In 2021, CEO Stephanie Wiggins announced the creation of the Metro Youth Council. Made up of 27 members between the ages of 14 and 17, the Metro Youth Council serves to develop the capacity of young people to engage with and participate in Metro’s plans, projects, programs, and initiatives. Not only does Metro benefit by listening, learning, and engaging with our future community leaders, but the program is also an opportunity to empower youth to share their voices in transportation decision-making, fostering a new generation of lifelong riders.  

Members serve for a one-year term and represent the various regions of LA County.  

Since its inception, the Metro Youth Council has had the opportunity to shape various Metro programs and initiatives. For example, it started development of the forthcoming Youth Destination Digital Guide, provided feedback that resulted in improvement to the 2023 Customer Experience Plan and Survey, the Transit Watch App, and provided a youth perspective on the Metro Micro fare proposal, and has submitted letters of support to the Metro Board for the continuation of GoPass, which allows students at participating schools to ride Metro for free.  

The selection process is rigorous. Applicants submit written responses to several prompts describing their interest in making an impact at Metro, personal and professional development, and a desire to advocate for youth and their communities. These are reviewed by a steering committee comprised of Metro staff from various departments. The highest scoring applications advance to an interview process. This year, we had over 220 applicants.  

This past Saturday, Stephanie Wiggins announced the members of the third council, who come from communities throughout LA County. They are:  

Eli Suboc, Burbank  

Joanne Kim, La Cañada 

Chloe Samuels, View Park-Windsor Hills  

London Hardy, Exposition Park  

Esmeralda Aparicio, Los Angeles 

 Ian Ramirez, Los Angeles  

Skye Price, Koreatown  

Joseph Fisher, Silverlake  

Montserrat Hidalgo, South Gate 

Nathan Ramirez, Whittier 

Aaron Diaz, Compton 

Ella Mak, Cerritos 

Isabella Zepeda, Montebello 

Noah Weintraub, Calabasas 

Victoria Barragan, Lancaster 

Mya Timmons, Lancaster 

Ashely Matias, Panorama City 

Megan Teresa, Guerrero-Mission Hills 

Beau Chiasson, Van Nuys 

Kelly Munoz Rios, San Gabriel 

Bryce Jenkins, Pomona 

Fiona Zhou, Arcadia 

Noelle Paden, Manhattan Beach 

Louis Haynes, Hermosa Beach 

Jasmine Barrera, Inglewood 

West Bonin, Los Angeles 

Miles Silverman, Culver City 

Congratulations to the new council! Let’s get to work.