ileim moss is a philosophy student and disability advocate living in Oakland, California, on the unceded land of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan. This fall, ileim is attending UC Berkeley with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Disability Studies after graduating from Sacramento City College in the spring. ileim’s academic interests lie in wrestling with big questions in disability studies, biopolitics, and epistemology: how do we come to know and define disability in difference? How does political power shape who is seen as disabled, and how they are treated? 

ileim is a proud autistic self-advocate invested in empowering disabled people to own and honor our agency as community members who both give and receive care. Outside the classroom, ileim volunteers with Hand in Hand: the Domestic Employers Network, Mask Bloc East Bay, and the North Bay Regional Center Self-Determination Advisory Committee. In 2022, ileim co-founded the Disability Justice Committee at Kehilla Community Synagogue to further disability access and inclusion within the community, and ileim’s writing has been published in Trans Halakha Project’s Tefillat Trans: Blessings and Rituals for Trans Lives.

Jason Green is a third-year journalism student at California State University, Long Beach who focuses on disability and education. As a previous special education student, Jason understands the importance of advocating and self-advocating in the disability community. He has spread awareness on disability through his own podcast called Shougai with a co-host who is a veteran, and has published personal essays on multiple student publications and the non-profit organization, 3DA. He aspires to be an education reporter to unravel its intricacies and injustices.

Naturally, he enjoys meeting new people and being with friends, as you can always spot him talking.

Joshua is a rising junior at the University of Memphis majoring in Political Science with a minor in Public Administration. He was diagnosed with autism when he was thirteen years old. He was always interested in helping people, but when he felt like his voice was never heard and when he kept feeling underestimated, he decided he needed to get invested in policy to make sure others don’t feel that same way. At the University of Memphis, he is involved in Student Government, Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, Honors Student Organization, and is a Diversity Ambassador. As Honors Student Organization Director of Membership, he created the idea to let honors students make ideas for future events. He also has worked to bridge the gap between undergraduate and post undergraduate opportunities. In the future, he wants to get a dual JD/MPP to help people around him feel they can be represented and heard.

Kemper Gingerich is a junior at Boston University studying political science, with plans to pursue a career in law. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he now lives in San Francisco, California. As a biracial individual, Kemper is passionate about issues of race, justice, and policy, which drive both his academic and professional pursuits. He has worked extensively on voting rights legislation, advocating for fair and accessible elections, and has led political organizing efforts aimed at empowering marginalized communities. In addition to his policy work, Kemper teaches and mentors others, using education as a tool for advocacy and social change. His experience navigating diverse cultural and geographical spaces informs his dedication to creating meaningful change through law, policy, and community engagement.

Maddox O’Rourke attended Bard College as a Davis Scholar after graduating from the United World Colleges campus in Japan. His activism at UWC focused on the experiences and rights of LGBTQ students both on and off campus. He graduated from Bard in 2025 with a joint degree in Politics and Human Rights. His senior thesis explored how queer activists build solidarity and negotiate differences in social movements in South Africa and Turkey. He has worked as an intern advocating for access to healthcare in prisons. He has also interned for UnidosUS analyzing mental health policy in the Latinx community. While in college, he led an ENL program offering free English classes for the community. He has been a freelance English teacher for 5 years and teaching is one of his greatest passions. When he is not working or studying, Maddox enjoys playing the marimba and going for hikes in upstate New York. He is excited to expand his understanding of human rights and politics to include disability advocacy and accessibility, and he welcomes the opportunity to work with and learn from other disabled people.

Makayla Allen is a recent first-generation honors graduate from California State University, Northridge, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Television with a concentration in Entertainment Media Management. As a passionate, creative advocate, Makayla takes inspiration from her experiences as an Autistic woman into influential work focused on inclusion, accessibility, and mental health awareness – especially within underrepresented communities in Pasadena, Altadena, and Los Angeles. Makayla held leadership and creative roles throughout her undergraduate career in her program, and her journey has been influenced by the challenges of being misunderstood and doubted. Using these experiences, she has transformed into a passion for advocacy. Makayla’s commitment to disability and mental health representation is reflected in her work with the Autism in Entertainment Organization, where she supported efforts to create job opportunities in entertainment for neurodivergent individuals.

Makayla is a dedicated Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health volunteer, offering support and creating compassionate spaces. She is also actively involved in Eaton Fire relief efforts, continuing to assist her beloved Altadena community. Her commitment to service reflects her core belief in community-driven change and the importance of uplifting marginalized voices. As a proud recipient of the 2024 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship program, Makayla was recognized for her passion for increasing disability representation in media and communications. She plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Marketing and Public Relations to create inclusive and impactful media campaigns that amplify stories from BIPOC and disabled communities. Makayla is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the AAPD Internship Program, viewing it as a meaningful step toward expanding her advocacy and continuing her personal and professional growth. She looks forward to working alongside like-minded leaders and mentors, using her voice to challenge barriers and promote more authentic, inclusive representation in the disability community.

Marrow Kilgore is a recent graduate from Wesleyan College, where they earned their B.A. in English and Religion, Philosophy and Social Change. A first-generation college student, Marrow has spent the last several years designing youth-centered programs, organizing for public education justice, and working on Medicaid redetermination efforts across Georgia. Their work focuses on building community-rooted, justice-forward learning experiences that are accessible, imaginative, and sustainable.

Their approach to social change has been shaped by national fellowships that center equity, accessibility, and narrative strategy. As an Unum Fellow with E Pluribus Unum, Marrow facilitated creative writing workshops for middle schoolers rooted in Afrofuturism and speculative fiction. Through the Fall 2024 Dinah F.B. Cohen Fellowship with Partners for Youth with Disabilities, they deepened their practice in disability justice and accessible design. As a Diversity Scholar with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, they examined how public history and cultural memory can serve movements for justice. As a 2025–2026 Youth250 Bureau member with Made By Us, Marrow is helping shape national civic engagement projects leading up to the U.S. Semiquincentennial, centering youth voice and participatory design.

Now based in Roanoke, Virginia, with their incessantly vocal cat in tow, Marrow is always on the lookout for new ways to (re)imagine and build radically better futures. In their free time, they love watching horror films, thrifting vintage glassware, and listening to concerningly long podcast episodes.

Nicole (they/she) is a climate justice advocate whose work is deeply informed by their experience of living in an environmental Sacrifice Zone. They are interested in developing community-driven policies that apply a disability justice framework to challenge environmental racism and spatial inequities in the built environment.

This Summer, they engaged in applied research, data analysis, and grassroots outreach to advance land conservation and to develop a statewide policy agenda for water justice. They are also experienced in nonprofit development, and are keen on equipping organizations with capacity building skills that ensure sustained advocacy and long-term community impact.

Rocío Díaz is a recent graduate of Universidad Central de Bayamón in Puerto Rico, where she majored in English. From a young age, she developed a deep appreciation for literature and the liberal arts, often finding joy in the diverse worlds that books offer. Throughout her college experience, Rocío refined her language skills as an English tutor, assisting her peers in enhancing their grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation. She also took on the role of a peer mentor, guiding freshmen in the Liberal Arts department as they navigated their transition to college life.

In her final undergraduate semester, Rocío embraced the challenge of developing a senior thesis on a topic of her choice, ultimately focusing on an important issue within the disability community: the underrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in literature and media. After completing this project and fulfilling her dream of graduating with honors, she sought to further engage with disability advocacy, an area that resonated deeply with her values. Rocío is committed to fostering a society where individuals with disabilities are authentically represented in mainstream media and celebrated for their unique contributions. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, playing video games, and streaming her favorite shows.