LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - s4story -- Offering a unique hands-on opportunity for high school students from diverse backgrounds in Gwinnett County, the Green Youth Advisory Council (GYAC) is an environmental and sustainability service-learning and leadership development program facilitated by Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B). Serving as "eco-influencers" throughout the school year, GYAC participants take part in hands-on cleanup and recycling events, while contributing to and informing Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful through projects that address local and global environmental challenges. The Metro Atlanta Keep America Beautiful affiliate has reviewed the applications and is proud to announce its Class of 2026-2027 Green Youth Advisory Council. To further enrich programming, GC&B has teamed up with Tixie Fowler, Executive Director of Youth In Nature Network (YINN) and founder of Gardens for Growing Community, Inc.

The newest GYAC members include:

• Aashka Patel  - Parkview HS Junior
• Arshafa Rehman  - Mill Creek HS Junior
• Hannah Ibrahim - Brookwood HS Junior
• Lasya Singareddy - Lanier HS Junior
• Olivia Byars - Paul Duke STEM HS Senior
• Sheila Osorio - McClure HS Junior
• Suhee Jung - Seckinger HS Junior

Returning members include:

• Amari Wilson - South Gwinnett HS Senior
• Aryan Pathak - McClure HS Senior
• Julia Yoon - Buford HS Senior
• Vicky Li - Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Senior

"We are honored to carry on our long-standing tradition of empowering an up-and-coming generation of future leaders in Gwinnett County for a new school year," said Schelly Marlatt, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (http://www.gwinnettcb.org/) Executive Director. "I'm particularly proud of the fact that ten different high school communities are represented, and that four of our former members made their return this year. While we have always asked our GYAC participants to act as advocates and ambassadors for our programs at their own schools, this year we plan to leverage their social media platforms to create our own brand of 'eco-influencers.' This gives them endless opportunities to expand their reach beyond their school and community and reach a larger audience about the importance of sustainability and eco-friendly practices. In addition, they will volunteer at Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful events, such as the Great Days of Service Event on October 16 and our America Recycles Day Recycling Event on November 7. Most importantly, they will develop and implement a new environmental program or expand an existing one at their respective schools. My team and I are excited about our partnership with Tixie Fowler, who has been connecting young people to nature for more than a decade. She is an award-winning environmental educator who will work alongside our own Resources & Marketing Coordinator Carmita Rivera to take this youth leadership program to the next level."

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To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (http://www.gwinnettcb.org/), please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.