About Us

Our History

Founded in 2022 by Alief students, AliefVotes is a non-profit that empowers youth civic engagement in Alief, a working-class and immigrant community in Southwest Houston. Alief has 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 represent the diverse cultural heritages of the Vietnamese, African, Chinese, Caucasian, Cantonese, Nigerian, and Hispanic communities. Our suburbs, neighborhoods, and students represent a microcosm of diverse ideas and perspectives that are woven into the fabric of our nation.

In partnership with the office of Houston City Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas, AliefVotes empowers the next generation of civic leaders and community advocates. Empowerment, not just success, defines our path. We envision a force of enterprising student leaders. By investing in youth visionaries, Alief stands to be forgotten no more. 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 or 832-209-6616.

At AliefVotes, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. We believe in building strong partnerships, both within our team and with the community, to create a lasting impact. As we enter our fourth year, with full-time staff and a robust board, we remain committed to prioritizing students and investing in their growth. We're always open to new opportunities for involvement, knowing that stronger partnerships build a stronger community.

Executive Director

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Abby Gail Trino (she/her) is the Executive Director of AliefVotes, where she leads efforts to empower youth in Alief, Houston, through civic engagement and voter education. Abby is passionate about increasing voter participation, particularly among marginalized communities, and has spearheaded numerous initiatives, including voter registration drives and educational workshops.

Her leadership extends to collaborations with local schools, community organizations, and government officials, with a focus on issues such as environmental justice and education reform. Abby’s work has been recognized in local media outlets, including KHOU, KPRC, and The Daily Texan, for her dedication to fostering a culture of informed civic participation. She has previously served as the President of the Board of Directors before stepping into her current role.

Outside of her professional work, Abby enjoys mentoring youth, engaging in community service, and continuing her work to build a stronger, more inclusive Alief. She can be reached at abby.trino@aliefvotes.org.

GOTV
Director

Melissa C. Allala is the Get Out the Vote Director at AliefVotes, where they lead efforts to register and mobilize voters across Alief and greater Houston. A longtime community advocate and strategist, Melissa has spent over a decade in civic engagement, public policy, and coalition-building, including years of helping Houston residents navigate the naturalization process on their path to citizenship.

Melissa is also the founder and president of Kauri's Lucky Star Foundation, established in loving memory of their brother Kauri. The foundation supports people with autism, families navigating mental health challenges, and victims of violence through programs like Parent Cafés and art therapy events that build family wellness and connection.

Their advocacy also reaches voting rights, redistricting, and fair representation for communities of color. Outside of their organizing, Melissa enjoys Star Wars, building LEGO sets, and spending time with their wife. They can be reached at melissa.allala@aliefvotes.org.

AliefVotes
Intern

Oyindamola "Oyin" Akintola (she/her) is an intern at AliefVotes, where she supports the civic engagement, voter registration, and community programming that AliefVotes runs across Alief. She first joined the organization as a high school student, volunteering at community events and later serving as Co-Director of Events, where she helped plan the organization's two major annual events, including its Youth Civic Engagement Conference. She was a fellow for the first ever AliefVotes cohort in 2022.

Oyin is a Government and Statistics student at Harvard College, where she is also an Events Co-Director for the Harvard QuestBridge Scholars Network, a policy fellow with Harvard Undergraduates for Bipartisan Solutions, and a member of the Harvard Undergraduate Mock Trial Association. A QuestBridge National College Match Finalist and graduate of Alief Early College High School, she is drawn to government, data, and the path toward law school.

Outside of her work with AliefVotes, Oyin mentors students through Students Engaged in Advancing Texas. She can be reached at oyin.akintola@aliefvotes.org.

Meet the Student Organizers

Program Director

Tommy Wan

Tommy Wan (he/him) is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, studying Civil Engineering and Government. His work focuses on youth civic engagement, community development, and voter education in Houston. Tommy’s experiences include working in the U.S. Congress, the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate, and the Houston City Council, as well as serving as a Future Leaders Fellow at Harvard Law School. He has also been involved in engineering research, the Texas Mock Trial program, a Bill Archer Fellow, journalism with the Daily Texan, energy policy with PowerHouse Texas, AANHPI advocacy with the OCA-Greater Houston, and environmental justice work. Outside of work, Tommy enjoys running, reading, and mentoring youth in Alief ISD (as a Mahany and Youngblood Alum!). He can be reached at tommy.wan@aliefvotes.org.

Program Manager

Emaan Syed

Emaan Syed (she/her) is a student at Alief Early College High School, with plans to study Political Science in college and potentially double major in Finance. As a passionate advocate for youth civic engagement and voter education, Emaan previously served as Director of Finance at AliefVotes, helping mobilize young voters and increase civic access in underserved communities. She has represented her community at the YMCA Changemaker Summit in Washington, D.C., competed in mock trials, and collaborated with local leaders to encourage civic participation across Houston. A first-generation student, Emaan is deeply committed to equity, leadership, and public service. She is involved in FBLA (school hours + competitions), Mock Trial (school hours + competitions), and UNICEF as a youth representative nationally. She can be reached at emaan.syed@aliefvotes.org.

Leadership Team (2025-2026)

Mujeebat Gholahan | Board Member & Program Manager Emerita (2022-2023) | mujeebat@aliefvotes.org

Emaan Syed | emaan.syed@aliefvotes.org | Program Manager

Azeemah Sadiq | azeemah.sadiq@aliefvotes.org | Program Associate

Helin Wang | helin.wang@aliefvotes.org | Events Manager

Katelyn Tieu | katelyn.tieu@aliefvotes.org | Events Manager

Kelly Ngo | kelly.ngo@aliefvotes.org | Events Associate

Cindy Marie Ukwu | cindy.ukwu@aliefvotes.org | Events Associate

Angelina Nguyen | angelina.nguyen@aliefvotes.org | Finance Manager

Sawsan Busari | sawsan.busari@aliefvotes.org | Finance Associate

Ngoc Ho | ngoc.ho@aliefvotes.org | Communications Manager

Abisola Akintola | abisola.akintola@aliefvotes.org | Communications Associate

David Beckham Unaegbu | david.unaegbu@aliefvotes.org | Data and Record Manager

Angelina Le | angelina.le@aliefvotes.org | Data and Record Associate

Ifeoluwa Adebambo | ife.adebambo@aliefvotes.org | Data and Record Associate

Board of Directors: Roseangela Hartford, Belen Iñiguez, Mujeebat Gbolahan. Board appointments will be made in June 2026.

Staff: Abby Gail Triño (Executive Director) & Christina Fu/Melissa Allala (GOTV Director)

For press inquiries, please email admin@aliefvotes.org, Abby Trino at abby.trino@aliefvotes.org, AND Ngoc Ho at ngoc.ho@aliefvotes.org. This will ensure a timely response.

For governance inquiries or board nomination interests, please email admin@aliefvotes.org.

Our Team.

AliefVotes is student-led and student-run—and we take pride in that! All managers 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.

Mujeebat Gbolahan

Pomona College

Ngoc Ho

Kerr High School

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Cindy Ukwu

Alief Early College

Angelina Le

Alief Early College

Kelly Ngo

Alief Early College

Helin Wang

Kerr High School

Angelina Nguyen

Alief Early College

Katelyn Tieu

Kerr High School

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Sawsan Busari

Elsik High School

Ifeoluwa Adebambo

Hastings High School

David Unaegbu

Elsik High School

Abisola Akintola

Alief Early College

Azeemah Sadiq

Alief Early College

Abby Gail Triño

Executive Director

Emaan Syed

Alief Early College

Julian Nguyen

GOTV Coordinator

Board of Directors

AliefVotes maintains a robust governance structure. We are guided by leaders in civic engagement, experienced attorneys, BRIDGE, the Alief community, and youth organizers. Read more about the profound experiences of our Board Members here. A full-fledged governance board is slated to occur in the next couple of years, with a supermajority of Alief representatives and community leaders.

Read our bylaws here. For inquiries regarding 501(c)(3) status or board notes, email admin@aliefvotes.org.