Ten Central Texas teens have been selected as the inaugural cohort for the Austin Public Library Teen Fellowship, an initiative that empowers young people to take an active role in shaping their library experience and their communities.
The 9-month fellowship pays a stipend of $21 per hour for up to 10 hours of work per month. Teen salaries are generously funded by The Library Foundation.
Chosen from an applicant pool of more than 200, the Fellows are:
- Amelia Liu — Westlake High School
- Anjali Natarajan — Headwaters High School
- Athena Wintle — McCallum High School
- Delaney Rios-Lopez — Akins Early College High School
- Emma Fragoso — Del Valle High School
- Evers Cannon — LASA High School
- Frank Hobbs — Lake Travis High School
- Louis Henton — iUniversity Prep School
- Sunaina Dewagan — Vandergrift High School
- Vedanti Patil — Westwood High School
Already the Fellows have been hard at work bringing their community action projects to life. Together, they’re exploring shared goals, finding ways to support one another’s work, and collaborating with the City of Austin’s Community Design Team to ensure their projects benefit teens across Austin.
The Fellows are developing three exciting initiatives:
- A series of creative and life-skills workshops
- A teen-produced magazine (available online with a limited print run)
- A lineup of open mics and creative spaces where teens can share their work and passions
Each project is designed to connect and strengthen the others, building a vibrant network of creative opportunities for youth citywide. The Fellows may also take on a monthly youth radio show on KOOP Radio!
Stay tuned for more news!
