About Us

Our History

Founded in 2022 by Tommy Wan, Mujeebat Gbolahan, and Alief ISD Students, AliefVotes is a non-profit that empowers youth civic engagement in Alief, a working-class community in Southwest Houston. Alief has historically low voter turnout, economic divestment, and ineffective community engagement. Situated in City Council District F, we’re the “forgotten district.” In response, we began AliefVotes.

We envision a proactive, civically engaged, and community-oriented youth pipeline through civic education, leadership opportunities, and youth-led projects. Our youth leaders reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Vietnamese, African, Chinese, Caucasian, Korean, and Hispanic communities. Our suburbs, neighborhoods, and students represent a microcosm of diverse ideas and perspectives within the fabric of our nation.

With key partner Houston City Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas and the Department of Neighborhoods, AliefVotes empowers the next generation of civic leaders and community advocates. Empowerment, not just success, defines our path. We envision a force of independent, enterprising student leaders. We steer the ship of governance in our defined purpose. We stand to be forgotten no more. If you would like to collaborate with us in hosting an event, workshop, or mentoring our students, please contact us at aliefvotes@gmail.com.

Meet the Organizers

Program Director

Tommy Wan

Tommy Wan (he/him) is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Civil Engineering and Government. His work focuses on youth civic engagement, political advocacy, and voter education in Houston. His experiences include the U.S. Congress, Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate, Houston City Council, and OCA-Greater Houston. He can be reached at tommy.wan@aliefvotes.org.

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Program Manager

Madeline Medrano

Madeline Medrano (she/her) is the program manager for AliefVotes. As a proud Alief Early College High School student, Madeline has created lasting memories. She has organized a healthcare fair and workshops and manages twenty-five fellows. Her experiences in a diverse community set a foundation for equitable work in Alief. She has served as Director of Communications. She can be reached at madeline.medrano@aliefvotes.org

Mujeebat Gholahan, Partnership Coordinator & Board Member | mujeebat@aliefvotes.org

Alexandra Onwuli, Director of Communications | alexandra.onwuli@aliefvotes.org

Ny'Elle Blount, Director of Data & Records | nyelle.blount@aliefvotes.org

Emaan Syed, Director of Finance | emaan.syed@aliefvotes.org

Helin Wang, Director of Events | helin.wang@aliefvotes.org

Oyindamola Akintola, Director of Events | oyin.akintola@aliefvotes.org

Julian Nguyen & Rahman Ovezov, GOTV Coordinators | christina.fu@aliefvotes.org

Board of Directors: Tommy Wan, Mujeebat Gbolahan, Abby Gail Triño. Board appointments will occur in June 2026.

Staff: Abby Gail Triño (Executive Director) & Christina Fu (GOTV Manager)

For press inquiries, please email abby.trino@aliefvotes.org and alexandra.onwuli@aliefvotes.org.

For governance inquiries or board nomination interests, please email aliefvotes@gmail.com.

Our Team.

AliefVotes is student-led and student-run—and we take pride in that! All directors were appointed after a year of civic engagement experience with AliefVotes. We learn from new experiences and from our dedicated community partners. Learn more about our organizational structure here.

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Mujeebat Gbolahan

Pamona College

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Christina Fu

GOTV Manager

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Alexandra Onwuli

Alief Early College

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Ny'Elle Blount

Taylor High School

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Helin Wang

Kerr High School

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Oyindamola Akintola

Alief Early College

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Emaan Syed

Alief Early College

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Rahman Ovezov

Village High School

Board of Directors

AliefVotes maintains a robust governance structure. We are advised and guided by leaders in civic engagement, experienced attorneys, BRIDGE, the Alief community, and youth organizing.

Read our bylaws here. For inquiries regarding 501(c)(3) status, email aliefvotes@gmail.com.

Mujeebat Gbolahan

Board of Directors

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Abby Gail Triño

Board of Directors

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Tommy Wan

Board of Directors

Mission & Vision

Mission: To empower youth civic engagement in Alief through civic education, leadership opportunities, and youth-led community projects.

Vision: We envision a pipeline of proactive, civically engaged, and community-oriented youth in Alief.

Read our comprehensive program memo here.