Staff
Media Director – Aliyah Thompson serves as the 2025-26 Wisconsin Media Director and is a senior at Fond du Lac High School. She is a proud member and President of the Fond du Lac delegation and has been involved in YIG for four years. She joined the program initially out of curiosity and because she loves the delegation advisor, Ms Carney. However, she quickly fell in love with the program, the meaningful connections, and the family environment that YIG creates. Outside of YIG, Aliyah is the President of multiple clubs, including Environmental Club and 4-H. She is also a Student Ambassador, Class Officer, and enjoys volunteering in her community, whether it’s tutoring elementary students or helping in her church’s children’s ministry. She is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her academics, so much of her time is spent studying. When she’s not at an extracurricular or studying, she loves spending time with her friends and family. She can’t wait to meet everyone at Model Gov and is always happy to meet new people, so feel free to come say hello anytime!
Print Manager – Abby Sippel is your 2025-2026 Media Print Editor. She’s a junior at Appleton North. She is a delegate from the Fox Cities Delegation; and this is her fourth year in YIG (third in media). She joined YIG because she wanted to learn more about how the government works and wanted to meet new people. She has learned a passion and love for YIG that has grown each year she’s participated in. That’s why she stayed, her love for this program and wanting to become more involved in the community. In her free time she enjoys reading, swimming, and hanging out with friends. This year in YIG she’s ecstatic to have a statewide position and be able to interact with new delegates outside of the Fox Cities delegation and create new memories with friends old and new!
Assistant Print Manager – Emma Kottke is a senior Fond Du Lac delegate working as the Assistant Print Director for the 2026 Model Government session. She’s really excited to connect with the Media branch as it grows and expands and hopes to see delegates embrace their inner potential and show off how creative they can be in their projects this year! She joined Youth in Government her Sophomore year at the recommendation of one of her friends, and stayed in the organization for the rest of her Highschool career because of the amazing community both at the local and state level. She loves to see what everyone does for YIG and how hard they work! Besides being a member of YIG, you can often find her with her nose in a book, working on art projects or writing, singing poorly in her car, volunteering at the Fondy library, or playing the piano for jazz band or the viola in her orchestra.
Broadcast Producer – Lux Ballard is the Broadcast Producer for the Media Branch. He is a senior attending Fond du Lac High School and part of the Fond du Lac Delegation. In his free time he loves to create art, exercise, and hang out with his friends. This will be his fourth year in YIG and this year he is most excited about seeing all the first years grow throughout the season.
Bella Bauman, Fox Cities – Isabella (Bella) Bauman is a junior at Appleton North High School. She has been in Youth in Government for three years, with the 2025–2026 year being her fourth. Her first year was in legislative, and her next years were spent in Media. She loves YIG because it gives her a chance to be with like-minded people who are also passionate about government. She believes everyone needs to be educated in how the government works, and it makes her much more hopeful about the future to know there are young people who take learning about government and politics seriously. Her favorite classes are history and English, so she has a passion for writing about history and government, which is why she loves the media branch so much. Some of her other passions are reading, golfing, and playing tennis.
Gabriella Beauprey, Menominee Nation – Gabriella Beauprey is a 9th-grader from Menominee Nation High School and is a member of the Menominee Nation delegation. This is her first year in Youth in Government. She enjoys YIG because it lets her be creative, meet new people, and try new things. In her free time, she likes hanging out with friends, making videos, and working on different projects. She is interested in journalism and writing because she likes telling stories and creating content people enjoy.
Madelyn Beyer, Fox Cities – Madelyn Beyer is a junior at Xavier in Appleton. She is taking part in the Fox Cities Delegation, and this is her second year in Media. Her favorite part of YIG is meeting new people and hearing new ideas. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, hanging out with friends, and geography.
Kayden Bossenbroek, Fond du Lac – Kayden Bossenbroek is a sophomore student at Fond du Lac High School, currently participating in his second year of Youth in Government. He has previously participated in the legislative branch and is now in the Media Branch. His favorite parts of the previous season’s state conference were the opportunity to meet people from all over Wisconsin and visit new local shops and restaurants. He loved the new adventures that traveling to Green Bay and Madison brought him, as well as the bonding experiences with people he never would have become such great friends with otherwise. In his free time, he enjoys long walks, talking with friends, hiking, badminton, and art of every kind. He has enjoyed writing all his life and has been working on long-running projects that began as far back as three years ago. He loves exploring various topics from different perspectives and meeting new people.
Adam Ciske, Fond du Lac – Adam Ciske is from the Fond du Lac delegation. He is a senior this year, and this will be his third year in YIG as well as his third year in Media. He likes how he can meet new people every time he goes to a conference, and he finds it exciting to work with people outside of his own delegation. Adam is very competitive when it comes to sports. He plays 19U for his club team and is a strong leader, even though he is one of the youngest players on the team. He knows how to be both a leader and humble while playing. He enjoys writing scripts for interviews and broadcasts because he can write his thoughts and then edit as it gets closer to recording time. Adam is also a sneakerhead and goes shopping for new shoes almost every month.
Aida Ebert, Hortonville – Aida Ebert is a senior in high school, and this is her first year in YIG. Her favorite part of YIG is the community that surrounds it. The people in the club are smart and ambitious, and she really enjoys that about her peers. She loves the Media branch because it spreads news to others. She cares about truth and clarity, and those are qualities she hopes to apply to the Media team this year.
Kaylie Ebert, Fond du Lac – Kaylie Ebert is a junior at Fond du Lac High School and is participating in her third year in Youth in Government doing Media with the Fond du Lac delegation. Kaylie finds YIG rewarding because it provides creative freedom and the chance to step outside her comfort zone. Writing allows her to express personal thoughts and share different perspectives that might not always be considered. Having conversations with groups of people helps her gain a deeper understanding of different situations and viewpoints, and she believes it is important that these perspectives are shared. Outside of YIG, Kaylie enjoys reading, drawing, and spending time with friends.
Dylan Grebe, Hortonville – Dylan is a 9th-grader in his first year of Youth in Government. He is looking forward to being in the Media branch because of his love for conversation and enthusiasm. He currently acts in the school musical, which makes him comfortable with people and conversations. Dylan loves the opportunity to work with the media team.
Haley Grebe, Hortonville – Haley Grebe has been a Hortonville delegate of Wisconsin YIG since 2024. She is currently a junior at Hortonville High School and hopes to gain experience in each branch of YIG. She has completed a year in the Legislative Branch and hopes to complete a year in Media this year. Outside of YIG, she enjoys working part-time with dogs. Haley originally joined YIG because she believed it would look good on college applications, but she learned she could meet many people from around Wisconsin who share similar interests, opinions, and experiences.
Kennedy Hoernke, Door County – Kennedy is a freshman at Sturgeon Bay High School and is part of the Door County delegation. This is her first year participating in YIG. She enjoys writing and participates in her school’s news club. She is excited for both the writing and broadcast aspects of media and hopes to inspire more people to join YIG and Media.
Carson Huenerberg, Fond du Lac – Carson is an 11th-grader from Fond du Lac High School. This is his third year in Youth in Government and in the Media branch. He is a passionate car enthusiast, including driving manuals and making TikToks about it. Outside of cars, he enjoys airsoft, video games, rock and metal music, and photography.
Taylor Kochanski, Door County – Taylor is a junior at Sevastopol High School and a member of the Door County Delegation, entering her third year in Youth in Government. After two years in the legislative branch, she is excited to join the media team this year. Taylor enjoys learning more about government while further developing her journalistic skills. Over her high school career, she has been a yearbook editor for two years and a key leader in creating her school’s weekly newspaper.
Shaun Koenings, Fond du Lac – Shaun Koenings is a Fond du Lac senior entering his first year of Youth in Government in the Media branch. In his free time, he competes in powerlifting, hangs out with friends, plays video games, draws, and listens to music. He also enjoys recording and editing videos, which is one of the reasons he joined Media. He looks forward to learning more about YIG and spending time with friends.
Miranda Kuettel, Hortonville – Miranda Kuettel is a junior at Hortonville High School. 2025 marks the beginning of her journey in YIG, but she is ready to dive in with all she has and learn new skills. She is hopeful to put her well-crafted speaking skills to use in her first year of YIG. Writing has always been another strong suit of hers through all her years of schooling and in personal projects. Her free time is filled with finding new hobbies and going where her passion takes her.
Vanessa Madosh, Menominee Nation – Vanessa Madosh is a sophomore at Menominee Indian High School with a strong interest in journalism and media. Although she has no prior experience in Youth in Government, she hopes to learn more and gain exposure through media. Vanessa enjoys writing articles, uncovering overlooked topics, and sharing her thoughts on issues she cares about. She admires newscasters for their firsthand knowledge of current events and their role in informing the public. Outside of school, Vanessa is active in sports, having played softball for eight years and volleyball for five. She also enjoys reading, in particular The Let Them Theory, which has helped her learn to let go of small things. Her passion for journalism comes from a liking to inform people about events happening around the world.
Isabella Martinez, Door County – Isabella “Izzy” Martinez is a sophomore at Southern Door High School and a member of the Door County delegation. This is her first year in Youth in Government. She enjoys the sense of community and talking with others who are also interested in politics. Writing is especially important to her because there aren’t many rules on how you do it. She loves to get her ideas out through writing and hopes to be in the program for the rest of her high school years.
Braedon McCormack, Fond du Lac – Braedon Nicholas McCormack attends Fond du Lac High School and is part of the Fond du Lac delegation. He participated in Media last year and is excited to return this year. He enjoys meeting new people, taking photos of the Capitol, interviewing people, and finding good filming locations. This year, he hopes to take a deeper dive into filming, photography, and marketing for Youth in Government.
Vivien Parker, Fond du Lac – Vivien Parker is a sophomore at Fond du Lac High School. She joined Youth in Government last year in the Judicial branch. She plays soccer and runs cross country during the school year and also plays club soccer in the fall and winter. She originally joined YIG because of a friend but ended up enjoying the community and intellectual challenge even after that friend left the program. Vivien enjoys writing and immersing herself in facts, especially pertaining to various current events such as trials, political drama, and even past issues and topics that were once prevalent.
Ariel Plummer, Fond du Lac – Ariel Plummer is a sophomore and a member of the Fond du Lac delegation. This is her second year in Youth in Government. She enjoys the creativity and confidence the program gives her. In her free time, she enjoys walking, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. She appreciates writing for the freedom and creativity it involves. Ariel is very excited to meet and talk to new people and have a great year in Youth in Government.
Jazalynn Ramos Cruz, Green Bay – Jazalynn Ramos Cruz, known to friends as Jaz, is from the Green Bay delegation and attends Notre Dame Academy as a junior. Jaz has been in Youth In Government for four years, including this year. She enjoys the freedom given and the amount of opportunities to learn in YIG. She had done one year in the Assembly chamber and is now going on to her third year in Media. She hopes to meet new people, learn more, and have a great time this year in YIG.
Yazminn Ramos Cruz, Green Bay – Yazminn Ramos Cruz is a junior at Notre Dame Academy and has attended YIG for three years in Media. She really enjoys Media because it gives her the opportunity to learn new things each year and meet new people through interviews. In her free time, she and her friends come up with new ideas, including a lip-syncing video. She hopes to continue expanding her growth in Media and learning new roles this year.
Ayden Ruppel, Fox Cities – Ayden Ruppel is a 10th-grade student at Appleton north. While his first year of year took place within the leadership court branch, for the last three years his greatest interest has resided in Media. Last year, he served as Print Manager for the Wisconsin Media Program and went on to run for Media Director but backed down due to a different leader being better fit. He loves writing because he is able to emphasize and explain ideals and opinions shared by individuals on top of his own thoughts. During his free time he is often found hanging out with close friends and family and best of all snowboarding with them.
Nat Salm, Fox Cities – Nat Salm is a 9th-grader at Appleton North High School from the Fox Cities delegation and is in her second year of YIG. She enjoys the environment and the people she has been able to befriend over the years she had YIG. In her free time, she enjoys writing her book, running, and making podcasts with her friends. She enjoys creating podcasts about topics that interest her and she finds herself creating podcasts after she goes for a run or after an eventful day at school.
Emersyn Sebo, Reedsville – Emersyn Sebo is a sophomore at Reedsville High School and a delegate from the Reedsville delegation. This is her second year in Youth and Government and her first year in Media. She enjoys playing sports such as volleyball, basketball and softball. She enjoys Youth and Government because she gets to meet so many new people, and have a great time in Madison.
Willa Snyder, Door County – Willa Snyder is a sophomore at Sevastopol High School and a member of the Door County delegation. She has been in YIG for two years and returned to Media after enjoying it her first year. Being in the Media branch really opened Willa’s eyes to new perspectives. From being in the Media branch last year, she got to see the inner workings of YIG at Model Gov. Willa loves everything about Media, from the writing aspect to the broadcasts. This year, she hopes to make more people join YIG in general as well as join the Media branch. She can’t wait for this year’s Model Gov.
Mikaela Spindler, Reedsville – Mikaela Spindler is in 9th grade and attends Reedsville High School. This is her second year participating in Youth in Government as part of the Reedsville Delegation. During her first year in YIG during middle school, she participated in Leadership Core, which focused on all areas of the program rather than just one. She really liked that program because it helped her learn about the different areas of Youth in Government. In her free time, she works out, goes running, or drills wrestling moves to improve her skills. What she likes about writing is being able to write her thoughts down, edit them, and make them better. She has always loved reading, and this year she wrote a narrative for a class and found herself really enjoying writing. She also loves photography because she was often the friend who took photos of her friends, something she has always enjoyed.
Lily Suttner, Fox Cities – Lily Suttner is a junior in high school who attends Appleton North. Lily has been in the YIG program for four years and is in her third year in Media. She loves meeting new people, and in her free time her favorite thing to do is talk with friends and help others with their struggles. Lily wants to eventually go to school for psychology and earn her PhD. She has big goals for her future, but they are never too big for her to accomplish.
Jerson Torres, Green Bay – Jerson Torres is an 11th-grader attending Notre Dame Academy and is from the Green Bay delegation. This will be his fourth year attending Youth in Government. In his first year in the program, he participated in the Legislative branch, and for two years he has been in the Media branch. He enjoys drawing and staying up late to watch horror movies with his two cats.
Mario Ventura, Green Bay – Mario Ventura (he/they) is a 10th-grade student at Green Bay Southwest High School and is from the Green Bay delegation. He is also a representative for his delegation on the State Steering Committee. This is his third year in Media and in Wisconsin Youth in Government. Mario enjoys spending time with his family and friends, listening to music, and taking photos and videos. He is very excited to see all his friends again from all over the state.
Gabriella Vogt, Reedsville – Gabriella Vogt is in 10th grade at Reedsville High School. She has been in Youth in Government for three years, including this year. She enjoys interacting with other people and the fun activities done after long days. In her free time, she likes hanging out with her friends. She participates in volleyball, is a wrestling manager, and plays softball. She likes being involved in her school and community.
Greta Wallace, Fox Cities – Greta Wallace is a freshman at Appleton North High School. This will be her second year in the Fox Cities delegation, with her first year being in Judicial. YIG is a place where Greta finds community and peers with similar interests. In her free time, Greta often plays piano and volleyball. Journalism is a huge creative outlet for her and a place where she can express free thinking and inform others about current events and diverse mindsets.