Now in its third year, the Youth Leadership Board is committed to centering youth voice in ThreeSixty programming and in the process, growing their own leadership skills as media makers, advocates, and civic leaders.
Meet the 2026-2027 Board:
Summer Balfanz is a senior at Roseville Area High School. She participated in ThreeSixty’s College Essay Writing Workshop and Opinion Writing Workshop, and she also participates in legislative advocacy for addiction prevention and cessation programs in Ramsey County with Association for Nonsmokers Minnesota. In her work with ThreeSixty, Summer has prioritized stories about mental health and bridging social gaps due to inequities. In her free time, Summer likes to read, hike, and learn about art in the Twin Cities along with her friends.
Yunus Ahmed is a junior at Rosemount High School. He is Bangladeshi Muslim and enjoys soccer, biking, and video games. Yunus joined the board to develop his leadership skills and help youth voices be heard.
Janya Dieringer is a senior at Johnson Senior High School on the East Side of St. Paul. She has been doing broadcast journalism for over 2 years on her school news, and wrote her first article through ThreeSixty’s MSI camp, which was published in the Minnesota Star Tribune. She works to help tell the stories of those who often don’t get heard, and is involved in her community through her work at Urban Roots, a local non-profit. In her free time, if she can find any, she’s often reading, drawing, or writing. She’s also very passionate about music and the arts and is slowly but surely learning how to play the bass guitar.
Anais Froberg-Martinez is a senior at Perpich Center for Arts Education. She has been involved with ThreeSixty Journalism since sophomore year. Drawing inspiration from her mother’s Chinese-Panamanian roots and her father’s rural upbringing, her interest in immersive journalism has grown to encompass both local and international politics. This year, her growing journalism toolkit has led her to become the lead editor of Perpich’s school newspaper, Lola Times. In her spare time, she likes watching artistic films and learning about history.
Anais was part of the inaugural 2024 Youth Leadership Board.
Viv Ogunro is a junior at Breck School in Golden Valley. She became involved with ThreeSixty through the 2025 MPR radio camp and ThreeSixty Multimedia Storytelling Institute. Viv had an article published in the Minnesota Star Tribune and an audio piece produced with MPR as part of the annual radio camp. She writes for her school’s news outlet– The Breck Bugle, beyond journalism, her hobbies are volleyball, mock trial, and youth in government. Viv hopes she makes others feel happy, cherished and above all a sense of belonging.
Jason Ton is a senior at Osseo Senior High, Class of 2027. As a Vietnamese-American and active member of the Brooklyn and Minneapolis communities, he is passionate about helping young people discover opportunities that support their growth and goals. He joined the ThreeSixty Youth Leadership Board because he wants to inspire others to make an impact on the issues they care about, especially by connecting with and learning about their communities. Much of his own development has come through educational programs and opportunities offered by his community, and he hopes to encourage others to take advantage of similar pathways. In his free time, he enjoys game development, learning about psychology and personal finance, and cooking.
Wendy Xiong is a junior at Johnson Senior High School. Wendy believes that being a part of this journey allows more room for growth and improvement. After joining ThreeSixty, it allowed for her to break her cycle and learn to advocate for others who are unwilling to talk. In her free time she enjoys learning more about AI software and being on social media.
What does the Youth Leadership Board do?
ThreeSixty Journalism launched the program’s first Youth Leadership Board in 2024. High school students—all committed and experienced scholastic journalists—help guide program strategy and curriculum and are resourced to lead editorial projects and participate in advanced learning opportunities.
Members of the YLB work on special projects, support with program design, co-present on panels, and work closely with ThreeSixty staff and supporters. In May/June, the YLB participates in an out-of-state journalism education trip.
In 2026-27, we are introducing an editorial working group within the Board. Members of this working group will work closely with ThreeSixty’s Associate Director of Programs to co-design workshops and produce regular content for the ThreeSixty podcast, The Youth Pulse. Members who are part of this working group are still required to participate in larger Board activities and meetings.
Expectations of the YLB
Board members are critical thinkers who want to make a difference in their communities through advocacy and storytelling. In addition, they:
- Possess qualities such as self-awareness, curiosity, willingness to learn, dedication, reflexivity
- Have an interest in media, storytelling, journalism
- Give attention to values of equity, collaboration, and ThreeSixty Values
- Demonstrate desire to engage deeper and make a difference in their communities
We meet twice a month on Thursdays from 4 – 6 p.m. from October to June. The first meeting will be on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The first monthly meeting is in-person on St Thomas campus with dinner; the second meeting is virtual on Zoom.
Members must be actively engaged during meetings, communicative, and contribute to the Board’s efforts and activities.
The YLB follows a strict attendance policy where members must make 80% of the scheduled meetings, or be considered removed from the Board. Dates and mode of meeting may change. Board members are compensated up to $1000 for their term at $50/Board meeting and $100 for the end-of-year trip.
YLB 26-27 meeting dates (every other Thursday, unless indicated):
- Oct 22
- Nov 12*, 19
- Dec 10*, 17
- Jan 14, 28
- Feb 11, 25
- Mar 11, 25
- Apr 8, 22
- May 6, 20
- June 3, 17
YLB members should also expect to work on special projects outside of set Board meetings (no more than 1-3 hours/week).
Questions: denise.huang@stthomas.edu
Meet the 2025-26 Youth Leadership Board
Meet the inaugural 2024-25 Youth Leadership Board
ThreeSixty Values
Youth Leadership, Ingenuity, Justice, Connection
ThreeSixty Mission
ThreeSixty Journalism equips young Minnesotans to be sense makers, truth tellers, and bridge builders for an equitable society through multimedia journalism.
Grounded in the principles of journalism, committed to media literacy, and focused on contributing to more accurate narratives and representative newsrooms, ThreeSixty offers technical, ethical, and entrepreneurial training for fulfilling careers in storytelling and civic leadership. We strive for a Minnesota where every young person has access to a journalism education and where young people shape representative news media and civically connected communities. Founded in 1971 to advance racial equity in journalism, ThreeSixty Journalism’s modern history began at the University of St. Thomas in 2001.
