Meet the first members of the Mayor’s Youth Council

Thirteen Sioux Falls high school students have been named to the 2021-22 Mayor’s Youth Council.

The purpose of the Mayor’s Youth Council is to provide students an opportunity to share input on community issues, learn about city government and develop leadership skills through a coordinated community project.

The group includes representation from private, public and home-schooled students:

• Antoinette Bita, Washington High School.
• Daniel Colby, Sioux Falls Christian.
• Lailene Conde, Lincoln High School.
• Aida Desaulniers, Lincoln High School.
• Emma Forster, Lincoln High School.
• Maleah Grigsby, Sioux Falls Christian.
• Michael Grismer, Roosevelt High School.
• Chloe Houwman, Lincoln High School.
• Sam Markley, Washington High School.
• Riley Neff, home-schooled.
• Andrew Nguyen, Jefferson High School.
• Mhire “Tab” Tsegaye, Lincoln High School.
• Morgan Whiting, Jefferson High School.

“We received many excellent applications from students across Sioux Falls, and the selection committee was impressed with the quality of applicants and their commitment to civic responsibility,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said in a statement.

Not pictured: Andrew Nguyen

“Thank you to all the students who applied. I’m looking forward to working with the students selected for the 2021-22 Mayor’s Youth Council and seeing the great things that this council will achieve for Sioux Falls. This is an engaged, service-minded group of student leaders that will help shape what the Sioux Falls of tomorrow needs to look like for our youth.”

The 2021-22 term kicked off Oct. 16 with team-building exercises and presentations from city leadership and will conclude with a graduation in May 2022. Meetings will be held monthly, in addition to other activities and events, including the community project.

The Mayor’s Youth Council is led by a core planning team of city staff: Dustin Hansen, street operations manager; Holly Meier, sustainability coordinator; Chris Myers, water operations manager; and Lt. Andrew Siebenborn, Sioux Falls Police Department.