Tyren (he/him) is from Indianola, Mississippi and a sophomore at the University of Mississippi, majoring in Public Policy Leadership and Writing. He serves as an ambassador for the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, and advises the Mississippi Youth Innovation, where he leads peer training sessions and curriculum design on HIV awareness. He is dedicated to shifting conversations around sexual health and wellness and helping young people worldwide gain the knowledge they need. Outside of working in this field, he works on his venture Change Agency Solutions, an initiative helping high school students transition to college and their careers.
Arely (she/her) is a feminist studies major at The University of California at Santa Cruz and works as a peer health educator on campus. Returning for her second year as a YIA, Arely also served as a Youth Researcher on ETR's Youth Engagement Network in 2022-2023. She has dedicated much of her time to ensuring youth can access sexual health programs and services. In her free time, Arely loves hiking beautiful trails or dancing with friends.
I am a Public Health professional and Doctor of Public Health student from Coffee County, Douglas, Georgia. I am pursuing my DrPH concentrating in Behavioral Science and Health Education at Florida A&M University. I earned my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Morehouse College, and my Master of Public health degree concentrating in Health Promotion & Behavior from the University of Georgia. I desire to decrease disparities for youth by developing holistic health programming for youth simultaneously promoting education, leadership and personal growth.
I have worked within ETR, CDC, Yale School of the Environment, the University of Georgia's student health center, and the affordable housing company Columbia Residential. Additionally, I have served as a consultant to Gilead Pharmaceuticals on HIV prevention programs on HBCU campuses. Most recently, I have developed a contraceptive education social media campaign garnering over 300,000 views across multiple platforms. I have conducted multiple IRB approved research projects and have created programs to distribute contraceptives. I am also the co-founder of the non-profit mentoring organization 'Future Mentality'.
Lotus (he/him) is an Africana Studies and Education student at Oberlin College from Metro-Detroit. He is deeply passionate about anti-oppressive sex education and reproductive justice and plans to use his degree and the experience he gains in college toward a career in sexual health education. Lotus currently serves on Advocates for Youth's Racial Justice in Sex-Education Youth Advisory Council and engages in student organizing with Oberlin's Reproductive Justice Alliance on campus. He has previously served on Planned Parenthood Michigan Gender Affirming Care's Advisory Board and created workshops for the Abortion Fund of Ohio focused on Black Queer Liberation. Outside of work, you can find Lotus caring for his cat named Tank and playing Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
Mia (she/her) is pursuing a Masters in Public Administration degree at The Evergreen State College (TESC) in Olympia, Washington. Her passion for sexual health was sparked during puberty and deepened through exploring topics such as taboos around menstruation, gender studies, consent, and pleasure activism. She engaged with these topics deeply while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
Originally from the foggy beaches of the San Francisco Bay Area, she enjoys woodworking, swimming, snowboarding, and listening to audiobooks in her free time.
Jireh (she/her) is a dedicated public health professional from Dinwiddie, Virginia. She is an MPH candidate with a concentration in Leadership at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and has a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Education from North Carolina Central University. Currently, Jireh has many interests in certain health issues that stem from the faith-based, compassionate household in which she was raised. However, her heart lies with the health of youth because she believes that young people have immense potential to make a difference, change stigmas, and improve health equity. With her passion for helping others, Jireh aims to make the world an overall healthier and better place by using her voice in the public health workforce.
Ariel (she/her) is a Chicago native and recent graduate from Xavier University. Returning for her second year as a YIA, Ariel also served as a fellow in ETR's 2022-2023 Black Public Health Influencer Fellowship. She is passionate about using education to reduce the stigma she experienced around this topic and her fellowship helped her understand how education helps young people make decisions that work best for their bodies and health. One of her goals is to create sexual health workshops for youth and elders in assisted living facilities, to increase multigenerational discussions on sexual health and wellness.
Hi, my name is Kayla Smith, and I am a youth advocate for mental, sexual, and reproductive health for teens and young adults, as well as healthcare disparities faced by underrepresented communities. Coming from Hattiesburg, MS, I had no prior knowledge about sex education, unless it was from word of mouth from friends and family members. This lack of knowledge motivated me to become an advocate for teens and to improve the conversation around sex education.
Kaliyah (she/her) is a recent graduate from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she received her B.A. in Legal Studies. Her interest in sexual and reproductive health began almost two years ago when she started working with an organization dedicated to providing support to survivors of domestic violence. This opportunity allowed her to see how education on topics like teen dating violence gives young people the knowledge and agency they need when it comes to making healthy decisions regarding their sexual health.
In her professional life, she is the executive assistant for a community leader in her hometown, serving alongside a small team of activists to serve underrepresented people in her community.
