Community Services Department
DATE: May 20, 2026
TO: Council Youth Services Committee
FROM: Greg Milano, Recreation Supervisor
Colin James, Recreation Manager
SUBJECT: 2026-27 Youth Advisory Committee Applicant Selection and Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION
Forward a recommendation to the City Council to approve the reappointment of nine current Youth Advisory Committee members and five current members-at-large, along with the appointment of one new member and six new members-at-large, to the Youth Advisory Committee for the 2026-27 term.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
On September 11, 2007, the City Council approved Resolution No. 17235 establishing the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). The resolution states that the YAC consists of a combined maximum of 15 middle school and high school students who are Mountain View residents. YAC members are selected through an application and interview process facilitated by the Community Services Department’s Recreation Division and appointed by the City Council.
On September 23, 2025, the City Council approved Resolution No. 19024, which updates the roles and responsibilities of the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), including the addition of “membersat-large” positions to provide expanded civic engagement opportunities for youth in the Mountain View community. The resolution also requires the Youth Advisory Committee to develop and approve an annual work plan for the upcoming fiscal year, which will be submitted to the Council Youth Services Committee for review and approval. The work plan will outline key projects, priorities, milestones, and ongoing initiatives the Committee plans to focus on throughout the year.
On June 10, 2025, the City Council appointed 15 members and 12 members-at-large to the YAC for the 2025-26 term. Nine of the 15 members are eligible for reappointment. The remaining six members are graduating from high school and are ineligible for the 2026-27 term. 2025-26 Youth Advisory Committee Applicant Selection and Recommendation May 20, 2026
Staff requests that the Council Youth Services Committee (CYSC) consider the following nine returning YAC members as candidates for reappointment:
1. Dylan Andrzejek, sophomore at Mountain View High School
2. Shreyas Nayak, seventh grader at Graham Middle School
3. Jayan Nair, sophomore at Mountain View High School
4. Kaelyn Tan, junior at Mountain View High School
5. Kaitlyn Byon, junior at Los Altos High School
6. Harshini Nagappan, junior at Los Altos High School
7. Leilani Montano, sophomore at Los Altos High School
8. Meital Zayats, sophomore at Mountain View High School
9. Ryan Jhin, junior at Mountain View High School
Earlier this spring, Recreation Division staff recruited students to apply for the 2026-27 term.
Recruitment efforts included making school announcements, talking to students at career fairs, posting applications on the YAC website, at The View Teen Center, a recruitment ad in the Recreation Activity Guide, postings to the Mountain View Recreation Division and The View Teen Center social media accounts, and emailing applications directly to school staff to share with students. Staff received 35 applications representing students from eight different schools for the remaining six member spots.
Staff conducted in-person interviews in April and recommends the following six candidates for appointment as YAC members:
1. Alyson Lu, sophomore at Mountain View High School (current member-at-large)
2. Alexa Swanson, sophomore at Menlo School (current member-at-large)
3. Maya Hsu, sophomore at Waldorf School of the Peninsula (current member-at-large)
4. Amanda Ni Lewis, freshman at Mountain View High School (current member-at-large)
5. Katherine Li, freshman at Mountain View High School (current member-at-large)
6. Andrea Wong, sophomore at Mountain View High School
Each of these applicants effectively articulated their desire to be a member of the YAC, communicated how they would contribute to the YAC’s overall goals, and showed commitment to the 2026-27 term.
In addition to the staff recommendation of 15 candidates for appointment, staff requests that the CYSC recommend the following nine candidates be named members-at-large. Members-atlarge receive YAC communications, invitations to attend meetings as nonvoting public participants, and opportunities to volunteer at YAC and City-sponsored events. 2025-26 Youth Advisory Committee Applicant Selection and Recommendation May 20, 2026
Staff requests that the Council Youth Services Committee (CYSC) consider the following three returning YAC members-at-large as candidates for reappointment as members-at-large:
1. Sarp Akalin, sophomore at Los Altos High School
2. Katherine Xu, sophomore at Mountain View High School
3. Oliver Pollock, freshman at Mountain View High School In addition, staff requests that the CYSC consider the following six new candidates for appointment as members-at-large:
1. Rohan Vijendran, freshman at Bellarmine College Prep
2. Elise Gruenstein, junior at Mountain View High School
3. Kye Haglund, freshman at Mountain View High School
4. Sophia Buzzi, sophomore at Los Altos High School
5. Luca Tsugukuni, sophomore at Mountain View High School
6. Kyla Lee, sophomore at Los Altos High School
The applicant pool was highly competitive, and due to the limited number of positions available, not all applicants could be recommended for appointment.
NEXT STEPS
Following CYSC consideration and recommendation, staff will forward the list of recommended candidates to the City Council for formal appointment at the June 23, 2026, City Council meeting.