Mayor's Youth Corps

For more than 20 years, the Mayor’s Youth Corps has provided unique leadership opportunities for high school students in Tampa. More than ever in 2026, Jesuit students are an integral part of this special city program, merging their Men for Others sensibilities with the civic-mindedness of the Mayor’s Youth Corps (MYC) – as well as with the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council (MYLC), an advanced program for MYC alumni.

This year, of the 40 students participating in MYC, six are from Jesuit – Bryce Demps ’28, Phillip Hadley ’28, Octavio Johnson Rodriguez ’28, Gavin Kuo ’27, Brody Martinez-Robinson ’27, and Mayo Olaleye ’28. Since 2022, a total of 22 Tigers have completed the year-long tenure with MYC, including current students Austin Allen ’26, A.J. Brazel ’27, Daylen Cartwright ’27, Brady Fogarty ’26, Grant Henderson ’27, Rafa Ludovice ’27, and Gavin McMillon ’26. 

A broad-based, immersive, calendar-year program, MYC annually includes meetings with the mayor, Jane Castor, the Chief of Police, and the mayor’s Chief of Staff, as well as the City Council, plus 12 Leadership Workshops and four Special Presentations on topics such as Ethics, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Training, Human Trafficking Prevention, Voter Engagement, Public Speaking, Financial Literacy, and Digital Safety.

MYC participants also serve Trinity Café and Feeding Tampa Bay, and they attend Florida League of Cities and National League of Cities conferences where they connect with fellow youth leaders from across the state/country.

Successful completion of the comprehensive MYC program is a requirement for selection to the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council (MYLC) program. This year, for the second straight year, three Jesuit students are among the 25 members of MYLC, including this year’s MYLC Chair, Brazel, and Vice Chair, Cartwright. Brazel and Ludovice are in their second year with MYLC, and they were joined in 2025 by McMillon. 

More responsibility and commitment than the MYC, MYLC participants will mentor up to three MYC members annually, and they attend regular leadership workshops geared toward things such as learning about solid waste prevention, meeting with the judges of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, and touring a Water Treatment Plant – and of course they have meetings with the mayor. 

Among many responsibilities in their leadership roles with MYLC, Brazel and Cartwright facilitate workshops for MYC and they select the topics for, as well as handle the planning and organizing of, four special presentations annually. Brazel also sets the agenda and runs the monthly MYLC meetings, with support from Cartwright.

Congratulations to all of the Jesuit students who have participated in the Mayor’s Youth Corps and Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council! For more information on the City of Tampa's Mayor's Youth Corps, click here, or email the city's youth development coordinator, Molly Biebel.