Michael Mallory, 18, grew up in Addison, Ill., and he recently graduated from Addison Trail High School. During his years there, he noticed that there could be some work done to ensure acceptance towards LGTBQ youth, so he came out during my sophomore year. During his senior year, he founded the school’s first gay-straight alliance, and was shocked to see how much faculty support there was.
Subsequently, he attended one of the Creating Safe Schools for Illinois (formerly GLSEN Chicago) summits. Now, Michael is the co-chair of CSSI’s youth committee and sits on the board of directors; he served as emcee during this year’s Night of Noise Rally that took place outside the Thompson Center.
DID YOU KNOW? Michael will be attending the University of Illinois in Champaign this fall and will be looking to expand his activist resume while he is there.