Tziona Breitbart, Esq. (Staff Attorney) - A desire to support justice-affected people was what Tziona says confirmed her decision to attend law school. While working with Covenant House NY, she “saw so many young people being punished for collateral consequences.” The 2021 Benjamin Cardozo School of Law and Smith College graduate went on to work for the New Jersey Public Defenders’ office. As she saw more and more clients facing reentry challenges, she was drawn to Youth Represent’s mission, holistic approach and ability to “fill gaps where youth wouldn’t be getting any representation and also just meeting youth where they are.” Since joining Youth Represent, Tziona has enjoyed meeting with the clients in person and fully supporting their needs, such as applying to the Youth Represent Emergency Fund on their behalf, representing them in court, and helping them navigate the name and gender-marker change process. The New Jersey native resides in New York City where she has recently taken up rock climbing, enjoys photography and is an avid runner who participates in Spartan races. With four races under her belt, she is aiming to complete a “trifecta” of races by fall.
Alex Cohen-Price, LMSW (Social Worker) - A native of Oakland, Calif., Alex attended Southern Oregon University and taught preschool in Washington, D.C. for three years before getting their Master’s degree from Erikson Institute. As Youth Represent’s first on-staff social worker, Alex is excited to help shape the new social work department. In fact, Alex said “the new role can take many forms, depending on an individual client's needs. The support could center around the trauma that is often ellicited when a young person has to go to court -- especially a young person of color or a young queer person who is forced to confront a system that is built to harm them. It could also involve supporting a client and attorney ahead of court, where we often have to navigate very real anxiety and worry about the courtroom experience.” In addition to enjoying hiking with their dog and biking around the city, Alex is also a talented athlete who played rugby for eight years and knows how to ride a unicycle and juggle.
Hayley Craig (Paralegal) - A graduate of Vassar, Hayley has experience in community organizing, particularly around police and court system injustice. Hayley started a campus mutual aid organization that raised funds to aid Minneapolis-based organizations and assisted with funds, food and/or resources for LGBTQIA+, single parents, or groups in need. Hayley, who joined Youth Represent in June, is passionate about prison abolition and working to dismantle injustice in the legal system and said Youth Represent’s “unique” model really resonated with her. She’s looking forward to working more closely with clients, staff attorneys, and partner organizations. The Maryland native and classically-trained pianist lives in Brooklyn, where she enjoys playing her keyboard and singing as a calming “release” when “things get really heavy.”
Aaliyah Guillory-Nickens (Campaign Organizer) - An activist and community organizer, Aaliyah is passionate about “getting more young people involved in campaign and policy work to ensure that young people’s voices are heard and that they are able to speak about different issues, campaigns, and policies that will directly affect them.” Among other things, she is a leader in the campaign to pass the Youth Justice and Opportunities Act, which expands alternatives to incarceration and immediate record sealing for young people up to age 25, removing barriers for system-involved youth trying to get a job, find housing or go to school. Since joining Youth Represent in April, the Harlem native has been focused on raising awareness around the campaign. She organized a community launch event for the campaign including basketball games and a successful rally, and looks forward to traveling to Albany to talk to lawmakers, as well as hold teach-ins and Discord sessions. A graduate of Youth Represent’s Youth Speaker Institute, Aaliyah worked with Youth Represent on its “Raise the Age'' campaign prior to being hired on staff. Aaliyah has co-founded her own community organizing group, Coalition Of Passionate Youth, organized food and clothing drives, and worked with the National Action Network’s Youth Huddle, Soul Sisters, and Justice League. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree and aspires to attend law school and become a criminal defense attorney.
Simratpal “Simmi” Kaur, Esq. (Staff Attorney) - A Queens, NY-native, Simmi attended Hunter College and Harvard Law School and worked as a criminal public defender with The Bronx Defenders before joining Youth Represent in April. She enjoys building strong client relationships and has appreciated having more time to dedicate to the young people she serves and “be an ear” or “support” them in additional valuable ways. She has enjoyed learning and working on new areas of law, such as employment discrimination, in addition to continuing work in criminal court. She is particularly passionate about “creating safety for and supporting” queer and transgender youth, including assisting with name change and gender marker change petitions. Simmi added, "this support is especially important at this moment with all the backlash and hate against LGBTQIA+ youth.” Simmi is looking forward to hiking in Maine this summer, dancing and spending time with her family and 12-year-old pitbull mix dog, “Baby.”
Toby Shore (Paralegal) - A Philadelphia native and recent graduate of Barnard College, Toby joined Youth Represent in June. While being the daughter of two criminal defense attorneys may seem like what led her to a position in law, Toby was actually unsure about her career path. However, the avid reader said she was drawn to the field after reading, “Just Mercy,” (which was also made into a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan) which centers on a case that shows extreme examples of injustices in the legal system. She’s excited to be at Youth Represent because it was important for her to be hands-on and to have “tangible” experience with clients. “I didn’t want to be separated from the action and the real work that is going on. I think talking to clients, hearing their voices and their stories, and meeting them in person is really how you come to care about your work.” Toby plays tennis, follows tennis tournaments with her father, and even has a family dog, named “Roger,” after tennis great Roger Federer. She is looking forward to her upcoming move to Brooklyn.