The Seattle Made Youth Board was founded in the summer of 2018, sponsored by the Port of Seattle. We are continuously looking for new members to join, be involved in our Mobilize communications platform, and more. Contact us if you have questions, would like to learn more, or other!

2020-2021 Cohort Members

Linda Yan is a junior at Bellevue High School and a member of her school’s National Honors Society, Model United Nations delegation, and Earthbound club. Linda loves art and volunteering for her local farmer’s market. She’s also an avid runner and is a captain for her school’s Varsity cross country and track team. Linda decided to join the Seattle Made Youth Board after learning about the economic inequalities surrounding sustainable living. Her goal is to make green living more accessible and visible for all and to help empower local small businesses. She is currently working on a written and photographic series called Humans of Seattle Made and First Person Series, which is imitating the blog @humansofnewyork to tell the stories of the people and businesses of Seattle Made. In the future, she plans on pursuing engineering in college.

Avery Chien is a high school sophomore at Issaquah High School. She is a member of her school’s HOSA club and CARE (Consciousness & Racial Empowerment) club and hopes to join the Environmental Club next year. In her free time, she likes to engage in all things fashion and film, as well as advocate for social justice. Avery joined the Seattle Made Youth Board after learning about the unsustainable practices adopted by big corporations and industries and has goals of raising awareness to other youth and helping them get involved. Avery hopes to pursue a career in psychology and teaching.

Roushda Khan is a college freshman majoring in Business and Environmental Science. She is passionate about sustainable living and social activism. Her hobbies include painting, hiking, watching films and taking photos. Roushda decided to join Seattle Made Youth Board after realizing that sustainability is expensive and often inaccessible to many communities, as well as the ill-effects of mass production by mainstream brands. She believes that Seattle Made’s commitment to supporting the local economy goes hand-in-hand with sustainability, and she strives to help popularize small businesses and spread awareness about equitable production practices. In the future, she sees herself working in Marketing.

Zoya is currently a sophomore at Interlake High School. When she is not doing schoolwork, she enjoys swimming, playing badminton, and baking. She loves participating in school clubs, and is also a part of Model UN and DECA.

Ava Lysen is a Junior in high school attending Holy Names Academy. At school, she is a member of her school’s National Honors Society, student leadership program, and Girl Power Club. Ava also enjoys playing soccer and lacrosse both in and out of school. She got involved with Seattle Made as she has a passion for sustainable fashion, social justice, and youth empowerment. She hopes to raise awareness about these important issues.

Founding Youth Board Members

Huma Ali is a junior at Lake Washington High School who is passionate about the power of words. She is a patron of the arts, an active writer, and works to make teen voices heard through TeenTix’s Press Corps program. She is the founder of her school’s Creative Writing Club, where she and her peers spend hours upon hours reading short stories from the New Yorker. Huma was also the re-founder of her school’s Feminism club, the former president, and currently works on its council. In addition, she serves as a member of the Bellevue Art Museum’s Teen Arts Council. She first became interested in the Seattle Made Youth Board after conducting a research project in school regarding the minimum wage issue, where she learned about sustainable business practices. As a member of the Seattle Made Youth Board, Huma hopes to shed light on local underrepresented makers, while educating her fellow youth about the logistics regarding business ownership—in hopes to provide them with the steps to creating their own viable business. In the future, Huma envisions owning a small business related to public health and medicine.

Sydney Brusnighan is a senior at Raisbeck Aviation High School. She is a member of Women in Aviation, Black Student Union, National Honor Society, and the Tukwila Library Council. She joined the Seattle Made Youth Board to try to enact change in Seattle by finding ways to reverse the effects of gentrification by learning more about small businesses and how to support them against big corporations. She also strives to make the local businesses of Seattle more visible to the next generation of buyers. She plans on pursuing aerospace engineering at the University of Washington next year.

Laila was an intern for SGBN during the summer of 2018, and is a founding member of the Seattle Made Youth Board. Having previously worked with community organizations and nonprofits such as OneWorld Now! and the NAACP Youth Coalition, she has a passion for community building and change. Her work for racial equity within her own community opened her eyes to the struggles of local businesses, particularly those owned by women and people of color. Her passion for community engagement and change has brought her to be the outreach and communications intern, where she will hone her skills and connect with potential new members of Seattle Good and Seattle Made.

Cody wanted to join the Seattle Made Youth Board to explore creative opportunities and to learn more about the Settle Made program and how it brings together local urban manufacturers and producers. He is currently enrolled at Seattle University studying mechanical engineering because of his interest in machines and the way they function. Cody hopes to one day, in the future, own his own machining business and produce parts for larger companies to use.

Legacy Youth Board Members

Ellie Read is a high school sophomore currently attending Seattle Prep. She is a part of Seattle Prep’s National Honor Society, Environmental Club, and Global Justice Coalition. Ellie also loves sports, playing soccer in the fall and running track in the spring. She decided to join Seattle Made Youth Board after learning more about the effects of single use plastics on the environment, as well as what Seattle Made is doing to promote sustainability. Her goal is to promote sustainability in households and businesses. Ellie plans on pursuing computer science in college.