Parks and Recreation Supervisor Tim O'Melia introduced the Teen Coalition team, which brought members to the council chamber to present the group's 2024 Youth of the Year award. The Teen Coalition coordinator (Bianca) and officers described their work on community events and a skin-cancer-awareness campaign, and Teen Coalition President Wanda announced those activities and introduced the award.
Teen Coalition selected Aja Mohammed as the 2024 Youth of the Year. Dr. Kristen Katz, school psychologist at El Cajon Valley High School, and the school vice principal joined the presentation and described Aja's volunteer work (manager of the boys' varsity soccer team, volunteer leadership with the American Red Cross), school leadership roles (ASB president and AVID president), and academic achievement (GPA over 4.0); Dr. Katz said Aja will attend UCSD in the fall to study nursing.
Mayor Bill Wells and council members congratulated the students and recognized Parks and Recreation staff for their work supporting youth engagement.