As part of NPCA’s strategic effort to expand our core of young advocates and volunteer base, NPCA’s LA field staff created the LA Young Leaders Council (YLC) to engage young people from urban areas, underserved neighborhoods, immigrant communities and communities of color.
The Council aims to connect people to the outdoors that have historically been underrepresented in the outdoor recreation and conservation spaces. Members of the YLC are trained to be advocates, spokespersons and ambassadors for NPCA’s work in the LA area. They hone their advocacy skills through trainings through our Civic Voice Workshop, and then use their knowledge and voices to speak up for national parks by engaging with local, state and national lawmakers, as well as their own communities. They engage underrepresented groups through interactive outreach to build a stronger outdoor and conservation community in Southern California. The LA YLC brings people into their local parks and plants the seeds for others to become advocates for parks both near and far.
LA Young Leaders Council 2025-2026
Grace Ardnt
LA Young Leaders Council
Grace grew up among the quiet fields of rural Indiana, so the mountains and outdoor recreation were not something that she experienced every day. It wasn’t until she moved to Page, AZ for a seasonal job in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that she discovered not only her passion for landscape photography, hiking, and rock climbing, but also a profound sense of wonder at the beauty and power of the natural world.
Simone Ashton
LA Young Leaders Council
Simone is currently studying film and television at Pasadena City College, where she also explores her new passion for film photography. She loves traveling across the country to experience the most stunning landscapes the Earth has to offer. One of her dreams is to visit all 63 national parks and travel around the world.
Kira Hum
LA Young Leaders Council
Kira was introduced to the outdoors at an early age through Scouting, but her relationship with nature wasn’t fully apprehended until she was 22 years old on her first backpacking trip.
Tara Kwan
LA Young Leaders Council
Tara Kwan (she/her) is the proud daughter of Chinese immigrants and a Monterey Park resident. She visited her first National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, with family while in middle school.
Alejandra Leon
LA Young Leaders Council
Alejandra Leon is a passionate and curious advocate who is constantly trying to gain new knowledge on how to better herself in order to better the world around her. She loves being a student of life and absorbing information from everything around her.
Ritchie Meza
LA Young Leaders Council
Ritchie (he/him) is an LCSW with passions for veganism, cycling, tending to native plants, and enduring the ongoing disappointment of the men’s Mexico national soccer team.
Francisco Munoz
LA Young Leaders Council
Francisco Munoz has roots in Latin America through their parents, who are from Mexico and Central America. Raised in California’s Central Valley, they witnessed the intense labor involved in agriculture.
Maya Morales
LA Young Leaders Council
Maya Morales is an artist, naturalist and educator who seeks to make connections between the natural world and the communities she resides in.
Ashley Abigail G. Resurreccion
LA Young Leaders Council
Ashley Abigail G. Resurreccion is a Filipino/-American masters-level creative healer who works in education, mental health, and art.
Andres Rodriguez
LA Young Leaders Council
Andres Rodriguez grew up in Boyle Heights, a community with limited access to natural spaces. Despite the challenges of growing up in this environment, Andres’ parents introduced him to nature at a very early age by enrolling him in the Boy Scouts of America, where he learned various outdoor skills.
Elise Sanchez
LA Young Leaders Council
Elise Sanchez works as the Grants Writer and Coordinator at Homeboy Industries, a non-profit in Los Angeles that provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated individuals, helping them redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community.
Dominique Xicotencatl
LA Young Leaders Council
Dominique Xicotencatl is a disabled first-generation Mexican-American, born and raised in Pico-Union. As a disability justice and accessibility advocate, Dominique works toward creating more inclusive outdoor experiences by encouraging the involvement of disabled voices in all aspects of planning, managing, and improving outdoor spaces.
