Oregon Student Voice is a non profit that’s by students, for students. We pride ourselves in having an all student leadership team; our leaders attend high schools across Oregon and have a variety of experiences and interests. However, they are united in their passion for student voice and equity. These 8 students direct OSV’s operations, strategies, and initiatives with support from the Board of Directors.
Emily Zou (she/her) is an incoming sophomore at Lakeridge High School. This is her second year with OSV and she will be OSV’s Co-Executive Director of Recruitment & Trainings this coming year. Outside of OSV, she is a member of her school’s Speech & Debate Team, French National Honor Society, and she is Lakeridge’s Sophomore Class President. Emily is also the social media lead and co-founder of Lakeridge’s Students Demand Action club, which is a local chapter of a national nonprofit that works towards ending gun violence in America. She is passionate about racial justice, Asian American issues, and reducing the education gap. In her free time, Emily loves to get boba with her friends, watch cheesy rom coms, and read dystopian novels.
As the Co-Executive Director of Recruitment & Trainings, Emily will lead weekly leadership meetings, lead liaison for the Thrive and Empower branches, create and provide trainings for the leadership team in partnership with the Empower Director (Gabriella Dover) and the other Co-Executive Director (Samantha Block), and lead the all member bi-monthly meetings with the Empower Director.
Samantha Block (she/her) is the new Co-Executive Director of Policy, Research, and Operations for Oregon Student Voice. Next school year, she will be a junior at Lincoln High School in Portland, OR, where she also competes in the speech and debate and ethics bowl programs. She also babysits and tutors regularly, and is passionate about law, government, and philosophy. She looks forward to working with the rest of the leadership team. "In my free time, I do creative writing, geometric drawings, and watch way too much tiktok."
Samantha's duties as the Co-Executive Director of Policy, Research, and Operations will include responding to emails, leading liaison for the Amplify and Operations Councils, leading on grant reporting, collaborating with the other Co-Executive Director (Emily Zou) and the Empower Director (Gabriella Dover) on creating and providing trainings for the leadership team, and working with the Board of Directors on fundraising.
Audrie Fox (she/her) is an incoming junior at Centennial High School and serves as the Amplify Co-Director of Policy for OSV. In addition to being a part of OSV, she is involved with Youth Action Council which advocates for Student Health Centers in Multnomah County. Audrie has been involved with choir for 4 years and loves singing in her school’s Concert Choir program. She is passionate about creating change in her community and the education system. She believes that the schools should be doing more to prevent discrimination, bullying, harassment and intimidation. Audrie also volunteers weekly at Mt. Hood Medical Center in the Family Birth Center. She loves to volunteer, and in the past 2 years, she has completed over 250 hours of community service.
Audrie, as the Amplify Co-Director of Policy, will lead the policy agenda, co-create Amplify Council meeting agendas with the other Amplify Co-Director (Izzy Garcia), and assist the other Amplify Co-Director with any overflow work.
Izzy Garcia (she/her) is an incoming senior at David Douglas High School. She’s the Amplify Co-Director of Research at Oregon Student Voice. She is a member of Key Club and the current president of Book Club at David Douglas. She also plays the violin in the top orchestra group at Douglas. Along with that, she’s also very passionate about political issues such as racial injustice, gun control, homelessness, and inclusivity in schools. In her words, “We are the future generation, and it’s vital for us to start advocating to create and mold the future we want for ourselves. With an open mind and relentless determination I believe our voices will be heard. Having this position, I am beyond excited to be able to listen to my community and take action.” In her free time, Izzy loves listening to new music and occasionally likes to make some with her ukulele. She also enjoys staying present with the environment by gardening and caring for her plants.
Izzy's job as the Amplify Co-Director of Research will entail leading the research agenda, co-creating Amplify Council meeting agendas with the other Amplify Co-Director (Audrie Fox), and assisting then with any overflow work.
Gabriella Dover (she/her) attends Lakeridge High School as an incoming junior. This is her first year with OSV and she is excited to actively contribute to the leadership team as the Empower Director. Outside of OSV, Gabriella is passionate about feminism and works as the Fundraising Lead for Pink Space Theory, a non profit aimed to bring STEM programs to underrepresented groups, specifically targeting young girls. In addition, she expresses her passion for education and youth leadership as an academic mentor and freshman orientation leader at her school. Finally, Gabriella dedicates a substantial portion of her time to volleyball as she is approaching her 6th season of competitive club ball. She also serves as a captain for her team and representative on the club’s leadership council. Off the volleyball court, you can find Gabriella hiking and biking with friends, traveling with family, or cuddling with her cat, Ling Ling.
As Empower Director, Gabriella will lead on trainings for members, create and provide trainings for the leadership team in partnership with the Co-Executive Directors (Samantha Block and Emily Zou), co-create Thrive & Empower Council meeting agendas with the Thrive Director (Akylah McNack), and lead the all-member bimonthly meetings with the Co-Executive Director of Recruitment & Trainings.
Akylah McNack (she/her) is an incoming freshman at Central Catholic High School and serves as OSV’s Thrive Director. She was the President of the Black Student Union, and member of a mentorship for incoming sixth graders (Where Everybody Belongs) at Hazelbrook Middle School this past school year. “My passion is to help empower and encourage other students when it comes to using their voices, so everyone feels respected, valued, and accepted in their homes, communities, schools, and workplaces.” In Akylah's free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, shopping, listening to music, cleaning, watching movies, traveling, and painting.
Akylah's duties as Thrive Director include leading on OSV's recruitment strategy, co-creating Thrive & Empower Council meeting agendas with the Empower Director (Gabriella Dover), and working with the Membership Coordinator (Eleni Antonis).
Eleni Antonis (she/her) is an incoming sophomore at Lakeridge High School. She will serve as OSV’s Membership Coordinator. Eleni is a part of the Lakeridge Orchestra, lacrosse team, and varsity water polo team. She is also the Sophomore Class Ambassador on Lakeridge’s student government. She volunteers as a preschool Sunday school teacher at Lake Grove Prebysterian church. Eleni has a passion for meeting new people and empowering them to create positive change in their community. She enjoys painting, playing the piano, and hanging out with friends.
Eleni’s role will include meeting with new members and working with them to determine their role in the organization, helping them gain access to Slack and Google Drive, and ensuring they are signed up to get emails and meeting invites.
Cate Bikales (she/her) is a rising junior at Lincoln High School and is excited to be OSV’s Communications Director. This past school year, she was a member of the Lincoln Constitution Team. She is also one of the presidents of Asian Student Union and a member of Rose Haven’s Youth Outreach Board, a group of high schoolers working to spread awareness and provide support to women and children challenged by houselessness and abuse. She is very passionate about helping and empowering those who feel marginalized or excluded, especially in the education system, which is why she decided to join Oregon Student Voice. Cate loves to read, listen to music, and go on hikes with her two dogs.
Cate's job as the Communications Director entails updating the website, coordinating and writing opinion editorials for OSV's blog, recruiting and training other members to write pieces, and managing OSV's social media accounts.