Photo by Laquann Dawson

Bringing a Gen Z voice to the global stage, Ose Arheghan is leading the next generation of global advocates and changemakers through policy.

Hailing from Shaker Heights in the Buckeye state of Ohio, the now 24-year-old got involved in advocacy as early as middle school. Winning awards like GLESN’s Student Advocate of The Year and later leading their high school’s Cultural Proficiency subcommittee to change their discrimination policy, Arheghan has always known that their actions and voice can make a difference. 

Continuing their advocacy and love for policy in college, Arheghan majored in political science and Chinese at Ohio State University, where they became a student leader on campus. Their work as a co-founder of the school’s Undergraduate Black Caucus and leader of its Queer and Trans People of Color Cohort led Arheghan to their current role as a Policy Specialist at Google.

For Arheghan, earning titles like Truman Scholar and Youth Observer to the United Nations serve as opportunities to liaison between U.S. officials and the youth of today to elevate the issues that matter most to younger generations.

“I see the role of the youth observer as twofold,” Arheghan told the U.S. Department of State. “On one hand, I have the opportunity to meet with world leaders and provide information about what goes on in high-level spaces to our young Americans across the country. On the other hand — in my opinion, the more exciting hand — I get to take all that I learn from young Americans across the country and let our world leaders know what they’re doing: the initiatives, the programs, the organizing efforts, that our young people are doing everyday. I get to provide that context in high-level spaces that some youth don’t have access to.”

Through it all, Arheghan credits their passion for advocacy to their mother and to their desire for a more peaceful, equitable, and democratic world. In the future, Arheghan’s said they’re setting their sights on becoming a Foreign Service Officer and eventually a U.S. Ambassador. 

“When I grew up, my mom always told me that as an individual who is carrying many minority identities, it’s really important that I’m able to verbalize what I need and to be able to advocate for that,” Arheghan told Ohio State University. “And that might not always be easy, but it is always necessary.”

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