The Barrington Area Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council is a dynamic group of local students who work on their own projects and programs to help meet the unmet needs of the community.

The group organizes a Fall Food Collection for area Food Pantries, hosts a dance at Barrington High School raising funds to support a local impactful initiative and participates in a Chicago City Field Trip where they have the opportunity to meet and learn from larger initiatives serving the Chicagoland area.

 

2024/2025 YAC Participants

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Abby O’Donnell

Amelia Cline

ABOUT
Amelia is a freshman at Barrington High School. She plays Softball at BHS and is also involved in Barrington’s Big Red and the BHS Dance Marathon.

Olivia Galley

ABOUT
Olivia is a freshman at Barrington High School. She is an accomplished equestrian who competes in the Junior Hunters and Equitation. She spends her winters competing at the Wellington Equestrian Festival.

Ian Tepas

ABOUT

Ian is a freshman at Barrington High School where he plays, Baseball, Basketball and Football. When not on the field or on the court, Ian volunteers at Feed My Starving Children.

Nick Peipert

ABOUT

Nick is a freshman at Barrington High School where he is an active athlete playing both Basketball and Football. In addition to YAC Nick is also a member of Pulse.

Jacob Dorn

ABOUT

Jacob is a freshman at Barrington High School where he plays both baseball and football for BHS as well at local Travel Teams. He is also an avid outdoorsman and enjoys time on the water at his family’s lake house.

Mark McGinn

ABOUT
Mark is currently a freshman at Barrington High School where he runs for the Cross Country and Track teams. He volunteers as an usher at St. Anne Catholic Church in Barrington, and during the summers he’s proud to be part of the caddie team at Biltmore Country Club.

Kayli Reyther

ABOUT

I am currently a junior and on my free time i like to play basketball and go to the gym with my brother. I also love spending time with my friends and family, and love helping the community and volunteering.

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Luke Tepas

Emma Menke

ABOUT

Emma is a sophomore at Barrington high school. In addition to the Youth Advisory Council she plays varsity lacrosse for the high school and is also apart of Big Red, and PACT.

Francesca Armocida

ABOUT

My name is Francesca Armocida. I am a sophomore at Barrington and this is my second year being apart of the Youth Advisory Council. I am also involved in Dance Marathon, Red Cross, Barrington Giving day, and FHP club .a

Caleb Wickstrom

ABOUT

Caleb is a sophomore at BHS. He plays on the lacrosse team in the spring and the wrestling team in the winter. He also participates in BHS Dance Marathon.

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Elise Donlea

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Henry Green

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Will Shannon

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Sophia Stern

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Lily Richmond

Jackson Curttright

ABOUT

Jackson is a freshman at Barrington High School. He is on the varsity swim team, and involved with Big Red, BHS Dance marathon, and Youth Advisory Council.

Liva Ketkar

ABOUT

Liva is a freshman at Barrington High School. In addition to involvement in the Youth Advisory Council, she is on the BHS cross country and track teams. In her free time, she plays the piano and tennis, and enjoys traveling.

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Luke Tarpey

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Blaise Galley

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Connor O’Hara

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Mitch Vitale

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Auden Madej

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Alessandra Mirkovich

Past Youth Advisory Council Members

Emma Richmond

ABOUT

Emma is a sophomore at Barrington High School. She is a member of the BHS Orchesis Dance Company as well as a member of the Barrington Dance Ensemble. She is also involved with the Journeycare Youth Advisory Board and BHS Dance Marathon.

Lucia Saez

ABOUT
Lucia is a sophomore at Barrington High School. Most of my time is spent taking part in Cheerleading and Big Red, or hanging out with friends.

Annie Tarpey

ABOUT

Annie is a sophomore at Barrington High School. She plays soccer and is also involved in Barrington’s Big Red and the BHS Dance Marathon as well as Journey Care’s Youth Advisory Board.

Cate Brashler

ABOUT
Cate is a sophomore at Barrington High School. She is the Recruitment Director for BHS Dance Marathon, a member of Premium Blend A Capella and various other fine arts activities at BHS. She takes various STEM courses at BHS, which has sparked her interest in studying engineering, specifically biomedical engineering in college.

Caroline Turnbull

ABOUT
Caroline is a sophomore at Barrington High School. She plays Basketball at BHS is on the Makeup crew for the BHS musicals. She is also on the leadership team of Barrington Buddies.

Adaobi Ibe

ABOUT
Adaobi is a sophomore at Barrington High School where she is a member of the JV Basketball team. Her philanthropic interests are centered around Barrington Buddies and Hopes in Harmony in addition to her involvement with the Youth Advisory Council.

Lauren Shannon

ABOUT
Lauren is at sophomore at St. Viator High School. She is a cheerleader at Ice Allstars, and this is her second year as a member of the Youth Advisory Council.

Rose Welgat

ABOUT
Rose is a sophomore at Saint Viator High School. She is involved in the Volleyball program and actively participates in Student Council. Apart from BACF Youth Advisory Council, she enjoys doing volunteer work at several food pantries in the area.

Peri Keenan

ABOUT
Peri is a junior at Barrington High School. She plays Soccer and Volleyball and in addition to the Youth Advisory Council, she is involved with Barrington’s Big Red , P.A.C.T., Hopes In, and the BHS Yearbook Club.

Will Farmer

ABOUT
Will is a Junior at Barrington High School. Apart from being part of YAC, he is an editor of the BHS Yearbook and a BHS Varsity cheerleader. He is also involved with BHS Dance Marathon and Broncos Committed. Will was a member of the 2021 US National Junior Coed Cheer Team and was recently selected for the 2022 US Team.

Sophie Farmer

ABOUT
Sophie is a Junior at Barrington High School where she is involved in A Cappella, Theater, and Madrigals.

Ella Beaubien

ABOUT
Ella is a Junior at Barrington High School and is extensively involved in BHS Plays, Musicals, and Choir. She is also part of two A cappella groups at BHS, Premium Blend and The Overtones.

Ellen McGinn

ABOUT
Ellen is a Junior at Barrington High School. She is a Varsity Cheerleader for BHS, and also is involved with Broncos Committed, PACT, and the PE Leadership Program.

Jake O’Donnell

ABOUT
Jake is a junior at Barrington High School. He enjoys spending time with his dogs and with his close friends. He is also a proud co-worker at Jersey Mikes in Lake Zurich.

Kian Mohsenzadeh

ABOUT
Kian enjoys playing basketball and is a consumer of all film and sports media during his limited free time. He is also a member of the Junior Class Board and a co-founder of the Barrington Ping-Pong Club.

Abigail Bergan

ABOUT
As a senior at Barrington Abigail was involved with A Year of Courageous Conversations, the District 220 Equity Team, and rowing with the Sweeps and Sculls Privateers. She also runs a nonprofit, Papaji’s Pages, focused on literacy.

Alli Gianopulos

ABOUT
Alli is part of the Barrington High School class of 2022, but graduated early from BHS. She volunteers extensively at Willow Creek Community Church and is an avid reader and crochet enthusiast.

Parker Henry

ABOUT

Parker is a Senior at Barrington High School. He is an active leader in the student run class BHS-TV. He is looking to study Criminal Justice at Western Illinois University.

Abby Richmond

ABOUT
Abby is a senior at Barrington High School. She is on the varsity cheer team and involved in Big Red, French Club, and The Youth Advisory Council at BHS.

Elena Saez

ABOUT

Elena Saez is a senior at Barrington High School and will be attending Notre Dame in the fall of next year. She is involved in BHS Dance Marathon, Peers All Come Together, Orchesis, and the BHS Varsity Dance Team.

Josh Wickstrom

ABOUT
Josh is a senior at Barrington High School. He play son the varsity golf team and is involved with multiple charitable events / clubs including the BHS Dance Marathon, PACT, and Barrington Giving Day Youth Board.

Pelle Cierlach

Pelle Gierlach

ABOUT

Hello, I am Pelle Gierlach, a Sophomore at Barrington High School. I am involved with Hands of Hope and Barrington Youth Advisory Council. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, biking, and spending time with my family.

Alex Mohsenzadeh

Alexa Mohsenzadeh

ABOUT
I’m a sophomore at Barrington High School.  Apart from BACF, I’m involved in Barrington’s fine arts program, specifically band and orchestral percussion, as well as the Lincoln Douglas debate team. Through civil leadership programs at Northwestern I’m involved with various non-profit organizations and through the youth council, I have been exposed to great opportunities in service and community engagement.  I look forward to the next two years!

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Mark Nicoletti

ABOUT

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Cameron Nye

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Olivia Wink

Ally Ahern

Ally Ahern

ABOUT
My name is Ally Ahern. I am a sophomore at Barrington High School. Other clubs I’m involved in are UNICEF and Big Red. I also play lacrosse for the high school. My hobbies include traveling, reading, and hanging out with my friends.

Ellen Burns

Ellen Burns

ABOUT

Burns is a Sophomore at Barrington High School.  She is volunteer at Hope’s In Charity, which raises money for impoverished families in Guatemala City, as well as volunteer at Our Lady of the Angels mission in the west side of Chicago.  Elise has been a dancer at Bataille Academie of the Danse for five years, and has been apart of the Barrington Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council for two years.

Jacob Mitchell

Jacob Mitchell

ABOUT

I’m heavily involved in the theater department at Barrington High School and really enjoy being a part of the thespian community. I throughly love being a part of the Barrington Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, I like to learn about the grant process and being able to help my community through service. I am looking forward to finishing high school strong and going to college somewhere on the East Coast to become a Biology teacher.

Fiona Nyland

Fiona Nyland

ABOUT

Sophomore, Barrington High School.

Eden Solberg

Eden Solberg

ABOUT

Hello I am Eden Solberg, and I am a sophomore at Barrington. At the high school I am involved with Cross Country, Library Student Board, French Club, Lunch Buddies, and Barrington Buddies. Outside of school I really enjoy cooking, reading, and being in nature.

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Kate Ahern

ABOUT

I am currently a junior at BHS involved in many clubs and activities including UNICEF, BHS Big Red, Generation Crossroads, FCX Soccer, and other philanthropic organizations across the Chicago area. I hope to study journalism in college.

Ryan Boundy

Ryan Boundy

ABOUT

I’m a senior at Barrington High School and a member of several different philanthropic organizations ranging from the youth board of the Alexian Brothers Hospital, Hope’s In, and the Barrington Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council. Along with my philanthropic interests, I am a wrestler and have wrestled for over a decade now. As well, I am largely involved with the Business Incubator Program at the High School, as my company was granted funding to start up our business. Next year, I will be attending the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University to major in finance and entrepreneurship.

Drew Douglas

Drew Douglas

ABOUT
Drew Douglas is a junior at Barrington High School and member of the Barrington Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council. At Barrington Drew participated in Varsity football and up until last year, baseball. Aside from athletics Drew has been involved in the Colts Leadership Program and other philanthropic organizations like Barrington Giving Day and Relay for Life. Drew’s plans include either following a track in medicine or majoring in communications while away at college.

Jan Gierlich

Jan Gierlich

ABOUT

Jan-Edward Gierlach is currently a junior at Barrington High School. Introduced to the sport of competitive cycling at a young age Jan has been racing bikes competitively since the age of ten.Jan’s love of the outdoors manifest’s itself in frequent bike races and trips with his family, which has taken him to different trails and cycling destinations across the United States. He has been involved in programs such as the Barrington Youth Advisory Council since his freshmen year, and in three years has gained a lot from this experience. More recently acting on what he has learned about philanthropy, he has partnered with Bob Lee in raising funds for the charity Ride For 3 Reasons, an organization that supports research for finding effective cure’s and treatment for ALS and Cancer, and raises awareness for Hospice Treatment. In February of 2017 Jan plans to graduate a semester early from high school, and will be cycling over 3,200 miles self supported across the Southern Tier of the United States as part of the fundraising process. After completing this ride Jan plans to study business and economics in college.

Mia Nguyen

Mia Nguyen

ABOUT

I’m Mia Nguyen, a junior at Barrington High School. I am secretary of Student Council, a varsity tennis athlete, on the leadership team of Hope’s In Style, and a member of the Barrington Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council. I am an active student in the business incubator class at Barrington High School, which has sparked my interest in studying business, specifically entrepreneurship, in college.

Sabrina Chung

ABOUT

I’m Sabrina Chung and I am a current senior at Barrington High School. I am involved in lacrosse, various nonprofits such as Go Beyond Barrington, and middle school mentoring. I have co founded two non for profits, Gir1 C0de, a women’s empowerment in coding network, and SaveDaWorld, a second year business with the incubator EDU program for recycling education. I plan to study either Business with the hopes of doing Nonprofit

Kimberly Darch

Kimberly Darch

ABOUT

While at BHS I have taken part in both the Cross Country and Basketball teams along with being a Student Council Committee Head and a COLTs leader. I am also involved at St. Anne’s church as an Eucharistic Minister and missionary to the Appalachian region of West Virginia. I plan on studying Business, Economics, or International Affairs in college.

Thomas Hermann

Thomas Hermann

ABOUT

I am currently a senior at Barrington High School. Over the past 4 years I have participated in Track and Cross Country and received the honor of being voted Cross Country captain in my final season. I have also been involved in Code Red, a leadership club at the high school. Next year I plan on studying environmental science, and possibly minoring in Chinese.

Lyle Green

ABOUT

Lyle Green is a graduating BHS senior who will be attending the University of Vermont in fall of 2016. He has served with BACF for four years, as well as Latin Club and Chess Without Borders.

YAC avatarMatt Drew-Caffin

ABOUT

Studying finance at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University

Brandon Nye

ABOUT

My name is Brandon Nye, and I am currently a senior at Barrington High School. I have served as President of the Class Board, Co-Captain of the Congressional Debate Team, and Treasurer of Student Council. I have also been involved in COLTS (Community Outreach and Leadership Training School) and Latin Club at BHS. I was also a founding member of the Youth Advisory Board of Fellowship Housing, a nonprofit devoted to serving the needs of homeless, single mothers. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the BACF for the past four years. I plan to study economics and public policy in college.

Brandon is a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship

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Zach Hennenfent

YAC avatarAddie Hirsch

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Grace Mitchell

ABOUT

Studying finance at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University

Chava Solberg

Chava Solberg

ABOUT

My name is Brandon Nye, and I am currently a senior at Barrington High School. I have served as President of the Class Board, Co-Captain of the Congressional Debate Team, and Treasurer of Student Council. I have also been involved in COLTS (Community Outreach and Leadership Training School) and Latin Club at BHS. I was also a founding member of the Youth Advisory Board of Fellowship Housing, a nonprofit devoted to serving the needs of homeless, single mothers. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the BACF for the past four years. I plan to study economics and public policy in college.

Brandon is a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship