At the recent Council Meeting April 21, Council Member Dr.G (Dr. Luis S. González) presented officially signed certificates to four of the five students who have successfully completed the Colton Youth Council Leadership Program. As mentioned during the presentation, these students are not only outstanding students in their school programs, but have completed nine months of meetings, workshops and tours within the city in order to learn about leadership, public service and the community, including Colton history.
The 2026 Youth Council students who were recognized were Ava Diaz, Chair, who plans on attending Crafton Hills Community College with a major in Radiology; Kaitlyn Torres, who plans on attending the University of La Verne with a major in Child Development; Jasmin Lopez Herrera, who will be a junior next year at Colton High School; and Leah Ornelas who plans on attending Cal-State, San Bernardino with a major in Political Science. One more student, Samantha Sandoval, was unable to attend the ceremony.
All five of the Youth Council students have met the City Manager as well as several City Directors. With these connections, they and have become more knowledgeable about City administration and operations. They are future leaders and future professionals, and have great potential for civic leadership, including public administration, and possibly City Council. City Manager, Mr. Bill Smith commented, “This is a great group of students and speaks well about the future leadership of the City of Colton.”
Parents and families were in attendance as well. “This was a wonderful opportunity for these students,” exclaimed Roberta Villarreal, mother of Ava Diaz who has been very supportive of the Youth Council. She adds, “All of the students have taken advantage of this unique program, and have used it to enhance their experiences and increase their knowledge of civic affairs.” One of the students, Kaitlyn Torres commented, “I really enjoyed learning about my city and hearing about the work of the guest speakers…that was truly informative.”
With this official recognition by the City Council on their resumes these five students are now well on their way to summer jobs, graduation, university programs, and beyond. The City of Colton continues to support this program and wishes them well in their continuing education and future endeavors. Congratulations to these five outstanding student members of the Colton Youth Council for 2025.