As a member of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission (MYAC), I have had the privilege of working with Councilwoman Youssef for a full year, and I can say with complete confidence that she is one of the most caring and supportive people I have had the pleasure to work with.
I joined MYAC because I wanted to represent the students’ voice to local government, as well as provide meaningful services for youth. I was skeptical at first if I, as a student, would truly have the power to make a difference.
I was proved wrong in my first week of working with Youssef. It was very evident that she had the youths’ best intentions at heart. There was never a meeting that she missed. Even with her busy schedule as mayor, she always found time to work with the youth.
She always offered her help and assistance in any project we were working on. For example, she helped us kickstart a T-shirt drive in which the T-shirts were converted into reusable bags, as an alternative to plastic bags, helping to protect our beautiful Durango environment. Not only did she help with our service projects, she always asked for our student perspective on local government issues, allowing everyone to feel represented and heard.
Melissa Youssef is clearly a leader driven by a desire to allow everyone to make a positive change in our world.
Thomas PopeDurango
