What is the OSBHA Youth Corps? 
The Youth Corps enables OSBHA to continue to place youth in positions that create youth-adult partnerships that are indeed a partnership. The Youth Corps Internship Program creates a space where youth voices can be input from the beginning stages of each OSBHA project. Corps interns build professional development skills such as relationship and team-building, communication and public speaking, goal setting, event planning, and project management that allow them to complete project-related deliverables, listening sessions, and youth events.
What does a Youth Corps intern do?
Two interns will be focused on tobacco prevention education, two interns will be focused on School Health Advocacy Day, and two interns will facilitate the Student Health Advocates group. Under the guidance and mentorship of the Youth Engagement Coordinator, the Youth Corps interns will be trained on communication skills, designing outreach materials for social media, facilitating meetings and listening sessions, developing educational presentations for youth and adults, assisting in data collection, collaborating with OSBHA staff and other Youth Corps interns, and be given the opportunity for additional learning experiences as available.
How do I connect with Youth Corps members to facilitate youth listening sessions or provide HPV training?
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with OSBHA Youth Corps, please contact Asia Gates at asia@osbha.org.
How do I become a Youth Corps intern?
OSBHA is hiring interns for the Youth Corps 2023-24 cohort! For the Legislative Advocate application, click here for more information. For the Youth Health Advocate application, click here for more details. For the Peer Advocate Intern application, click here for the job description and instructions on how to apply. Applications for the Youth Corps close on September 1, 2023, at 5 pm PDT. If you have any questions or are interested in the program, please contact Asia Gates at asia@osbha.org.
We are holding two informational sessions on August 21 from 5-5:30pm and 5:30-6pm for youth with questions and will have the chance to speak with past interns on their experience. Register here to attend.
Benefits of becoming a Youth Corps intern:
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Leadership opportunities
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Positive impact on your community
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Relationship and team-building skills
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Policy advocacy skills
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Deepened relationship to social justice
Aliannah Shalikar, OSBHA Youth Corps Youth Health Advocate
Aliannah Shalikar is a Youth Health Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and her goal is to help students learn about their healthcare rights. Aliannah is passionate about social justice and equity in every aspect, including health. She believes that the health of students everywhere is so important, not only for their physical and mental wellness, but because she also believes health can have an impact on their education and success in school. Aliannah is also part of Oregon Student Voice, a non-profit led by youth for students in Oregon schools. She is a junior, an early college student, at Portland Community College, whose homeschool is Liberty High School in Hillsboro. In her free time, she loves spending time with her Belgian Malinois puppy, video editing, and writing stories. Aliannah is interested in pursuing a career in either law and public policy or media and communications after high school. No matter the path she takes, Aliannah hopes to actively bring justice and equity to communities in need through her work.
Angelica Gatica-Gomez (She/Her), OSBHA Youth Corps Youth Health Advocate
Angelica Gatica-Gomez is a Youth Health Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and their goal is to help marginalized groups build trust in the healthcare system and advocate for equal access to healthcare within different communities. Over the summer she took CNA classes and that experience showed her how important it is to build a relationship between health providers and the ones receiving care. She believes that it is important for people to know that they have a support system when it comes to their health and that they should not be afraid to seek help. As part of a minority group, she would love to see more diversity in the healthcare system to help more groups of people feel welcomed.
Angelica is currently in her second year at Pacific University. She is part of their Women's Track and Field Team and is majoring in Biology with a minor in Spanish while following the pre-med curriculum. In the future she would like to become a physician to help people thrive and educate them on the importance of their health.
Chloe Acosta, OSBHA Youth Corps Legislative Advocate
Chloe Acosta is a Legislative Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance. Her goal is to educate students on their healthcare rights, advocate for equal access to healthcare, and spread mental health awareness. Last year, Chloe worked as a Student Health Advocate with the Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and is extremely excited and thankful to be continuing her advocacy with OSBHA.
Chloe volunteers her time at a mental health crisis text line called 7Cups where she serves as a Verified Listener. She finds it extremely rewarding to be able to lend a listening ear to teens and adults currently experiencing mental health issues. Chloe has always had a passion for helping others and has known she wants to work in the healthcare field all her life. In this role, she will have the opportunity to use her voice and help others use theirs too.
Chloe aspires to be a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. She is currently attending Rogue Community College and will transfer to the Oregon Institute of Technology, in the fall of 2023. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts, listening to podcasts, traveling, and spending time with friends, family and her cat named Sunny.
Kammi Nguyen (They/Them/She/Her) OSBHA Youth Corps Youth Engagement Intern
Kammi Nguyen is a Legislative Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with the Oregon School-Based Health Alliance. They hope to help educate youth on their healthcare options and to aid student health advocates in promoting School Based Health Centers.Prior to moving to Oregon, Kammi lived in Honolulu, Hawaii. Now they are a first-year at Reed College, who hopes to major in history and loves listening to Taylor Swift.
Although Kammi does not plan on working in the healthcare business, they want to help address how minorities are overlooked and underrepresented in the health care system.
Naimah Johnson (She/Her) OSBHA Youth Corps Legislative Advocate
Naimah Johnson is a sophomore at the University of Oregon majoring in Family and Human Services. She currently works for B.E.A.M an educational group for young black teens as a youth advisor and an Art Museum on campus. She enjoys reading anything by black authors, being out in nature, and spending time with animals near large bodies of water. Naimah is a huge advocate for mental health because of her personal experiences and from hearing others who have gone through rough times with barely any mental support. People of color are her main focus because of how overlooked mental health is in these communities and the stigma about getting help in these communities. Naimah is currently in school to become a therapist for teens of color that can’t access mental health support.Naimah comes from a farming family that is very involved in the community. Naimah grew up doing food drives, giving always, and other volunteer work. Slowly but surely taking care of her community has become a huge part of her passions, in a result she decided to major in family and human services to help care for the community and give representation to other young black girls who want to be involved in the mental health field. Community advocating is one of Naimah’s values alongside mental health and accessibility to all forms of support. Naimah believes that together we are stronger and helping others in turn helps yourself. Everyone deserves the opportunity to receive any help regardless of status, race, gender, sexuality, and anything else that would hinder that.
Ximena Lemus-Hernandez, OSBHA Youth Corps, Events and Evaluation Intern
Ximena is a first generation college student and grew up in a rural community within southern Oregon. She is passionate about supporting and advocating for marginalized communities, especially within spaces like education. As a first generation and non traditional college student, Ximena recognizes the importance of representation and diversity. She aspires to serve and support underrepresented communities and is hopeful that interning for OSBHA will be the beginning of a long, fulfilling career. During her free time, Ximena enjoys spending time with family, trying new hobbies, and exploring nature.
Meet our 2021-2022 Youth Corps Intern Cohort:
Audrey Bong, OSBHA Youth Corps Legislative Advocate
Audrey Bong is a Legislative Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with the Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and their goal is to advocate for equal access to healthcare and further educate youth on health systems and issues.
Audrey volunteers at Youthline, a teen crisis line, where she provides deescalation for youth experiencing mental health crises. She is a junior at Riverdale High School, who enjoys listening to music and hanging out with friends on the weekend.
Audrey aspires to work in the public health system because she wants to address the lack of accessibility for communities who have been marginalized by uneven power structures in the health system and promote more equitable and accessible healthcare. She believes that all people deserve to be happy, healthy, and thriving in all aspects of life because social determinants of health affect our physical health.
Karlie Lee, OSBHA Youth Corps Youth Health Advocate
Karlie Lee is a Youth Health Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and goal is to help educate youth about their healthcare rights and access to healthcare as well as work on expanding the diversity in healthcare education
Karlie believes in healthcare being accessible for all people and having healthcare be encompassing to the individual needs of society because not every person requires the same healthcare plan and deserves to get their needs and wants be met. From personal experience Karlie knows that healthcare is not “one size fits all” and she wants to make sure that everyone gets the chance to experience healthcare that tailors to their needs. She believes it is important that all people know about the many options/paths they can take when it comes to their health so they can make an educated decision on what is right for them. She has worked at a daycare where bodily autonomy was a huge part of the education and values. Teaching kids from a very early age that their body is theirs and not only how to treat and respect their bodies, but the bodies of others around them as well.
Karlie is in her fifth year at Portland State University (and will graduate this June 2022) and enjoys playing volleyball as she is the club leader at Portland State University. She enjoys finding new places to eat as well as spending quality time with loved ones in any way shape or form.
Karlie aspires to be a physical therapist because everyone deserves to have a body that functions to its fullest capacity. She wants to be able to help people live their lives and do activities that bring them joy and comfort, as well as educate them on how to care for their bodies in the future for the goal of longevity.
Lucy Polich, OSBHA Youth Corps Legislative Advocate
Lucy Polich is a Youth Legislative Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance. Her goal is to help students learn how to advocate their needs and be confident in sharing their story.
Growing up deaf, Lucy had a strong support system who encouraged her to advocate for herself and foster independence for all of her hearing and learning needs in and out of the classroom. Lucy believes students should be able to advocate to their state representatives what they need for their community regardless of personal background. She also believes in teaching students and young adults about the importance of taking care of your body as well as treating it right with kindness, including the mind and soul.
Lucy is a senior at Portland State University earning a Bachelor degree in both Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Graphic Design. In her free time, she enjoys hiking Oregon’s trails with her dog, Ozzie, working on crafts like knitting and basket weaving, baking yummy treats, and playing board games with her friends and family.
Audrey Bong is a Legislative Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with the Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and their goal is to advocate for equal access to healthcare and further educate youth on health systems and issues.
Audrey volunteers at Youthline, a teen crisis line, where she provides deescalation for youth experiencing mental health crises. She is a junior at Riverdale High School, who enjoys listening to music and hanging out with friends on the weekend.
Audrey aspires to work in the public health system because she wants to address the lack of accessibility for communities who have been marginalized by uneven power structures in the health system and promote more equitable and accessible healthcare. She believes that all people deserve to be happy, healthy, and thriving in all aspects of life because social determinants of health affect our physical health.
Karlie Lee, OSBHA Youth Corps Youth Health Advocate
Karlie Lee is a Youth Health Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance and goal is to help educate youth about their healthcare rights and access to healthcare as well as work on expanding the diversity in healthcare education
Karlie believes in healthcare being accessible for all people and having healthcare be encompassing to the individual needs of society because not every person requires the same healthcare plan and deserves to get their needs and wants be met. From personal experience Karlie knows that healthcare is not “one size fits all” and she wants to make sure that everyone gets the chance to experience healthcare that tailors to their needs. She believes it is important that all people know about the many options/paths they can take when it comes to their health so they can make an educated decision on what is right for them. She has worked at a daycare where bodily autonomy was a huge part of the education and values. Teaching kids from a very early age that their body is theirs and not only how to treat and respect their bodies, but the bodies of others around them as well.
Karlie is in her fifth year at Portland State University (and will graduate this June 2022) and enjoys playing volleyball as she is the club leader at Portland State University. She enjoys finding new places to eat as well as spending quality time with loved ones in any way shape or form.
Karlie aspires to be a physical therapist because everyone deserves to have a body that functions to its fullest capacity. She wants to be able to help people live their lives and do activities that bring them joy and comfort, as well as educate them on how to care for their bodies in the future for the goal of longevity.
Lucy Polich, OSBHA Youth Corps Legislative Advocate
Lucy Polich is a Youth Legislative Advocate who works as a Youth Corps Intern with Oregon School-Based Health Alliance. Her goal is to help students learn how to advocate their needs and be confident in sharing their story.
Growing up deaf, Lucy had a strong support system who encouraged her to advocate for herself and foster independence for all of her hearing and learning needs in and out of the classroom. Lucy believes students should be able to advocate to their state representatives what they need for their community regardless of personal background. She also believes in teaching students and young adults about the importance of taking care of your body as well as treating it right with kindness, including the mind and soul.
Lucy is a senior at Portland State University earning a Bachelor degree in both Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Graphic Design. In her free time, she enjoys hiking Oregon’s trails with her dog, Ozzie, working on crafts like knitting and basket weaving, baking yummy treats, and playing board games with her friends and family.
