Maygan Martinez

Teen Board Mentor

Between the ages of 12-16, I experienced the Juvenile Receiving Center and Crisis Residential at Salt Lake County Youth Services, during which period my family decided to have me transition to DCFS custody, of which I was placed in Proctor Care until I aged out at age 18. During my adulthood, I experienced homelessness three different times reaching out to partners such as the Volunteers of America Youth Resource Center, Salt Lake County Youth Services Milestone Transitional Living Program, and my awesome car. This has allowed me the opportunity to have been the President of the Salt Lake County Youth Action Board for 4 years and the Milestone House Manager for 2 years. I am currently a Co-founder of the 1999 Collective and the Co-Chair of the Client-focused core function group, Chair of the Lived Expert Task Group, and Co-Chair of the Youth Experiencing Homelessness Task Group for the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness. I am also working towards my Bachelor's degree in Political Science, I am at Salt Lake Community College and will be transferring to Utah Valley University. I am dedicated to learning and making youth voices loud and heard throughout the world.

“My soul is at peace when the world is shrouded in quiet darkness. My peace is what I need to survive so if I must I will thrive in the darkness.” - Maygan Martinez