Meet YWP's Alumni Advisors for 2024-25

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Jadyn Mardy, YWP Alumni Advisor

Meet YWP's Alumni Advisors for 2024-25


MEET OUR ALUMNI ADVISORS
 
Jadyn Mardy (Treblemaker), above, is a senior at Tufts University in Boston, double majoring in Film and Media Studies and Child Studies/Human Development. She joined YWP during high school and quickly embraced the community with supportive comments and Tiny Writes conversations. In her free time, Jadyn plays in a band and continues her passion for writing which now includes scripts and wannabe novels :) Read about Jadyn's summer internships here. This is Jadyn's third year as an alumni advisor.

Sam Aikman headshot

Sam Aikman (Love to write) is a longtime member of the YWP community and now a creative writing major at Pratt Institute in New York. She joins our Alumni Advisors after interning with YWP over the summer. See Sam's series of summer writing workshops here.

Sam will continue to lead online writing workshops for us from Berlin, Germany, where she is studying this year.


Sawyer Fellows, Alumni Advisor
Sawyer Fellows (Sawyer Fell), a recent high school graduate, will be mentoring and keeping in touch with YWP writers and artists from Temple University in Philadelphia this year. Sawyer is majoring in Secondary English Education with a dream of becoming an English teacher. As an alumni advisor, Sawyer is excited to continue offering supportive comments and meaningful feedback on YWP. 
 
Sawyer has been an active member of the YWP community for three years, and says this about Young Writers Project: "YWP is a home for anyone with an imagination. Whether you have been writing poetry for several years or have only just begun your writing journey, everyone here welcomes you with open arms. In times of isolation, I always found myself returning to YWP for solace and connection. I hope to inspire and console those who have struggled like me and offer an outlet for creative liberty."


 
Kevin Huang headshot
Kevin Huang (KevinH) is a controls engineer in Cambridge, MA. He was an active YWP member during his middle and high school years in Burlington, VT, submitting beautiful landscape and experimental photos for publication, and covering YWP events as an event photographer. Kevin likes to travel and practice photography in his free time. This is Kevin's second year as an alumni advisor with YWP, offering an inspired series of online photo workshops. 
 

Zinnia Hansen
Zinnia Hansen (Yellow Sweater) is a senior at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, double majoring in Classics and History. Zinnia was a high school poet seeking an online writing community when she discovered YWP and dove in with her own writing and helpful comments for others on the site. She was named Youth Poet Laureate of Seattle in 2021-22 and published her first book of poetry, "Spikenard," in May 2022. Fun fact: In December 2022, Zinnia opened for the legendary Patti Smith at a Seattle Arts & Lectures event with her poem “Cubism,” which she had posted on her YWP blog. This is Zinnia's third year as an alumni advisor.