Mike Frassetto is a Lehigh Valley native and longtime community activist. He has made a career in supporting and mentoring young people and is the founder and executive director of Movement Moves Media, a local non-profit that helps young artists, musicians and media creators network and become entrepreneurs. Mike is a former educator in the Allentown School District, previously employed by Tesla and works in the medical cannabis industry. He helps young adults in Allentown get involved in the political process and run for elected positions. Recently, he produced two regionally nominated short documentaries, is an ultra-marathon runner and competed in an Ironman. Currently, he lives with his wife, daughter and dog in Breinigsville.
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Christopher Shosted works as a scholar and activist in the Lehigh valley. He is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. candidate at Lehigh University where he studies rhetorical and literary theory with a focus on applying scholarship toward social justice. More specifically, Christopher looks at the ways argument and ideology collide with politics and government to forge the daily conditions of our lives. Christopher hopes to apply his ability to understand the dynamics of power in society to help others in the Lehigh Valley community recognize these structures and resist their influences to empower themselves. Having started his academic career with a GED and enrollment in community college, Christopher recognizes the importance of finding your own voice and aims to assist others in reclaiming their agency in their community by partnering with the United Youth Party.
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Kiana Escueta is a multidisciplinary artist who was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She has won awards and exhibited in various juried art shows in Pennsylvania. As for her love of art, she continuously researches traditional and non-traditional materials and their effects on society. Her values surround sustainability and reflect this idea with its correlation with consumer culture through her artwork. Kiana hopes to use her skills to create visual content that is relevant and important for our mission to inspire young people to be involved with the political process. She currently attends Kutztown University working towards her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts.
Dr. Stephen Walker is an Academic Coach in the TRIO Student Support Services program at Kutztown University. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Lehigh Carbon Community College. Walker earned his undergraduate degree from St. John’s University and an MBA from Kutztown University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh with a focus on the intersection of education, entrepreneurship, and hip-hop culture.
Stephen had humble beginnings growing up in a large family in poverty. He is the youngest child and one of several adopted children. He is a first-generation college graduate and is the first in his family to earn his Doctorate degree which will help him create systematic change and inspire the communities he aims to serve.
Stephen went from being a teenager in Allentown, Pennsylvania attending after school programs with mentors to providing the same mentorship to the youth in the community. He is currently on the board at The Caring Place and is a member of the Lehigh Valley Health Network Board of Associates. Stephen is very passionate about entrepreneurship education and has been a frequent guest speaker for Lehigh Valley My Brother’s Keeper events, Community Actions Start Your Own Business program, and a guest lecturer in Penn State Lehigh Valley’s Teen Entrepreneurship Summer Camp.
Stephen has future plans to help build educational pathways for marginalized communities where he lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania and plans to invest not only in scholarship but also entrepreneurs. The long-term vision for Stephen is to build an educational institution that caters to the support of innovation, education, and entrepreneurship helping marginalized communities.