Kaylee Jin appointed FMPC youth representative
During its meeting Thursday, June 18, the commission unanimously appointed Farragut High School junior Kaylee Jin as its youth representative.
"During the past fiscal year, FHS senior Albert Liu has served as the youth representative and has done an excellent job," Community Development director Mark Shipley said. "For the upcoming fiscal year, Kaylee Jin has applied to be the Planning Commission representative."
Shipley described Jin as "a very impressive student" with a desire to be involved in her community.
"This is exactly why the youth representative program was created a number of years ago," he said. "The Planning Commission is intimately involved with how the community will look and feel over time, and having someone present to address the perspective of young people is critical, especially with the upcoming update to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan that will be occurring over the next year."
"This board has more influence over what the Town's going to be than any other board that we have in the Town," Shipley added.
Commissioner Louise Povlin said Jin's application was especially timely because of the upcoming Comprehensive Land Use Plan update.
"This is really quite an impressive application here, and given that we are doing a Comprehensive Land Use Plan, I would encourage us to get her involved and see if she can wrangle up a student representative group that might be interested in comprehensive land use planning because that's been the tough nut to crack — getting a student aspect into this planning," Povlin said. "It's always interesting to hear their perspectives.
"Her ambitions are aligned with what we are trying to do," Povlin added. "I'm excited to see what she might bring to this."
According to her application, Jin has served one-year terms as youth representative on the Town's Arts and Beautification Committee, Farragut Museum Committee, Farragut Tourism/Visitor Advisory Committee, Parks and Athletics Council, Planning Commission, Stormwater Advisory Committee and Visual Resources Review Board. She also served a two-year term on the Farragut Education Relations Committee.
"My core aspiration is to pursue a career in public policy and civic leadership, primarily focusing on optimizing data and infrastructure to improve daily life in communities," Jin wrote in her application.
"Throughout high school, I have spent many days in rooms full of passionate peers, debating and navigating complex global and state issues through conferences such as Model United Nations and Youth in Government.
"I have come to love the energy and diplomacy of it all, but I started to feel like the debate was lacking a crucial, real-world, tangible impact," she wrote. "This realization has driven me to look into the analytical side of matters, researching the math and data behind policies to make an impact in the community.
"My long-term goal became not just debating policy. I wanted to be someone who helps build and improve communities from the ground up, using both logical research and a deeper understanding of what residents of all ages actually need," Jin wrote. "Serving as a youth representative is the perfect first step to achieve my aspirations, taking everything I have learned about diplomacy and applying it to the very real neighborhoods and people right here in Farragut."
In addition to her service with the Town, Jin serves as an ALTMUN chair for the Model United Nations Conference System and is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, Farragut Model United Nations, Farragut Youth in Government, Mu Alpha Theta and the Engineering Club.
In a recommendation letter to the Town, Farragut High School Spanish teacher and National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society adviser Allison Maldonado praised Jin's qualifications.
"Kaylee Jin will be an excellent addition as the Town of Farragut's youth representative on the Planning Commission," Maldonado wrote. "I write this letter with the highest recommendation, and I can say with confidence that she will be an exemplary representative for the Town of Farragut, just as she has been an exemplary student at Farragut High School."
