Empowering Bay Area teens: youth leadership summer program

Abigail Weiss

Abigail is currently enrolled at Lowell High School. She enjoys painting and cooking with friends. She also volunteers with Muttville and Randall Museum. Through Coro, she hopes to develop her skills as a leader and to connect with new people.

Amrith Venkatesh

Amrith will be a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School in Fall 2026. He enjoys playing the piano and composing music, and is involved in his school’s Music Service Club. He also volunteers with the Boys and Girls Club and works part-time as a hospitality team member at ShakeShack. 

Through Coro, he would like to learn how to effectively lead projects and initiatives even when things get difficult.

Annabelle Lee

Annabelle will be a junior at Newark Memorial High School in Fall 2026. She enjoys dancing, singing, and reading, and is involved in multiple school clubs including Kpop, Speech and Debate, Puente, and Choir. She is a part of her school’s badminton team. Annabelle volunteers at her local Korean school, which comes with being fluent in Korean, and is a tutor for elementary students. Annabelle loves to travel all around the world with her family.

Through Coro, Annabelle hopes to develop good leadership to become a good student board representative that voices the needs of her school community.

Armaan Patel

Armaan is a freshman at the International High School of San Francisco. He is passionate about law, history, and civic engagement, and currently leads the Housing and Transit Committee for the District 1 Youth Council. Armaan is also involved in public policy initiatives, community outreach, and student-led media projects focused on politics and current events. 

Through Coro, he hopes to deepen his understanding of government systems, strengthen his leadership skills, and create meaningful change in his community.

Ashton Fung

Ashton Fung will be a Sophomore at Lick-Wilmerding High School this fall. He enjoys basketball, lacrosse, and flag football, as well as learning about entrepreneurship. He volunteers with organizations such as Glide and the Florence Fang Community Garden. Through Coro, he hopes to learn how to become a more effective leader, gain exposure to real-world work experiences, and create meaningful change in our local community through civic engagement.

Collin Graham

Collin will be a junior at Groton School in Fall 2026. He enjoys organizing school events, throwing javelins, and playing classical music. He is involved in his school’s Speaker’s Committee, Sustainability Committee, Track and Field, and Rocket Club. He also volunteers with the Special Olympics. Through Coro, he hopes to learn how to build meaningful relationships across diverse groups of people and become a more intentional, community-oriented leader.

Dhairya Kochar

Dhairya will be a junior at Amador Valley High School in Fall 2026. He is active in the Vand Chakna Union club, where he helps organize fundraisers and volunteer opportunities. He also enjoys STEM projects, community service, and mentoring younger students. Through Coro, Dhairya hopes to strengthen his leadership skills, build confidence in community advocacy, and learn how to be more impactful in his school and local community.

Ella Hansen

Ella will be a sophomore at Lick-Wilmerding High School in Fall 2026. She is an active member of her community through Model UN and LitMag, a student-led writing publication. She plays for the varsity tennis team, where she has learned the importance of teamwork and leadership. Additionally, Ella has studied Mandarin since kindergarten, which led her to pursue Spanish outside of school and shaped her belief that language is a powerful tool for bridging communities to open opportunities. As a Teen Ambassador with the Children’s Book Project, she strives to increase access to books for underserved communities. 

Through Coro, Ella hopes to grow as a leader, strengthening her empathy and awareness while working with others to address real challenges in her community. In her free time, she loves reading and photography.

Kaia Sun

Kaia will be a junior at the Drew School of San Francisco in fall 2026. She enjoys reading, dancing, and long walks on the beach. She is also involved in her school as a member of the  Mock Trial team, an Admissions Intern, and the founder of her school’s Banned Books Club (working against banning books and other political issues). She also volunteers with Glide Memorial Church’s soup kitchen and with Surf Rider. Through Coro, she hopes to expand her leadership abilities.

Lexi Efstratis

Lexi will be a senior at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in Fall 2026. She enjoys soccer and Greek Dance. She also volunteers with Street Soccer and coaches gymnastics at San Francisco Gymnastics. 

Through Coro, she hopes to learn how to make change in her city at a policy level and is excited to work with students from different districts and hear different perspectives.

Maia Pung-Yamato

Maia is a rising sophomore at Skyline High School. She spends her free time reading sci-fi books, swimming, and running. She is an active member in her school’s Baylingual club. 

She is excited to be a part of the Coro Exploring Leadership Program and she hopes to learn more about how she can make a difference in her community while also further developing her leadership skills.

Mira Willis

Mira will be a sophomore at Berkeley High School in Fall 2026. She enjoys practicing martial arts and reading. She also participates in her school’s theater program and environmental club. 

Through Coro, she hopes to learn how to effectively advocate and organize for change, and how to communicate with confidence. She also hopes to gain experience in a workplace environment through an internship and collaborating with peers.

Nicholas Trieu

Nicholas Trieu is an upcoming sophomore at Lowell High school who grew up in the Bay Area. He loves to write, listen to music, and help his community through volunteering with the Red Cross and his local library. He is involved with his school’s Model UN, Red Cross Club, and JROTC program. Through Coro, he hopes to learn how to improve his public speaking, grow his network, and become a better leader.

Rosie Silverberg

Rosie will be a senior at Berkeley High School in the fall of 2026. She enjoys music and media production, and is involved in her school’s law and social justice program. As part of the program, she works with classmates to take a deep, critical look at law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Rosie is also a proud member of Berkeley’s Youth & Government Delegation where she takes part in Model Legislature & Court sessions. 

Through Coro, she hopes to meet new people, build her skills as a collaborative leader, become a more confident public speaker, and learn to use those skills to enact positive change within the community.