Amber Wallenstein
Amber Wallenstein has served as the APRIL youth intern for the past two and a half years. She will graduate in August from Kent State University, with BA’s in both English and Psychology with a minor in pre-law. In the past, Wallenstein has served as both secretary and president of Ability Unlimited (AU), a campus-wide group for students with disabilities. Ms. Wallenstein served as a National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) delegate and continues to provide her support to that organization. She also does many presentations for Kent State University in the areas of disability rights and advocacy. Amber did a year-long study abroad program in Canberra, Australia. After graduation, Ms. Wallenstein plans to apply to law schools, and become a lawyer for children, immigrants or work in the disability rights field. In her spare time, Wallenstein enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and listening to music.
Michael Beers
Michael Beers is feeling a little like a pro athlete right now referring to himself in the third person for this bio, but here goes… Michael is a staff volunteer for the Montana Youth Leadership Forum and is a past participant of the MYLF Forum. He attends the University of Montana. Michael is also a Peer Counselor for the Summit Independent Living Center in Missoula, MT, and is on the governing board for the National Youth Leadership Network. Michael has been performing as a stand up comic for about four years. He started out doing small gigs at open mics in the Missoula Montana area getting stage time between hundreds of college bands you’ve probably never heard of and whose members will probably become accountants once they sober up after college. He then graduated to more glamorous gigs playing mostly his own family reunions and some very lucrative performances at retirement homes, which coincidently were his first paying jobs as a comic (2 cookies and a glass of milk). Michael is currently traveling around the country performing mostly at conferences. He won the Norman G. Brooks comedy competition at the Hollywood Improv in 2005 and was the winner of the 2003 Brickwall amateur comedy competition in Spokane, WA.
Zach Coble
Zach Coble is an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas studying political science and applied behavioral science. He is involved with disability advocacy and support both on campus and in the community. He currently serves as Vice President of a campus disability organization called AbleHawks and is the Vice-Chair of the Kansas Youth Empowerment Academy’s board of directors. He also has had the distinct privilege of serving as a legislative intern for State Representative, the late Judy Showalter and Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. In his free time, Zach enjoys reading, traveling, and discovering new music.
Carrie Greenwood
Miss Carrie Greenwood has a passion for promoting diversity, empowerment, and education amongst ALL people, especially youth and women with disabilities. She expresses her passion through her job and volunteer activities. Carrie currently works for the Kansas Youth Empowerment Academy in Topeka, KS, which is a new non-profit organization that focuses on empowerment programs for youth with disabilities in Kansas. She serves as the Outreach Coordinator, where her duties include conducting community presentations on various topics, networking with other organizations, and creating the graphic design materials for the organization. Carrie has had the opportunity to attend national and local conferences and speak to over 50 groups about disability awareness and youth empowerment. Since attending the Kansas Youth Leadership Forum in 2001, she has emerged as a youth leader and voice in the disability community of Kansas. Carrie held the title of Ms. Wheelchair Kansas 2004 and became the state coordinator for this program that same year. She created the MWKS program from scratch and has served in the position of state coordinator for the past two years. Carrie currently serves on the youth planning committee for the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), is the Secretary of the Kansas CEC- Division on Career Development and Transition, and serves on the planning committee for the Kansas Disability Caucus. She holds an Associate of Applied Science degree in Design Technology from Washburn University in Topeka. In her little free time, Carrie enjoys listening to music, volunteering at her church, and shopping and hanging out with friends.
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Association of Programs