By Emma Smith
The 2025 Youth and Government Conference came to an end on Sunday, February 16th. While this conclusion will be mourned by delegates, we do have some exciting things to celebrate!
Delegates across the state had the opportunity to not only participate in the YAG program but to run for positions such as Governor, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice, General Attorney and more. Those running for positions created campaign videos, social media accounts and deliver moving speeches before voting concluded.
Here is a list of all officers who were elected for the 2026 Youth and Government Conference:
Sr. District Attorney
Teddie Taylor Jr
District Attorneys
Ava Lubsen, Jude Stump
Senior Associate Justice
Sam Johnson
Associate Justices
Elsa Black, Melany Gonzalez-Telon, Kathryn Halton, Adelaide Kelley, Makenna Mayo, & Katie Hayes O'Donovan, Jessica Carpenter
Presiding Officers
Emily Burns, Julia Goggin, Mason Henderson, Max Lewis, Megan Moore, & Tessa Rosania
Media Managing Editor
Taylor Gregory
Media Editor-in-Chief
Emma Smith
Broadcast Editor
Caroline Pinyan
Photography Editor
Quamori Miller
Print Editor
Helen Wilson
Social Media Editor
Sophie Satrazemis
State Treasurer
Nathan Huber
Secretary of State
Lina Lavigne
Chief Justices
Fatou Lo & Taylor Garriott
Attorney General
Lily Huber
Speaker of the House
Andy Lin
Lt. Governor
Corrina Basta
Governor
Josh Brown
Chief of Staff
Kaid Muhammad-Meyers
Sr. Budget Analysts
Bella Gibb, Nate Faraci, Alexander Zannis
Forum Pro Tem
Prahaas Nukala, Michael Cruzat
President Pro Tem of the Senate
Shrutav Deshpande
Speaker of the Forum
Mariyah Smith
Legislative Associate
Hannah Messiah, Nishi Raman, Addison Shute
Senior Lobbyist
Grace Garney, Esmee Martinez, Ryan Milburn, Kate Yarborough
Additionally, there are various awards given out to delegates, delegations, and advisors who go above and beyond.
Here is the list of those award recipients:
Advisor of the Year
Megan Marshall-Wicker from West Stokes High School
2025 Model Delegation
Reynolds High School
Model Senator
Jai Gupta from Ravenscroft
Model House Representative
Calvin Rice from Masters League
Model Committee Chair
Julia Goggin from Cape Fear Academy
Model Forum Delegate
Gideon Merakanapalli from Garner Road Community Center
Model Media Member
Ian Itzkowitz from Cape Fear Academy
Best Media Innovator
Taylor Mills from North Raleigh Christian Academy
Court of Appeals Model Attorney(s)
Case 1 - Allison Arellano from Early College of Forsyth
Case 2 - James Thompson from West Carteret High and Jake Knight from West Carteret High
Chief Court of Appeals All-Star Competition Winners
Case 1 - Paige Christman & Leah Standen from Epiphany School of Global Studies
Case 2 - Elsa Black & Jessie Carpenter from Cape Fear Academy
Best Brief
Case 1 - Adelaide Kelley from West Carteret High School
Case 2 - Deniz Erdem, Jackson Renton from Cape Fear Academy
Mock Trial Best Attorney
Jude Stumpf from Central Carolina Academy
Best Witness
Joanna Massengill from North Raleigh Christian Academy
Mock Trial Competition Winners
Team 5 – Arielle Andrade-Ramierz, Julia Berlinger, Nyla Jenkins, Jude Stumpf, Teddy Taylor Jr
Model Budget Analyst Award
Elianna Ramsey from YMCA of Greater Charlotte
Model Lobbyist
Josh Dewar from North Raleigh Christian Academy
Erica Wolfe Scholarship
Sanju Senthilkumar, Garner Road
Alumni Scholarship
Jedidah Adu, West Stokes High
Congratulations to our newly elected officials and award winners!
