Miguel Chiapetta

Position
2023 - BALTIMORE
Bio/Description

Miguel Chiapetta is a senior at Towson High School in Towson, Maryland. Miguel is the founder and co-president of the student-led diversity organization, Color of Youth, which is based in Baltimore, but serves youth across America. Growing up Latino, Miguel frequently felt that the people around him ignored the perspectives of young Black and brown individuals. As a result, he created Color of Youth in 2020 to empower youth of color to become involved in their community and to share their voices and ideas. Color of Youth works to empower young people of color by hosting virtual events; creating podcasts about community engagement; and publishing art and writing by youth of color in an online gallery. Through Color of Youth, Miguel has worked with various organizations, nonprofits, and DEI practitioners to improve support for youth of color. He has connected youth with mentors ranging from Indigenous activists from California to actors and Vogue models from New York City. Currently, Color of Youth has reached youth from over 25 states and five countries. Additionally, Miguel served as a lead facilitator, the lead marketing manager, and a student and adult workshop leader in the Baltimore Student Diversity in Leadership Conference (BSDLC). BSDLC is a day-long conference offered to students across the Northeast with student-led workshops educating attendees on topics like activism, healing from generational trauma, and intersectionality. Miguel's work as marketing manager helped register over 300 students for each of the three conferences he planned, and his workshop "Elevating Youth Voices" was attended by dozens of Northeast educators and administrators. Miguel plans to continue his advocacy for youth of color throughout college, and is excited to see how Color of Youth continues to grow. In the fall, Miguel looks forward to attending college, where he will study political science and public policy to strengthen his advocacy for racial justice.