Nora VanRees (she/her)Founder and President📍Seattle, Washington, United States
Nora VanRees (she/her), founder and President of Here N Queer, is a dedicated changemaker. As the Founder of Here N Queer, an international youth organization, Nora advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights. Nora has developed global programs to help queer youth access thousands of resources. Nora also serves as the President of Magnify Wellness, a nonprofit committed to raising awareness about youth mental health. Nora is involved with the American Red Cross, supports trauma survivors as a volunteer with TIPNW, and was instrumental to the development of equity policies in her school district. Nora is a 2023 Coca Cola Scholar, Invisalign Changemaker, Audria M. Edwards Scholar, and has received a gold Presidential Volunteer Service medal. Nora is attending the University of Washington-Seattle to double-major in Law, Societies, and Justice and Economics.
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Ariona Miller (she/her)Chief Executive Officer📍Marysville, Kansas, United States
Ariona Miller (she/her), CEO of Here N Queer and rural Kansas native, is a social and political activist. While growing up, Ari witnessed the oppression of the LGBTQ community in her conservative town. After discovering her own queer identity at 14, she founded a GSA at her school and accepted a position on GLSEN's National Student Council. Ari is attending Duke University where she plans to major in Public Policy, minor in Journalism, and obtain a certificate in Child Policy Research. At Duke, she sings in the Chorale, is a Student Fellow for Braver Angels, serves on the POLIS Student Committee, is an executive board member of Bench & Bar Society, and does theater. Outside of her work within the LGBTQ community, she is an avid activist for children of abuse/addiction and reproductive rights. Ari's activism has been recognized by a myriad of organizations, with her most notable distinctions being named a Kansas NextGen Under 30 Honoree, Questbridge Match Scholar, Coke Scholar, and Horatio Alger National Scholar as well as joining the third cohort of the Stanford Law Scholars Institute. Ari recounts her experiences growing up impoverished, queer, and surrounded by addiction in her debut memoir "Hope" which is available on Amazon.
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