The Ypulse staff is guided by a group of highly talented Millennials who keep us — and you — in the know about the latest trends in youth attitudes and culture. In their posts, they share their perspectives on media, marketing & advertising, technology, and the latest news — from what bugs them to what they think is awesome. You can always find YAB member contributions in the Youth Advisory Board section of the site.
We’ve asked the 2012 YAB members to introduce themselves to you in their own words. Below you’ll find the bios of new and returning members who inform, inspire, and energize us in our work with the Millennial generation. To contact members of the YAB, you can leave a note in the comments below, or email thema at youthadvisoryboard @ ypulse.com.
2012 Youth Advisory Board Members: Part 1
Camilla Nord
Camilla is a returning YAB member who has finished her undergraduate degree at Oxford in 2011, where she studied physiology, psychology, and philosophy. Now, she’s 21 and studying for a Master’s degree at the University College London Institute of Neurology, where she hopes to do research in clinical neuroscience and neuropsychiatry. She grew up primarily in Washington, D.C., where she attended National Cathedral School, and has also lived in Budapest, Hungary for four years. When she’s not studying the brain, she is probably painting, practicing Bikram yoga, cooking vegetarian food, or thinking about manatees. When she IS studying, her favorite part of the brain is the basal ganglia, and her favorite neurotransmitter (those chemicals that shoot around the brain sending signals) is dopamine. The recent involvement of neuroscience techniques in product development and marketing has driven her interest in Ypulse, coupled with a lifelong love of writing — and, of course, a healthy obsession with pop culture.
Bryan Spencer
Bryan is a Kansas native, currently residing in Suzhou, China, where he works to help Western brands gain traction in the rapidly growing Chinese market. Bryan has been a contributing writer for various publications such as AOL and China Daily. Previously, he spent time at ClickHere (Chick-fil-A, Travelocity, GameStop, Amstel Light) and Archrival (Nebraska Book Company). He graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in Communication Studies, and also attended Nanjing University, studying Mandarin and intercultural communication. Learn more about Bryan from his website or by following him on Twitter @bryanspe.
Alexis Donitz
Alexis is a freshman at New York University who picked up and moved from the sunny and relaxing Los Angeles, CA, to loud and crazy NYC. She has displayed her love for writing and magazine design through her role as Editor-in-Chief of her high school yearbook and her internship at exclusive Los Angeles Magazine, Angeleno. She was also published in two literary magazines in high school. Creative writing has always been a favorite for Alexis, but she also enjoys writing based on observation. Her favorite blogs to read are food blogs, although she enjoys indulging in gossip blogs as well. Alexis uses her opportunity of living in two amazing cities as an inspiration for her writing.
Antoinette Martin
Antoinette is a junior in college at the University of Central Florida. She is working towards a BA in Human Resource Management, and then plans to go on to law school. She keeps busy doing things from reading and writing to volunteering at the local head start program. Writing is a passion for Antoinette and something that she enjoys doing when she is bored or just needs to get her mind off of other things. When not involved in volunteering or school she likes to spend time with her three brothers and parents.
Skyanne Fisher
Skyanne was the girl skipping school in fourth grade to stay home and write. Now a senior in high school, Skyanne still spends the majority of her time writing or reading. She loves traveling more than anything else and has goals to visit every continent in the world and every country in Latin America. Her second passion is volunteering and she hopes to spend time in developing countries, particularly places like Ghana and Cambodia, to work with children. Skyanne will be attending LIU Global in the fall of 2013 after taking a gap year to travel. She is obsessed with “Vampire Diaries” and never passes up a chance to fangirl over Ian Somerhalder. She writes blog posts for Scream for a Dream, runs a book review blog, and can be found on Twitter @skyvsworld or on her travel blog, Sky Around the World.
Matt Hursh
Matt is in his final semester at Hobart College, where he studies Public Policy and Writing and plays for the tennis team. When he’s not in the classroom or on the court, he loves to share his opinions about anything and everything media related, particularly the influence the media has on public opinion. His random assortment of interests includes sports, trivia, nightlife, and a recently uncontrollable affinity for electronic music. These days, Matt spends most of his time reminiscing about college and living life to the fullest until he moves on to a post-college journey that promises to be full of more wild adventures!
Jordan Orris
Jordan, 17, is an aspiring political writer, blogger, and analyst. She is a senior in high school, and has been published in The Las Vegas Sun. Jordan’s most significant accomplishment was serving as a United States Senate Page for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Summer of 2010. She served the State of Nevada as Miss Nevada’s Outstanding Teen in 2009, making state-wide appearances to gubernatorial and mayoral offices, civic organizations, philanthropies, and schools. Her personal platform during her year reign was SERVE: Sacrifice, Empathy, Relationships, Values, and Empowerment, and she has advocated community service programs to members of the Nevada State Legislature. Jordan also founded her school’s first online literary publication, GVoice, which receives hundreds of hits each day, and is a creative outlet for literary expression at her high school.
Laura Edelman
Laura is a freshman at NYU planning on studying Art History. Originally from Baltimore, MD, Laura is loving the city and is constantly pursuing her ideal “Sex and the City” lifestyle of shoes, girls nights with her sorority, visits to museums, attending Broadway shows (she recently met Miranda), eating exotic meals…and shoes. Though she’s partial to topics on fashion and art, Laura always has an opinion and wants it to be heard. She wants to make a difference in the world through her writing, volunteering, and hopefully curatorial work, so she hopes her readers come away with a little something!
Victoria Obrant
Victoria is a biotechnology student at the Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is currently spending the semester working at Children’s Hospital as a Medical Call Center Representative. Victoria spends most of her time studying for classes, yet she still finds time to hang out with friends. She is most often found dancing or painting during her free time.
Click here for part two of the Youth Advisory Board introductions
