Tell your story, shape your future
Multicultural Youth Leadership Day
This event will help you build confidence, find your voice, and explore your future. Join high school students from across the state for a day focused on helping you tell your story, connect with others and discover new opportunities.
Monday, May 11
8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Utah State Capitol, North Building
Join the waitlist
Registration for the 2026 Multicultural Youth Leadership Day is now closed due to reaching capacity. If students were unable to register in time, we encourage you to join the waitlist. Waitlisted participants may be invited to attend if space becomes available.
Who should attend
- High school students (grades 9-12)
- High school students interested in leadership, service, or exploring their future
"Leadership isn’t someone who does all the work, it is knowing how to listen and make decisions. A good leader is someone who influences people, someone who helps others and someone who has a growth mindset and influences with a growth mindset."
Event agenda
- Breakfast and check-in
- Kick-off and cultural performances
- Tell your story, shape your future: Learn how to tell your story and why it matters
- Career fair: Explore paths for your future
- Community service project: Give back while getting to know your community
- Connect with a mentor: Get guidance from a local leader
- Lunch
- Short film competition: View the finalists
- Recap and prizes
- Depart
Meet the speakers
Igor Limansky
Igor Limansky is the Director of the Division of Multicultural Affairs for the state of Utah, with nearly 20 years of experience in community engagement, public policy, and transformational leadership. As the son of Egyptian-Armenian and French-Russian immigrants, his work is deeply shaped by a lifelong commitment to bridging cultures, resolving conflict, and helping people find shared purpose across differences.
Eddy Thompson
Eddy Thompson is the Deputy Director of the Division of Multicultural Affairs for the state of Utah, with 20 years of experience building opportunities and identifying resources for youth, while supporting our community. Eddy is committed to education through culture and collaboration, empowering youth, and building bridges creating social engagement.
Ciriac Alvarez Valle
Ciriac Alvarez Valle currently serves as a Senior Policy Analyst at Voices for Utah Children. She has over eight years of experience in legislative advocacy, coalition building, and policy research focused on improving children’s health and uplifting immigrant families. She is the co-founder of the 100% Kids Coverage Campaign and the Utah Immigrant Advocacy Coalition. Outside of Voices, she serves on the Utah Supreme Court’s Legal Services Innovation Committee and the Utah Somos Foundation board.
She is driven by her immigrant experience and over a decade of professional, community, and artistic experience. Her community organizing experience laid the groundwork for her transition into public policy. Her early work focused on translating her experiences into storytelling, including the 2019 Utah Arts Festival and a 2018 TEDx talk.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and honors sociology from the University of Utah. Her honors include being named a 2024 "20 in their 20s" honoree by Utah Business, receiving the 2025 Inspirational Advocate for Human Rights Award from Salt Lake City (SLC) & its Human Rights Commission, and serving as a Harvard Business School 2021 Young American Leaders Program SLC representative.
More than anything, she hopes to continue intertwining her passions in law, policy advocacy, community empowerment, and faith to develop policy solutions that make Utah a better place for all.
Nevaeh Parker
Nevaeh Parker is a junior at the University of Utah studying Political Science with a minor in African American Studies. She serves as President of the Black Student Union and recently interned with Representative Sandra Hollins in the Utah House of Representatives. A Pre-Law Fellow with the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion and Program Coordinator for Salt Lake Peer Court, Nevaeh is dedicated to advocacy, restorative justice, and empowering youth voices. She was honored with the Emerging Leader Award from the City of Millcreek.
Mike Moon
Mike Moon is an associate director at the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism (UServeUtah), which serves as the central coordinating body for service and volunteerism at the state level, including AmeriCorps and community engagement. Mike and the UServeUtah team direct all federal dollars for AmeriCorps programming, manage partnerships with outside organizations, oversee media relations, and work with the Lt. Governor and Commission to advance Utah’s service priorities. Prior to joining UServeUtah in 2019, Mike led many community engaged learning (CEL) initiatives within higher education for fifteen years at Southern Utah University, Utah Valley University, and Weber State University. Mike is a two-time AmeriCorps alum, a published author, and a frequent public speaker.
Short Film Contest
Utah high school students in grades 9–12 are invited to participate in a short film competition focused on this year’s theme: Tell Your Story, Shape Your Future.
Students are encouraged to create a short video (3–5 minutes) that shares something about their story — their culture, family, community, challenges, goals, or experiences that have shaped who they are and who they want to become. The goal of the film competition is to give students a platform to share their voice, reflect on their experiences, and inspire others.
Finalist videos will be shown during Multicultural Youth Leadership Day at the Utah State Capitol on May 11.
Film Topics
Students may choose to create a short film about topics such as:
- A challenge you have overcome
- A person who inspired you
- Your culture, family, or community
- A problem you want to help solve
- What leadership means to you
- How your story has shaped your future
Students are encouraged to be creative. Films may be interviews, personal stories, documentaries, spoken word, animation, or other creative storytelling formats.
Prizes
Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges. Finalists will receive prizes valued at $500 for first place, $350 for second place, and $200 for third place.
Enter the contest
Entries must be submitted by May 4, 2026. Open to high school students in Utah. If selected as a finalist, must be able to attend Multicultural Youth Leadership Day on May 11 at the Utah State Capitol
"This was so amazing and super fun, I was so delighted to attend such an amazing event put on by such amazing leaders!"
