2025 Exploring Leadership Youth Fellows

Benjamin Barsky

Benjamin Barsky is a rising senior at Oakland Technical High School. He enjoys going for runs, playing soccer, and is involved in his school’s Pi Club (Math Club), Road Biking Club, and Magic the Gathering Club. He also provides math tutoring to other high school students and enjoys volunteering with Ride 4 a Reason (a biking fundraiser organization). Through Coro, he hopes to learn how to become a better leader, so that next year he can improve both the track team as a captain and the Road Biking Club as the president.

Sonam Bhonjatsang

Sonam is a rising junior at El Cerrito High School. She enjoys making jewelry, painting, and cooking for her loved ones. She is on her school’s badminton team, flag squad, Tibetan student union, Asian Pacific Islander Student Union (APISU), and has been El Cerrito Class of 2027 secretary for three consecutive years. Through Coro, she hopes to learn how to lead in more professional environments as well as create strong bonds with her peers.

Anthony Conner

Anthony is a rising senior, soon to be graduating in the class of 2026. In his free time he likes to go to the beach, hangout with his friends, and play basketball. He is also involved in his schools basketball team, debate team, and band. Through Coro, he hopes to learn how to become a better thinker and leader and learn skills that will help his future.

Osborne de Guzman

Osborne de Guzman is a rising junior at Summit K2 High School. They enjoy baking and film, and are involved in their school’s newspaper and student government. They also volunteer with organizations like the San Pablo Youth Commission (SPYC). Through Coro, they hope to learn leadership and managerial skills that will help them in college and their adult life.

Esha Dharne

Esha is a rising junior at Valley Christian High School. They enjoy biking, swimming, hiking, traveling, and are involved in their school’s debate, student government and South Asian Student Union clubs. They also volunteer with a variety of churches and parks such as Venture Christian Church, Foxworthy Baptist Church, and Santa Clara Parks. Through Coro, they hope to learn how to be an effective leader that makes real change in their communities.

Symona Elias

Symona is a rising senior at University High School. She enjoys baking with her family and is involved in her school’s Black Student Union (BSU), Students for Women’s Equality and Rights (SWEAR), and her very own Murder Mystery Club. She also volunteers with Breakthrough SF, tutoring underrepresented middle school students. Through Coro, she hopes to develop her leadership skills and meet other students who are similarly interested in bettering our community.

Zameel Imaduddin

Zameel Imaduddin is a rising sophomore at Washington High School and a dual enrollment student at Las Positas College. He is passionate about public policy, digital governance, and civic engagement. Zameel is involved in varsity debate, DECA, and has served as a campaign manager intern for a local mayoral campaign. He also leads the Digital Wellness Initiative, advocating for stronger tech policy in schools. Through Coro, he hopes to strengthen his leadership skills and learn how to drive meaningful change in his community.

Alexander Koo

Alexander is a rising junior at the Bay School. He enjoys playing tennis and watching sports. He is also involved in the school’s Asian Student Union. Through Coro, he hopes to learn how to be a better leader, learn about solutions that could fix our current problems, and connect with others in the city.

Joey Lau

Joey is a rising senior at Alameda High School. They enjoy playing badminton for fun and for the school team. They volunteer in Oakland Chinatown with CLP and also do an online Zoom with Ukrainian students. Through Coro, they hope to learn how to develop better communication and social skills.

Eva Levenson

Eva Levenson is a rising senior at Berkeley High School. She plays ultimate frisbee, and her team, Happy Cows, placed third at a national tournament last year. She has participated in the Girls Ultimate Revolution leadership series (GURLS) for 3 years. She also serves as president of the BHS Civic Leaders Club and interns with the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, and Emeryville. She is passionate about addressing inequities in her school system, and has spoken at board meetings, written for the school newspaper, and led peer presentations. Through Coro, she hopes to become a more effective leader.

Baetel Lulseged

Baetel Lulseged is a rising junior at Bishop O’Dowd High School. She enjoys playing soccer, hanging out with friends, baking, and traveling. Baetel is involved in her school’s Habesha (Ethiopian and Eritrean) club, as well as a school group called Dragon Ambassadors helping aid incoming freshman and families. She also loves volunteering at her local library in the Homework Help Center while also volunteering at St. Vincent’s Day home, working with little kids.

Akshith Paluru

Akshith is a rising sophomore at Dougherty Valley High School. He plays on his school’s football team and is an active member of Model United Nations (MUN) and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Outside of school, he volunteers regularly with local nonprofit organizations, helping support underserved youth through academic tutoring and community events. Through Coro, he hopes to strengthen his leadership skills and gain deeper insight into civic engagement and social impact.

Sofia Pham Gutierrez

Sofia is a rising sophomore at Oakland High School. She enjoys being active, spending time with her friends, and playing sports like soccer and volleyball. She has volunteered at many organizations in her community, including SIREN where she did immigrant rights community organizing, CYLP where she helped prepare workshops and welcome new participants, and get out the vote canvassing. Additionally, she has read to elementary school students as a reading buddy and mentor. Through Coro she hopes to gain more work experience and learn better leadership and communication skills.

Sara Saiyed

Sara is a rising sophomore at the College Preparatory School. She enjoys watching movies, baking, and hanging out with friends. Her favorite food is pasta, and her favorite drink is an iced strawberry matcha. Sara is part of the Muslim Students Association and likes to write creatively at school. Sara likes to volunteer through tutoring. She hopes to learn how to take initiative to positively impact the city and connect with San Francisco communities through Coro.

Daniel Velázquez Macías

Daniel is a student at George Washington High School. He is interested in the arts, especially in literature and music. He desires to help make a positive change in some way, at some level. With Coro he hopes to develop an understanding of how to better work with others towards the goal of a change.

Judith Way

Judith is a rising junior at George Washington High School in San Francisco. She enjoys baking and is involved at her school’s Model UN Club, Student Council, and track team. She also volunteers at her local church as a Sunday school helper and serves on the audio and visual team. Additionally, she volunteers with a youth-led non-profit fighting dental disparities in the city. Through Coro, she hopes to gain valuable networking and problem-solving skills that will aid her in future civic-based projects.

Exploring Leadership is funded by Inner Spark, Dodge & Cox, and David Kirp.