The San Mateo County Youth Fellowship Program provides a platform for youth to share their art practice, connect with other youth artists in the County, and take on leadership roles by using their creativity to make a difference in local communities in collaboration with the Office of Arts and Culture. Youth learn to plan and execute a public art program and how to use the arts to engage community. One fellow from each supervisorial district represents the County.

Meet the 2025-26 Youth Art Fellows:

Kat Messner – District 1
Kat is a 17-year-old visual artist with a passion for painting and activism. Much of her paintings either incorporate aspects of her own identity and story or draw attention to past activists who were never celebrated to the degree they deserved. Now, as a senior at Burlingame High School, she’d like to leave her own mark on the San Mateo Community. Through this program she hopes to connect and learn from her fellow youth artists, while also creating a community-led mural to draw together our divided homes.  

Jaydon Li – District 2
Jaydon is a 15-year-old violist and sophomore at Aragon High School. He has been receiving pre-professional training as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, and is passionate about sharing classical music with others. As a San Mateo County Youth Arts Fellow for 2025-2026, Jaydon aims to raise awareness about youth mental health through a wellness workshop that integrates his music. He looks forward to collaborating with his cohort for inspiration and to promoting the value of youth arts in the community. Jaydon is excited to grow as both an artist and a leader through this program.

Anoushka Swaminathan - District 3
Anoushka (they/them) is a poet and composer and a junior at Carlmont High School. They are driven by people-focused solutions to societal problems, which spill into their creative works. They want to show people how the entire world is and how each person is a work of art. As a Youth Arts Fellow, Anoushka hopes to gain a deeper connection to their local community and impact it by creating lasting bonds within diverse groups of people, particularly those who traditionally lack access to resources. They are also excited to learn more about organizing people and about other kinds of art.

Taryn Hwang - District 4
Taryn is a junior at The Nueva School and a visual artist who loves exploring new ways to create and connect through art. She enjoys crafting, sailing, listening to music, spending time with friends, and traveling with her family. When she’s not making art, Taryn can often be found running at the park or beach with her Samoyed pup. As a San Mateo Youth Arts Fellow, Taryn looks forward to collaborating with local organizations to strengthen the community through art and is grateful to the San Mateo Office of Arts and Culture for the opportunity to grow her practice while engaging others.

Ryan Chou – District 5
Ryan is currently a junior at Westmoor High School. Specializing in graphic and product design, he loves experimental typography and developing user experiences from the ground-up. When he’s not designing, you might catch him working on local community events or programming. As a Youth Arts Fellow representing District 5, he hopes to develop curriculum for design education and spotlight youth artists throughout the county. He’s looking forward to working with the other Youth Arts Fellows to engage the San Mateo County community through culture and the arts!