Alumni Spotlight: Renee Walker Hope

We are thrilled to be in conversation with Tucker Piner. Today, Tucker lives in New York and works in sales and business development in the fast-paced industry of block chain research. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tucker put the networking skills he learned in Youth and Government to good use, launching his career at Bloomberg Government. Tucker served as the 2008 Youth Governor and as a Presiding Officer at the Conference on National Affairs. 

We are excited to be in conversation with Lizzie Batman. Today, Lizzie lives in Charlottesville, VA and works as a Talent Acquisition Specialist within the intelligence community. Lizzie graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Political Science before launching a successful career in recruiting. She uses the relationship building skills that she first cultivated in Youth & Government everyday in her work. During her time in YAG, Lizzie served as the 2007 Youth Lieutenant Governor and attended the Conference on National Affairs.

We are thrilled to be in conversation with Joseph Ford. Today, Joseph lives in Charlotte, NC and works as an Implementation Associate at Debtbook. Josephgraduated twice from Wake Forest University, with his Bachelors of Arts in History and a Master of Science in Business Administration and Management from the School of Business. During his time in Youth and Government, Joseph served as Associate Justice and was a member of the Parkland High School delegation. 

We are so excited to be in conversation with Tyler Fox. Today, Tyler lives in Boston, Massachusetts and works as a Project Assistant at Ariadne Labs' Delivery Decisions Initiative, where he lives out his passion for improving maternal health outcomes and addressing racial health disparities in the U.S.  Tyler graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he studied medical anthropology and he is currently earning his Master of Public Health at Harvard University. During his time in Youth and Government, Tyler was the Chief Justice in the Court of Appeals. 

It's YAG Season! In this episode, we interview our six YAG Candidates for this year. Candidates talk about their YAG Journey, why they want your vote and answer quick-fire questions. Candidates include: Sophie Johnson, Annika Lilja, Simon Hanford, Jailyn Cochrane, Drew DiMeglio and Grant Faraci.

We are excited to be in conversation with Emma Jakob Lipscomb. Today, Emma lives in Boone, NC with her family, and serves as a Board Member for the Watauga Education Foundation. Her recent move back to North Carolina came after a long career leading Youth and Government programs in Washington, DC. Emma served as the Director of the DC Youth & Government program, where she not only directed the 300-delegate program but also planned national conferences for State Directors, Youth Governors, and the Y Advocacy Days Program. Emma earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and her Masters of Professional Studies in Political Management at The George Washington University. Emma has worked in roles in the North Carolina’s Governor’s Office but got her start in government as the 2002 Chief of Staff. Having grown up in a small town, Emma credits Youth and Government with greatly expanding her worldview and teaching her about the importance of serving her community.   

On today's episode, we're thrilled to be joined by Emmy Martin. Today, Emmy is a junior pursuing a double major in journalism and media and information science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Outside of the classroom, she is the editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel. Emmy has a track record of reporting on the most important issues facing her communities: for the DTH, she’s covered statewide responses to the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 2022 midterm elections, and healthcare issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. During her time in Youth and Government, Emmy focused on sharing stories that mattered at conference, ultimately serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Media Team, and as the founder of YAGCAST. 

Elijah Bowers is the Legislative Aide to NC State Representative Amber Baker and serves as the First Vice Chair for the Forsyth County Democratic Party. Elijah graduated with a degree in government from Oral Roberts University. He’s worked on presidential campaigns and with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Throughout his journey, Elijah drew on skills that he first practiced as a Youth and Government delegate. His time with the Winston Lake delegation ignited his passion for democracy. As a delegate, he had the opportunity to represent North Carolina at the Conference on National Affairs and as a Y Advocate in Washington, D.C.

Fields Pierce is a law clerk at Skadden, a law firm based in New York.  Before that he was Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill, graduating with degrees in Business and Political Science. After working in consulting and venture capital, he earned his JD and MBA from Vanderbilt University. But before that he was the 2014 NC Youth Governor and is credited with bringing the Budget Analyst program to Youth & Government. Join us to learn more about what Fields remembers from his experience in the program and how it has helped shape his decisions and growth since then.

Renee Walker Hope is a dedicated social change agent working for the new Hanover County Adult Protective Services Department. She’s had a career as a social worker serving those who are most often the most neglected or forgotten. She earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science at Wake Forest University and her Masters in Social Work at UNC Greensboro. But back in 2004, she was the NC Youth Governor. In this episode we’ll learn more about Renee’s experience in Youth & Government, how it impacted her future and get advice from her on how to get the most from your YAG experience.