November 14, 2008

Uzoh replaces Liao as youth commissioner for District 8

By Dave Cortese
San Jose Vice Mayor

On Oct, 28, Nwakaego Uzoh was sworn in as the City of San Jose’s Youth Commissioner for District 8. The Youth Commission was formed to foster greater involvement of youth in municipal government, specifically to study any problems, activities and concerns of youth relating to municipal policies, programs or projects of the City of San Jose. The Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council and to the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department and conducts forums to involve youth in the governmental decision-making process.

The outgoing District 8 Youth Commissioner, Kevin Liao, should be commended for his service to the youth of San Jose in bringing their concerns before the City Council. Under his direction, the Youth Advisory Committee, in which students from local high schools discuss the current issues with their local Youth Commissioner, has grown in importance and has shown great potential to help the youth of the community to make their concerns known.

In addition, as chair of the Youth Commission, Kevin helped to organize and put on the first “Beat the Statistics Conference” for the youth of San Jose, designed to allow the local youth to study issues and brainstorm on ways that they can positively influence their peers. On February 1st, 220 youth representing 21 high schools participated in workshops ranging from “Teen Crime” to “Cool Stuff They Should Teach You in High School”.

Our new Youth Commis-sioner is no less skilled. Nwakaego’s achievements in school and the community are to be commended. Her awards, such as the Most Valuable Athlete for the 2008 Presentation High School Junior Varsity Track Team and twice a recipient of the Certificate of Achievement in Academics from the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators, show that she is a well rounded student. In addition, the positions she has held, such as the Public Relations Officer for the Silicon Valley NAACP Youth Council and a Eucharistic Minister for St. Francis of Assisi, prove that she will be a valuable asset to the City of San Jose and the youth community for years to come.

Nwakaego’s goals for her term on the commission include making San Jose’s programs and activities available to youth more visible to her peers, inspiring others to also take a leadership role in their community and organizing college fairs at local high schools to encourage students to continue on to higher education. She also hopes to expand on the success of the Youth Advisory Committee to further her desire to help others find the passion to help the community.

The youth of District 8, as well as in the City of San Jose, have another outstanding representative to the Youth Commission, and we all look forward to the work that she will be able to accomplish. If you would like to help her by joining the Youth Advisory Committee, please contact Bushra Rasheed at Vice Mayor Dave Cortese’s office by email at bushra.rasheed@sanjoseca.gov or by phone at (408) 535-4908.