Posted on May 15, 2026
Sheguyma Bazile
Sheguyma is a first-year student at Rutgers University–Newark studying Public & Nonprofit Administration and Sociology. From Trenton, New Jersey, she aspires to become an urban planner with a community development focus, driven by the belief that land, policy, and investment patterns determine whether communities are stable or constantly displaced. She hopes to help design and implement policies that expand community ownership, especially in historically Black neighborhoods. Her experience spans youth programming, education support, and community-based initiatives centered on empowerment and practical skill-building. As a 2026 Newark Future Policymakers Fellow with Advocates for Children of New Jersey, she is strengthening her ability to analyze policy, understand systems of power, and develop solutions that directly impact children, families, and communities. Her long-term goal is to become an urban planner who develops infrastructure, programs, and services that allow communities to truly thrive—building environments that support both youth and elders and embed opportunity, stability, and care into everyday life.
Kaysi Charrington
Kaysi is a senior at Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School and the youngest Fellow of Advocates for Children of New Jersey. Hailing from Brooklyn but residing in Newark, she is a youth advocate dedicated to championing equity, education reform, and youth-driven policy change. She is a prominent member of the Youth Power Action Coalition's steering committee, where she engages in policy development, civic action organizing, and frequent testimony at school board meetings. She serves on the NJ4S Essex Student Advisory Board and is the only student serving on her school's Board of Trustees for the 2025–2026 academic year. She has also been appointed Council Member for a Day in Newark for four consecutive years. She aims to become a practicing attorney focused on intellectual property and corporate law, and is passionate about advocating for equitable education, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, and addressing housing injustice.
Nathan is a Newark-based youth organizer, writer, and policy advocate whose work sits at the intersection of racial justice, democratic participation, and community-based reform. He is a sophomore at Rutgers University–Newark studying Sociology with a minor in Social Justice, and is the founder and president of the Young Voters Association, a youth-led civic engagement organization focused on expanding young people's power in public life. His work has included Vote16 advocacy, education policy organizing, campaign finance leadership in Newark school board politics, qualitative research, and public-facing civic programming. He also serves as an Alumni Ambassador and Intern Coordinator with the New Jersey Public Charter School Association, writes on youth politics, race, and power, and recently led #RCROWNS, a multimedia project and symposium examining Black hair, identity, and policy. His work has been recognized through fellowships and public engagement across Rutgers and beyond.
Liyalani is a proud Black Muslim woman born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She serves as a K–6 educator and volunteer mentor with Newark Public Schools, and is the Co-Leader of the NCNW Legislative Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee, where she drives initiatives to uplift and protect urban communities. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University, and her work centers on mental health, disability rights, and empowering people in underserved neighborhoods. As she explores pathways in macro social work and works toward building her own nonprofit, she remains committed to creating sustainable, community-driven change—work she looks forward to expanding through the Newark Future Policymakers Fellowship.
Nathan is a Newark-based youth organizer, writer, and policy advocate whose work sits at the intersection of racial justice, democratic participation, and community-based reform. He is a sophomore at Rutgers University–Newark studying Sociology with a minor in Social Justice, and is the founder and president of the Young Voters Association, a youth-led civic engagement organization focused on expanding young people's power in public life. His work has included Vote16 advocacy, education policy organizing, campaign finance leadership in Newark school board politics, qualitative research, and public-facing civic programming. He also serves as an Alumni Ambassador and Intern Coordinator with the New Jersey Public Charter School Association, writes on youth politics, race, and power, and recently led #RCROWNS, a multimedia project and symposium examining Black hair, identity, and policy. His work has been recognized through fellowships and public engagement across Rutgers and beyond.
Nathan is a Newark-based youth organizer, writer, and policy advocate whose work sits at the intersection of racial justice, democratic participation, and community-based reform. He is a sophomore at Rutgers University–Newark studying Sociology with a minor in Social Justice, and is the founder and president of the Young Voters Association, a youth-led civic engagement organization focused on expanding young people's power in public life. His work has included Vote16 advocacy, education policy organizing, campaign finance leadership in Newark school board politics, qualitative research, and public-facing civic programming. He also serves as an Alumni Ambassador and Intern Coordinator with the New Jersey Public Charter School Association, writes on youth politics, race, and power, and recently led #RCROWNS, a multimedia project and symposium examining Black hair, identity, and policy. His work has been recognized through fellowships and public engagement across Rutgers and beyond.
Nathan is a Newark-based youth organizer, writer, and policy advocate whose work sits at the intersection of racial justice, democratic participation, and community-based reform. He is a sophomore at Rutgers University–Newark studying Sociology with a minor in Social Justice, and is the founder and president of the Young Voters Association, a youth-led civic engagement organization focused on expanding young people's power in public life. His work has included Vote16 advocacy, education policy organizing, campaign finance leadership in Newark school board politics, qualitative research, and public-facing civic programming. He also serves as an Alumni Ambassador and Intern Coordinator with the New Jersey Public Charter School Association, writes on youth politics, race, and power, and recently led #RCROWNS, a multimedia project and symposium examining Black hair, identity, and policy. His work has been recognized through fellowships and public engagement across Rutgers and beyond.
