When Kaitlyn Baeza says she’s busy, she’s BUSY.

Baeza, a sophomore at Ottumwa High School, is a cheerleader, manager for boys’ football and girls’ soccer, and participates in the Talented And Gifted (TAG) Odyssey of the Mind program. She is also a part of is Al Exito, a group “who builds the leadership potential of Latino/a youth through college preparation, career development, and civic engagement.” Outside of school hours, she is active in ND4Y, an organization pushing for economic justice, racial justice, safe communities, and more.

Amidst her busy schedule, she also makes time to serve on the Legacy Youth Alliance. Despite her full schedule, Kaitlyn joined the Legacy Youth Alliance because she knew joining meant she would “be part of… helping support community needs such as the schools and mental health.”

The Legacy Youth Alliance meets once per month, hearing from speakers, reviewing grant applications, and working on projects that impact the community. “My favorite part of the Alliance so far is being able to see the applications from other organizations that come through and seeing what they believe would help our community and know we can help them be successful,” she said.

The Legacy Youth Alliance is comprised of 12 high school students from the Ottumwa, Cardinal, Eddyville, and Pekin school districts in addition to home-schooled students that are dedicated to using education, volunteerism, and grant-making to develop leadership skills, to act as role models, and to improve the communities in Wapello County. The Legacy Youth Alliance gives young people a voice in the issues that affect them now and the skills to confront the challenges they will face in the future. To learn more, visit: https://www.orlf.org/for-grantees-scholars/legacy-youth-alliance/