About UsYouthInkwell Publishing |
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Jennifer Sarja, Executive Director
In 2004, Jennifer went to Africa with Save the Children's Women's Empowerment Delegation to Ethiopia and Uganda. Upon her return, Jennifer dedicated herself to finding a way to combine her love for writing and teaching with her desire to be more philanthropic. Eight months later, she opened YouthInkwell, A Center for Writing, where young people can learn about social issues as they learn how to write. Three months later, she founded the nonprofit YouthInkwell Publishing in order to provide young authors with a venue to use their writing and art to change the world. Jennifer has proudly overseen the publications of work by more than 45 young artists. Email Jennifer Read more from Jennifer |
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Angélique Been, Assistant to the DirectorBorn in The Netherlands and raised in the San Gabriel Valley for most of her life, Angélique Been has always had an interest in understanding the connections between people and societies throughout the world. Upon completing her undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Global Studies, she spent the next four years living abroad in Vietnam (her mother's country of origin), Germany and the Netherlands. It was in the Netherlands that she completed her Master’s Degree in International Relations and Organizations, and interned at a non-governmental organization promoting the role of youth in advocacy for peace. With her recent experiences and enthusiasm for youth engagement in global affairs, she returned to California to be a part of YouthInkwell's mission to empower youth with the idea that it is within their reach to make a difference in this world.
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Board of Directors Suzanne Rumsey, Chairperson Deborah Whitaker Kim Matsunaga Jennifer Sarja Bo Lee Janet Calvo Lan Shen Mary Blodgett |
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Youth Board of Advisors |
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Matthew De La Peza, President  |
"Oh my goodness! My name is Matthew De La Peza! Wow! I am a sophomore at St. Francis High School in La Canada and I train lions! Ok, so I’m just kidding about the lion part. Anyway, I’m fifteen years old, and I’ve lived in Pasadena all my life. I originally joined YouthInkwell to get service hours, but Jennifer’s passion and love for this organization has latched onto me as well. I want to become a photographer. You’ve probably seen some of my pictures in the brochures and the opening page of The Painted Tea Set. I’m very, very, very honest and I hate being forced to be all serious and uptight. Some not so good things about me are that I am really bad at walking up stairs, I tend to eat my friends’ food without asking, and I roll my eyes a lot." |
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Steven Losorelli, Vice President  |
"My name is Steven Losorelli and I am on the YouthInkwell Youth Board of Directors. I am fifteen years old and currently attend Loyola High School in Los Angeles. I joined YouthInkwell in the beginning of my eighth grade school year because I was interested in Jennifer Sarja’s cause and wanted to help. I also wanted to learn how to be a better writer, public speaker, and how to run a non-profit organization. Over the past year of being involved I have learned all of these things and benefited much, much more from the great experience." |
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Billy Hawkins, Treasurer |
"My name is Billy Hawkins. I am currently a senior at Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood. I have only recently joined the Youth Board, but I have been working at the Writing Center for a few years. I was invited to join the Youth Board about a year or so, but I wasn't able to join becasue of my busy schedule. But I've cleared up my schedule a little bit recently which is great because I really believe in what YouthInkwell Publishing is doing!" |
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Ivy Miller, Secretary  |
"Hi! My name is Ivy Miller, and I’m 13. I go to Westridge School in Pasadena, California. I joined YouthInkwell because I love writing, and I wanted to pursue that. YouthInkwell people are also really awesome, and they’re great to be around. My friend Cate Hurley told me about YouthInkwell about a year ago. She told me about the Youth Board, and I thought it sounded really interesting." |
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Hunter Whitaker-Morrow  |
"Hello, my name is Hunter Whitaker-Morrow. I am 13-years-old, and I am on the Youth Board here at YouthInkwell. I joined the Youth Board in 2006 during its inception. I attend Polytechnic School in Pasadena, where we're encouraged to give back to our community and the world around us at a very young age. I enjoy helping the causes that we support at YouthInkwell, including the building of wells in Africa. I think that YouthInkwell also does more than help other people; it helps the people that contribute time to its causes as well. YouthInkwell helps to produce young, conscientious individuals who will contribute their great thoughts, time, and spirit to make the world a better place to live for future generations." |
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Gabby Chan |
"I'm Gabby Chan, and I am a member of YouthInkwell's amazing Youth Board! I'm 13-years-old, and I attend Westridge School, in Pasadena. I've been playing the Chinese Zither Harp for about seven years now, and I usually play for fundraising for different causes. I thought that being a part of YouthInkwell would allow me be more active to fundraise and help others. Being part of the Youth Board at YouthInkwell is fantastic! Now, I can feel good about being part of something that could make a more desirable effort to help others than before. Along the way, I'm also able to learn more about Africa and about the water wells we're building. I'm extremely glad that I'm able to be part of such a great organization." |
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Joshua Kim  |
"My name is Joshua Kim the great. I am 13, and I’m in 8th grade. My hobbies include playing tennis, hanging out with friends, camping and fishing. I want to be an orthopedic surgeon when I grow up or a hematologist. The reason I joined YouthInkwell was that I wanted to make even a small difference in helping the world." |
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Cate Hurley  |
"My name is Cate Hurley, and I'm in 8th grade at Westridge School. I wrote and illustrated a story in How to Cook with a Pencil three years ago. My hobbies include basketball, volleyball, and the outdoors in general. I joined YouthInkwell because it's helped me develop great communication and important life skills, as well as help me make a difference." |
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Tiffany Bowles  |
"My name is Tiffany Bowles, and I'm a freshman at San Marino High School. I'm fourteen years old. How cool is that? I started going to YouthInkwell two years ago and think it's amazing! I love YouthInkwell because it lets you change the world by writing books. |
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Past Youth Board Members : |
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Noel Mollinedo Gigi Liang (Treasurer) Amelia Mayberry Ivy Yang (President) Kevin Lu |
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Want to join the YouthInkwell team? Become a member of our volunteer database!
Contact us to learn more: email us |
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Thinking about becoming an illustrator for YouthInkwell? Want a chance to get your work published while helping others with your art? Download an application and mail it to: YouthInkwell Publishing |
