Students who join the Tyler Clementi Foundation Youth Ambassadors program participate in the following ways:
Students who join the Tyler Clementi Foundation Youth Ambassadors have opportunities to learn and discuss the following topics:
At the Tyler Clementi Foundation, we believe that achieving our goal of ending bullying in schools should be led by ambitious, talented, and compassionate youth across the country. We welcome applications from Middle and High School youth (11-18) who are interested in volunteering their time to coordinate anti-bullying projects in their community. International students are welcome to apply, however, they are required to attend evening meetings held between 5-7 pm EST.
The application window for the 2024-2025 cohort ends on September 30, 2024. 2024-2025 Cohort applications will be accepted starting on August 15. The program runs from October 2024 to May 2025. In order to participate, applicants must sign and return a consent form along with a recent photo of themselves. Participation requires an internet connection, a Gmail account, and a computer with video conference capabilities or a mobile phone.
Click here to view the Youth Ambassadors program expectations.
Youth Ambassadors are eligible to receive credit for volunteer hours and/or college recommendations if they successfully complete the program.
Please email us at outreach@tylerclementi.org if you have any questions.
These dedicated students volunteered their time as 2023 Tyler Clementi Foundation Youth Ambassadors, planning anti-bullying projects in their communities.
This is Ashneel's first year as a Youth Ambassador with the Tyler Clementi Foundation. Ashneel is a 10th grade student at Burlington High School, where he participates in clubs such as Wrestling Club, Asian-American Club, and Robotics Club that he started as a Freshman last year. Ashneel loves playing all varieties of sports. He has been a part of 6 clubs mainly revolving around sports and awareness at Burlington High School. He is a member of the tennis team, and also recently participated in a charity event. Ashneel, also does much charity work with his friends for different organizations and causes. Recently, he made 200 sandwiches for the Brother’s Table organization which spotlights the elderly. He loves Burlington, although he feels that every place is able to improve even more. Ashneel hopes that he is able to spread the Tyler Clementi Foundation’s values to empower those in the community to stand up for what is right. It is Ashneel’s goal with the help of the Tyler Clementi Foundation to enact positive change.
Aaria Madan Nagpal is a 14 year old freshman in Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Massachusetts. It is her first year as a Youth Ambassador for the Tyler Clementi Foundation. She enjoys swimming and dancing. Aaria has competed with her school’s varsity swim team during the winter season, and has excelled in the 50 freestyle. Aaria does many extracurriculars outside of school such as piano, tennis, Indian classical dance, and swimming. She has volunteered for many local nonprofits in her community such as Hindi Manch, IAGB, and LearnQuest. Most recently, she has helped create 200 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the Brother’s Table. Aaria joined the Youth Ambassadors program to spread awareness about bullying and how it can impact a person in the future as well.
This is Caiden’s first year as a Youth Ambassador for Tyler Clementi Foundation (TCF). Caiden is a 10th grade Student at The Aquinas Institution, where he participates in the Theatre department as the Assistant Stage Manager. He is also in Student Government and Advanced Choir. Caiden loves music, especially singing and songwriting. Caiden wants to improve not just his community but the world around him so everyone can have a place in this world. This starts with ending bullying of all kinds. Caiden’s goal with Tyler Clementi Foundation is to see change and more people accepting themselves and doing what they love. To push back the stereotypes and be who they are meant to be. “I joined the Tyler Clementi Youth Ambassador Program so that people can find themselves and what they love without being afraid of being bullying, judged and feared. I want people to be able to look up to someone and see that they can help them through whatever difficulty they may face. I would love to be that light and figure for somebody because everyone needs a role model; we all need different role models because we’re all different in unique ways.”
Danielle is a high school junior from Miami who attends Miami Country Day School. It is Danielle's first year as a Youth Ambassador and she has joined to create a safe community within her high school. Danielle works to end bullying within her school by being a Peer Counselor and is the head of creating awareness and inclusion for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities at her high school. Along with this, Danielle is the President of Generation SOS, a club that creates an open conversation about mental health and destigmatizes addiction. Danielle's goal as a Youth Ambassador is to make everyone on her school campus feel accepted and valued.
My name is Jahara Dawn Anderson. I'm a junior in high school from Durham, North Carolina, and I attend Josephine Dobbs Early College High School at North Carolina Central University. I take part in a variety of groups and extracurricular activities, including the National Honor Society, the Yearbook Club, and SGA (Student Government Association), where I had the opportunity to hold the vice president and president positions. Political Science is a field of study that interests me, and I plan to major in it in college. As a Youth Ambassador for the first time, I am very excited to learn from this experience. Making a difference in my community and getting more involved are my top priorities, along with creating a safe and more positive space for everyone at my school.
Avery Eichel is a 15 year old high school student at American Heritage in Plantation, Florida. She enjoys riding horses and baking. This is Avery’s first year as a Youth Ambassador and she is so excited to be a part of this amazing organization. Avery hopes to help in the fight against bullying by nurturing kindness amongst youth and encouraging compassion within her community. She is currently the president of March For Our Lives (MFOL) at her school and is also on the speech and debate team. Avery couldn't be more honored to be standing up for what is right, right beside TCF.
Hayley is a 13 year old 8th grader at Dwight Englewood Middle school in Englewood, New Jersey. Hayley applied to the position of a Youth Ambassador to be involved in the anti-bullying initiative and in creating the mission of the Tyler Clementi Foundation: to stop on and offline bullying. Hayley is the Editor-In-Chief of “PaperCut”, her middle school newspaper, where she creates a space and publication for students to share their writing on different current issues in the world. She is also the Editor-In-Chief of “OpenRoads,” her middle school literary magazine where students can share any piece of writing or images. Hayley takes part in her school clubs that allow students to express themselves through literature and can share with their school community and others. Hayley wants to create an outlet for people to be able to express themselves and be reassured that they are never alone and that their story should be told.
Audrey Mitros is a 17-year old junior from Audubon, New Jersey. At her high school, she is a part of the swim team, track team, Environmental Club, Project Memorial, Spanish Club, band, choir, Interact Club, Intergenerational- along with many other activities- and her favorite subject is science. She also spends a lot of time volunteering at her community library, and during the pandemic, she founded some influential events for it: Safe(r) Space, a program for teens of marginalized identities to meet and feel connected to one another despite the struggles of worldwide shutdowns, and WRDB (We Read Diverse Books)- a program to spotlight a variety of books by diverse authors, because books are one of the most powerful forms of activism. Safe(r) Space received an NJLA Innovative Program Award for recognized excellence within the community in June of 2021. This is her second returning year as a Youth Ambassador for the Tyler Clementi Foundation, and she is very excited to continue to make a difference and spread awareness in her community because she believes that change starts within yourself. When you act with empathy and compassion, it will ripple and pave the way for other people to act with kindness too. She is passionate about stopping bullying in its tracks because no one deserves to feel alone, and being an ally to people who might not always have the opportunity to have a voice is so extraordinarily important. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
Lauren is ecstatic for her first year as a Youth Ambassador with the Tyler Clementi Foundation! She is a high school sophomore from New Jersey. Lauren enjoys staying involved with her community and is able to do so through activities such as student government, yearbook club, and volunteering with Project Engage NJ! Lauren was enticed to become a Youth Ambassador because she believes the morals of the Tyler Clementi Foundation are essential to stand up for those whose voices have been silenced. Lauren feels grateful to have received the proper education on bullying and hopes to spread the message to those who currently do not have access to anti-bullying resources. She hopes to reach younger audiences in order to educate the youth on bullying prevention methods and to create inclusive environments in schools. Lauren hopes to promote acceptance and respect in communities and is content to work alongside such a dedicated team!
Peyton Eichel is currently 15 years old, and a freshman at American Heritage School Plantation. She is proud to be a part of the Tyler Clementi Foundation Youth Ambassador Program because she wants to make a change for the better in her community. She wants to use her voice to fix major reoccurring problems throughout her community. As a Youth Ambassador, she hopes to work as a team to spread a powerful message to the community about putting an end to bullying, cyberbullying, and harassment.
Tyler Clementi Foundation Youth Ambassadors prevent and interrupt bullying in schools across the country. Their actions create lasting change by raising awareness about the harmful effects of bullying. The Fall 2020 Youth Ambassador cohort collectively achieved the following milestones:
This amazing group dedicated themselves to promoting #Upstander behavior each day. Individually, they completed a variety of anti-bullying actions by starting clubs, volunteering in classrooms, organizing assemblies, producing videos, coordinating social media campaigns, and much more. Learn more about their efforts and accomplishments below. Keep reading to hear about the great work of Anushka, Katherine, Shreya, Jared, Melissa, Abby, Michael, Pelin, and Emma. Youth Ambassadors participate in monthly research-based, interactive, virtual learning sessions on various topics including cyberbullying, effective communication, and #Upstander strategies. They also develop relationships with peers and receive 1-1 coaching for event coordination and production. They turn inspiration and learning into action by coordinating two anti-bullying actions.
“I joined the youth ambassadors program last year because I have always been in a safe space and have never experienced bullying. Reading the news, it upsets me that not everyone has a safe and comfortable environment. This is why I want to take an initiative to help others live in a positive community”. Background: Anushka is a first-year student at the University of Michigan where she is studying Biology pre-med. She aspires to become a medical professional. Anti-Bullying Achievements:
“I believe that the best way to prevent bullying is to begin teaching acceptance, respect, and inclusion from a young age. My goal is to help children build awareness of how to help others and themselves deal with bullying and to be positive role models in their communities.” Background: Katherine is a Junior at Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Through a variety of volunteer roles, she has dedicated herself to promoting awareness of acceptance, respect, and inclusion among young children. Anti-Bullying Achievements:
“Bullying is a serious issue that we can address through kindness, compassion, and empathy, but also by exploring the impact of hurtful words and actions through art.” Background: Shreya is a Junior at Discovery Canyon Campus in Colorado Springs. She is a musician and dancer who volunteers her time teaching these skills to young students. Anti-Bullying Achievements:
“I believe that my personal mission is to help others to the best of my ability, thus ensuring a better future for the following generations. I do this by preventing and intervening in bullying, working to end prejudice, bias, bigotry, and by raising awareness about its implications for suicidal thoughts and actions.” Background: Jared Orlov is a 16-year-old social activist in New York City who hopes to become a kindergarten teacher and model behaviors that help kids develop and nurture kindness, which he believes can create profound change. Jared believes if children develop kindness and thoughtfulness at a young age, they will be less prone to bullying others and more prone to working to understand others.
“Combating bullying became an important cause for me after seeing its devastating effects in the news, particularly in the form of youth suicides. Seeing kids younger than me taking their lives because of others’ mean words and actions broke my heart and motivated me to start making a difference.” Background: “Melissa Reifman is a High School Senior from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. At her school, she is Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, a lead defense attorney on the Mock Trial Team, and President of Rotary Club. Outside of school, Melissa enjoys teaching and practicing taekwondo, as well as volunteering with her town’s historical society.” Anti-Bullying Achievements:
“I have always had an interest in raising awareness of bullying, especially when it has to do with race, gender, sexuality, and religion. I believe that people deserve to be themselves without fear of what others will do and that kids should live their life to the fullest and be accepted.”
Background: Abby James-Vickery is a 17-year-old high school student in Hackensack, New Jersey. Abby is president of the Social Justice Club at her school and serves as treasurer of the student council and is a member of the Spanish Honor Society. She became involved in TCF by joining #Day 1 Reps.
“I applied to be a Youth Ambassador after seeing the amazing of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. I wanted to take part in their mission to stop online and offline bullying.” Background: Michael is a sophomore at Northern Highlands Regional High School. He is involved in his school newspaper, A Capella, and Model UN. Anti-Bullying Achievements
“I have always had a deep curiosity for learning all branches of knowledge. I wanted to live out Tyler Clementi Foundation’s mission to prevent bullying by educating young children on the important virtue of empathy in my local community.” Background: Pelin E. Cokuslu is a 15-year-old sophomore in Fairview, New Jersey. She attends Cliffside Park High School.
Anti-Bullying Achievements:
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“As a friend and ally to the LGBTQ+ community, I have dedicated my life and time to making the school environment a better place for teens of different gender identities and sexualities. Being born and raised in Texas, one of the most diverse places in the nation, but also one of the least accepting states in the nation, has become integral to my identity as well as my motivation for activism.” Background: Emma Balfay is a 15-year-old sophomore at McKinney Boyd High School living in McKinney, Texas. Emma’s goal is to encourage inclusivity and diversity throughout all high schools in America. Emma first started taking action in middle school as a part of the YMCA’s Youth and Government program, which awakened her to the disparity in equality legislation towards LGBTQ+ people; forming her end goal of changing legislation in Texas to become more inclusive and fair towards all Texans. Anti-Bullying Achievements:
Read more about the incredible impact the Youth Ambassadors made in 2018.
Read more about the incredible impact the Youth Ambassadors made in 2019.
Read more about the incredible impact the Youth Ambassadors made in 2020.
Read more about the incredible impact the Youth Ambassadors made in 2021.
Read more about the incredible impact the Youth Ambassadors made in 2022.
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