AMIGOS Young Alumni Council

In 1965 Guy Bevil led a caravan of 181 young volunteers from Texas to Honduras to fight a growing polio epidemic. Over 50 years and 30,000+ alumni later, AMIGOS is still empowering young people to have impactful immersion experiences and be students of a new culture. While AMIGOS provides an incredible summer and gap program for hundreds of emerging leaders every year, the opportunities for growth and leadership don’t stop there.

Alumni continue to build their leadership skills through second summers, serving on project staff, or training and recruiting future students to AMIGOS with our regional chapters. For those committed to representing AMIGOS nationally by speaking with prospective applicants, spearheading creative outreach activities, and providing feedback to help shape the future of AMIGOS – the Young Alumni Council is for you.

Young Alumni Council Representatives Will Receive

  • The chance to shape the future of AMIGOS — serve on a subcommittee that you’re excited about!
  • One-on-one mentorship from HQ Staff
  • LinkedIn endorsements and/or letters of recommendations from AMIGOS

Responsibilities of Young Alumni Council Representatives

  • Attend all monthly conference calls
  • Share AMIGOS news on social media
  • Participate in feedback surveys on AMIGOS initiatives
  • Host at least one AMIGOS info/recruitment event
  • Serve as a referral for interested students
  • Help mobilize other AMIGOS alumni to stay engaged!

How to Apply

Complete the application by September 13, 2021.

Meet the 2020–2021 Council

Brayan Angulo

City: San José, Costa Rica
School: Senior at Colegio Técnico Profesional de Calle Blancos
AMIGOS Project(s): Summer 2021 Costa Rica: Montañas & Mar Project
Hobbies/Interests: I’m just starting to get more involved in the inner workings of my community, and even my country, since the experience that I had with AMIGOS, searching for local organizations and ways to participate, which previously I didn’t have in mind. But I’m trying to change that, I’m interested in the improvement of my communities and our material conditions, and I’m in the process of looking for ways to do so and learning more at the same time, like with the Social Impact Accelerator of AMIGOS, to which I applied.

Lily Arangio

City: Los Altos, CA
School: Junior at Saint Francis High School
AMIGOS Project(s): Summer 2019 Discover Panama, Summer 2020 Community Impact Project, and 2020 Young Alumni Council
Hobbies/Interests: I’m passionate about leading change for social impact. I co-founded an organization that works to empower the future generation of female, non-binary, and transgender leaders to mitigate the gender gap in politics. Through this organization, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with fellow youth from all over: Canada, United States, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and more. At school, I’m a part of the Environmental Club, Animal Welfare Club, and Global Health Club.

Melina Bakopoulou

City: Palos Verdes Estates, CA
School: Senior at Palos Verdes High School
AMIGOS Project(s): Community Impact Project and Summer 2021 Costa Rica Project
Hobbies/Interests: I am involved in volunteer work in my community including for the Friendship Foundation, the annual Sketchers Walk, Red Cross, and Ozzie and Friends Rescue. I am also in many clubs and societies in school including my position as a treasurer in the National Spanish Honors Society and club president of the Current Events Club. I also run, and used to play soccer but had to quit due to the pandemic.

Bryan Bonilla

City: San Jose, Costa Rica
School: Junior at Liceo Experimental Bilingue La Trinidad de Moravia
AMIGOS Project(s): Summer 2020 Community Impact Project, 2020 Adelante Benefit Festival Honorary Speaker; 2021 Adelante Benefit Festival Rising Alumni Host Committee Member, 2021 Social Impact Accelerator
Hobbies/Interests: I live in Costa Rica, and even though we don’t have a lot of opportunities, I’ve been able to improve the communities that I belong to. For example, my math tutoring service (Stand2Learn) has helped over 70+ people in my schools. I am a content creator on Instagram where I’ve gotten +100,000 views with funny and educational content. Last but not least, I created my own international project called Líderes Latinoamericanos por un Cambio Global, where I’ve collaborated with people across Latinamerica to improve our school and neighborhood communities.

Ivanna Cabrera

City: Alajuela, Costa Rica
School: Junior at CGJR IB School
AMIGOS Project(s): Summer 2021 Costa Rica: Montañas y Mar Project
Hobbies/Interests: I’m part of a NGO, I do work related to STEM and also empower women with different backgrounds.

María Del Pilar Falcones Garaicoa

City: Guayaquil, Ecuador
School: Senior at Juan XXIII High School
AMIGOS Project(s): Spring 2021 Community Impact Project, Summer 2021 Ecuador: La Sierra Project, and 2021 Youth Ambassadors
Hobbies/Interests: I love art, so my biggest hobby is painting and drawing. Also, I am very interested in youth and female empowerment on social issues such as racism and gender inequality. Today, I teach painting and drawing to children and young people virtually, and I am still proudly a Scout Volunteer. I focus on projects for environmental well-being and reinforcing youth leadership.I like to explore new things and that is the reason why I have been in different groups.

Quinn Muderlak

City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
School: Sophomore at Whitefish Bay High School
AMIGOS Project(s): Summer 2021 Nicaragua: Nueva Segovia Project
Hobbies/Interests: My most passionate communities are my soccer teams (high school and Bavarian Soccer club) and my business club at my school. In addition to these commitments, I also love to volunteer with my family and friends in our city of Milwaukee. Our most frequent volunteer opportunities come at the serenity inn and the Ronald McDonald house.

Wesley Nesbitt

City: San Diego, CA
School: Sophomore at San Dieguito Academy High School
AMIGOS Project(s): Spring 2021 Community Impact Project
Hobbies/Interests: I play Ultimate Frisbee for the San Diego youth club, The Breakers. I love this community. I also enjoy speech and debate. This year I hope to be get the speech and debate class and be part of the team. I also enjoy playing tennis and being outside.

Matthew Zevallos

City: Berkeley, CA
School: Senior at Berkeley High School
AMIGOS Project(s): Summer 2021 Costa Rica: Los Santos Project
Hobbies/Interests: I am currently involved with the Y-Scholars program, a college readiness program where I get support on my college apps and academic tutoring. Additionally, I am a part of tutorchat which is an organization that allows me to tutor students over zoom. I am very passionate about AMIGOS and sustainability as well as community service. I am also an intern at the City of Berkeley’s Ecology center with the Youth Environmental Academy where we promote our local farmers’ market.