My name is Lillian Yang and I am joining the Network team as a summer intern. I am currently a rising senior at West Anchorage High School interested in majoring in psychology, political science, or statistics in college. I have lived in Anchorage for my entire life with my two sisters, one older and one younger, and absolutely love this community. As a proud Chinese American, I love that Anchorage has a mix of people from all over the world, giving me the opportunity to live and learn about the complex, beautiful world around me. It also gives me the opportunity to participate in my favorite activity: food tasting. From Himalayan to Mexican food and beyond, you can find me at any and every food place.
My interest in working for the Alaska Afterschool Network stems from my involvement in numerous afterschool programs and my passion for adolescent mental health and restorative juvenile justice. I currently heavily participate in Youth Alliance for a Healthier Alaska, a youth organization that focuses on adolescent public health, and Anchorage Youth Court, a non-profit focused on providing justice for youth, by youth. These activities are meaningful to me because they are focused directly on the well-being of youth in my community and work to break down the damaging stereotypes and stigmas that affect us. I hope my experience as an intern here will help me learn more about how non-profits operate and I hope to greatly contribute to our amazing work building happy, resilient, and inclusive youth communities in Alaska!