Launched in 2016, the Youth Ambassador Council was created to connect Honeycomb directly with teens in the field, and learn together. Meeting virtually throughout the school year, the Youth Ambassador council empowers the teen voice by fostering relationships with representatives from the field of Jewish teen philanthropy. Meet the 8th cohort of the Youth Ambassador Council!

Youth Ambassador Council 2026 Cohort 8

MAX ALLEN

Max Allen was born in Manhattan, New York, and currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he is a Sophomore at Phoenix Country Day School. He spends his time playing club soccer, and is a proud Kennedy AZA. Additionally, he is a part of StandWithUs’ Teen Leadership Council, Arizona Jews for Justice’s Teen Fellowship, and is currently in his second year in the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix’s Youth Philanthropy Board. Max also loves spending time with his friends and family.

REBECCA COSTA

Rebekah Costa is a junior at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the alumni cohort for the J Teen Philanthropy Initiative at the JCC Houston, a program she has been involved with since her freshman year. Through this experience, Rebekah has developed a passion for connecting with other Jewish teens both within her community and beyond. Outside of Honeycomb, she enjoys playing soccer, doing pilates, watching football, and reading mystery novels.

LUKE GARFIN

Luke Garfin is a 10th grader at Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, NY. His academic and athletic success does not go unnoticed, as he is an involved student and an accomplished golfer on the Varsity team. He is committed to Jewish causes and is currently involved in UJA’s Witness Project and The Philanthropy Program at his synagogue, The Community Synagogue. He is a passionate and dedicated student and friend, who works hard to contribute and give back to his community through his various volunteer activities. Luke is looking forward to his role as a 2026 Youth Ambassador.

BRIAN GARRABRANT

Brian is from Margate, New Jersey, and is a sophomore at Georgetown University, majoring in Political Economy and minoring in Science, Technology, & International Affairs and History. He has been a leader in various Jewish youth philanthropy efforts, including “Brian’s Bagels,” which has donated over 250,000 bagels to various food kitchens and shelters, including Jewish Family Services of Atlantic and Cape May County. In his free time, Brian loves to run, read, and travel. He also plans on attending law school after graduating from Georgetown.

LIZA GERSTEIN

Liza is a junior at the Heschel School in Manhattan. She is the founder of the Holocaust Commemoration Club, and serves on the Student Government Programming Council. Liza is a fellow in The Philanthropic Advisory Council for Teens (PACT), a program of UJA-Federation of New York. Additionally, she is the Youth Ambassador to the Board of The Gabriel Project Mumbai. Liza is on her schools Varsity Volleyball team and is the News Editor for her school newspaper. For second semester sophomore year, she studied abroad in Israel.

EMUNA McCURDY

Emuna McCurdy is a Junior living in San Diego, California where she is a leader at the philanthropic Jewish Teen Foundation. Aside from participating in JTF, Emuna is on the board of her temple youth group, a member of the Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) program through AJC, a teacher at Sunday School, a Peer Assistant Listener (PAL) at her high school, and lives on a non-profit Jewish farm. In her free time, Emuna enjoys pottery, sewing, spending time with friends, hiking, camping, going to the beach, and exploring new activities.

MARISA MORGAN

Marisa Morgan is a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in New Jersey. She has been an active member of the Jewish Community Youth Foundation (JCYF) and the JCYF Youth Advisory Board since 8th grade. Through JCYF, she enjoys working with fellow teens to thoughtfully evaluate community needs and allocate grants that support meaningful causes. Outside of JCYF, Marisa is involved in her school’s Jewish Community Youth Club and works as a camp counselor at her local JCC, where she enjoys mentoring younger campers and helping create a strong sense of community.

ELIJAH VACA

Elijah Vaca is from Sonoma County in California. He goes to Sonoma Academy College Preparatory High School and will be graduating in the summer of 2027. With his school, Elijah is a co-leader of the Jewish Affinity group and Beach Clean up Club. He also runs track and cross country. Elijah started youth philanthropy his freshman year of high school with the Jewish Teen Foundation (JTF) in San Francisco California. JTF is a part of the Jewish Federation of San Francisco. Elijah believes youth philanthropy is important because he feels everyone should help others when they are able to.

Teen Leadership Advisor
LOGAN KLEIN

Logan Klein is currently a sophomore at High School North in Plainsboro, New Jersey. He is an active member of the Jewish Community Youth Foundation (JCYF), a youth philanthropy organization which he has participated in since 8th grade. Due to his passion for youth philanthropy and wanting to get more involved in the program he had the opportunity to have an internship with Celeste Albert, the head of JCYF, for the past two summers and joined JCYF Youth Advisory board. He enjoys collaborating with his fellow peers in JCYF with allocations and in the Jewish Culture Club at his school.