Meet Our 2022 Fellows

Mike Odnis (he/him) is excited to be a 2022 Youth Organizing Institute Fellow! A recent high school graduate, he has been engaged with local organizations on Long Island, including Make the Road NY. He participated in Make the Road NY’s Youth Power Project, through which he was trained in civic engagement skills and canvassed for petition signatures. 

Mike says, “I believe that civic engagement leads to our voices being heard as a collective community, which is more powerful than when we speak as individuals.”

Sheilly Martinez-Jimenez (she/her) is a 19-year-old student at Stony Brook University majoring in Political Science and on the Pre-Law track. She immigrated from Honduras at a very young age and has always been involved in her community in Hempstead, Long Island. She is passionate about mutual aid, civic engagement, and believes it’s important for young people to be politically active in order to represent their communities. 

Sheilly says, “I love doing mutual aid, as I know what a huge impact it makes on my community.”

Adriana Flores (she/her) is a Salvadoran first-generation student at Mercy College entering her second year and majoring in History-Education with a minor in Spanish. She is dedicated to addressing disparities among marginalized communities, including racial, economic, gender, sexuality, and class-based issues. Adriana is a founding member of the District 1 Youth Advisory Board in Long Island, which sheds light on unheard voices in the community. Furthermore, Adriana is proud to represent her community through volunteer work with local politicians and organizations that build bridges between communities.

Adriana says, “Youth need to be more engaged in politics because politicians make decisions that affect us, from education to health care and voting rights. If we become more engaged in politics, we can have a bigger say in these decisions.”

Joshua Chan (he/him) is a 20-year-old activist dedicated to ensuring working class Hispanic, Black, indigenous, and people of color are granted economic, political, and racial justice. He is currently studying Political Science at the University of Albany. Joshua grew up and lives in Brentwood, a low-income immigrant neighborhood where he has come to understand the importance of solidarity and its potential for creating change. He has worked with many local organizations, such as Make the Road NY and Eileen's Free Bodega, that align with Joshua’s mission of building a multi-racial and multi-generational coalition of working class people who will stand up to racial and economic injustices. Joshua co-founded a Youth Advisory Board that advocates and represents the youth in Brentwood, Central Islip, and North Bayshore. He is dedicated to taking care of his community through bold and intense organizing. 

Josh says, “Through my work, I hope to represent my generation and implement changes regarding our future, such as healthcare access, immigration, and climate change.”