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We're thrilled to announce our twelve new members of the Contributor Program for Fall 2026!
You can read more about each of them, and what they're bringing to Young Voices, below:
Alexandra Stinson - Alexandra is a graduate of Johns Hopkins SAIS, where she wrote a capstone thesis on US-China cooperation and competition in biopharmacy. She focuses on the study of health policy and global wellness guided by freedom to innovate, free markets and choice. Alexandra advocates for expanding personal access to diagnostics and reducing regulatory barriers to accelerate emerging health technologies. She is a former Cato health policy intern and current Health Reformers Academy fellow.
Nathaniel Ross - He attended Arizona State University as a Flinn Scholar, quadruple majoring in biology, history, political science, and applied quantitative science. He is the youngest person in city history to qualify for the city council ballot in his hometown of Mesa, Arizona. A Rhodes Scholar, Nathaniel read for an MPhil in Comparative Social Policy at the University of Oxford, researching the causes of poverty among people with disabilities. In August 2026, Nathaniel will begin pursuing a JD at Yale Law School.
Derek Tresner - Derek Tresner is a political science student at Liberty University's Helms School of Government and a content creator with over 10k Instagram followers passionate about faith, politics, and the promise of America. A committed Christian and former student pastor, he has spent years discipling the next generation — equipping young people with a coherent worldview rooted in timeless principles. That same calling drives his political commentary, exploring true American conservatism: not merely as a political stance, but as a framework for human flourishing grounded in faith, liberty, and free markets. His content bridges the gap between sound political philosophy and the everyday concerns of a younger, digitally engaged audience.
Théodore Cazals - Théodore Cazals is a liberal influencer who recently graduated in Economics from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University. He enjoys a large following on social media, particularly X/Twitter where he has over 50,000 followers and averages over 1 million impressions per day while discussing a wide range of topics such as International Politics, social issues, history, or global elections. Furthermore, another account in which he shares examples of 'AI Slop' has led him to be interviewed by the BBC and other prestigious media outlets. He intends to start a Master's degree in Economics and Political Science, particularly one focused on the United States, or to commit to writing and developing a presence in the sphere of liberal publications.
Thomas Dias - A Portuguese-American and Portuguese citizen with immediate family from a small Portuguese village, he gained firsthand understanding of communitarian conservative values, while his cosmopolitan upbringing gave him progressive ones. The latter made him a Bernie-bro progressive flirting with Christian socialism, until a transformative Acton Institute internship introduced him to the synthesis of classical liberalism and Catholic Social Teaching. At the University at Buffalo he switched from business to philosophy, politics, and economics, returned to Catholicism, helped start the student radio and film clubs, and doubled the PPE club's membership, making it a campus haven for thoughtful discussion. He now serves as Foundation Relations Officer at Acton, after making potions at a Portuguese monastery, and writes on faith, liberty, and technology for various publications.
Naomi Brockwell - Naomi Brockwell is the President and Founder of Ludlow Institute, a nonprofit that advances freedom through technology. She is the lead drafter on H.R. 8470 "The Surveillance Accountability Act," introduced to the House in April 2026. Naomi is also the creator of NBTV, the Ludlow Institute's media platform, which reaches over 1.3 million subscribers globally across platforms, making it a leading privacy education platform worldwide. She produced the documentaries Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It and The Housing Bubble, co-founded The Soho Forum debate series in New York, and is the author of Beginner's Introduction to Privacy and the children's book Billy's Bitcoin.
Dustin DeVito - Dustin DeVito serves as the Director of Research at the 1792 Exchange, a non-profit that produces research and develops resources to help public entities in the United States implement and maintain viewpoint neutrality in their governance to best serve their shareholders and stakeholders. Dustin oversees the Corporate Bias Ratings, the largest and most comprehensive public database tracking bias in corporate policies and practices. His research has informed the policy and engagement strategies of state financial officers, consultants, asset managers, and non profit institutions across the country. Dustin holds a Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida.
Anne Struffmann - Born and raised in Dresden, Germany, Anne Struffmann attended an International School all her life, where she graduated with 42 points (4.0 GPA) in 2022. She then went on to study International Relations and International Law at the University of Edinburgh, where she created the Scottish branch of Students for Liberty and soon became the National Coordinator for the entirety of the UK and Ireland. In this capacity, Anne organized and spoke at numerous events, both in London, in collaboration with the Institute of Economic Affairs, and internationally at conferences alongside Students for Liberty and the Tholos Foundation. After graduating from university in May of 2026, Anne will move to Washington, D.C. to begin a fellowship with the international team of Americans for Tax Reform.
Anthony Rispo - Anthony Rispo is a writer, independent researcher, and co-host of The Discourse Lab podcast. A Columbia University psychology graduate, he focuses his work on social cognition, sociopolitical behavior, and the psychological processes that shape belief, identity, and civic life. He has contributed to research on narrative, perspective-taking, and neurodevelopment, and founded Columbia's Heterodox Academy Campus Community to promote viewpoint diversity and open inquiry. His public commentary includes contributions to The Free Press, appearances on Newsmax discussing the psychology of identity, and Instagram reels and short videos exploring political behavior, political theory, social cognition, and the cultural forces shaping public discourse.
Walter Blanks, Jr. - Walter is a native of Columbus, Ohio, now based in Nashville, Tennessee, who has spent more than a decade advocating for school choice nationwide, drawing on his personal experience as a beneficiary. Throughout this time, he has shared his story to highlight the impact of educational options and has worked closely with legislators, governors, and members of Congress to expand and strengthen school choice programs across the country. In addition to his policy work, Walter is an experienced media contributor, appearing in both television and print outlets. With extensive media training, he communicates effectively across a range of platforms, helping raise awareness about education policy and the importance of accessible, high-quality schooling options for families.
Holly Jean Soto - Holly Jean Soto is an economics and liberty communicator and content creator focused on bridging the gap between complex ideas and the everyday person. She is passionate about breaking down the differences between socialism and capitalism, helping people understand how these systems show up in the policies and issues they encounter in their daily lives. Her work centers on connecting current social, economic, and political issues back to a broader liberty framework — grounded in individual liberty, limited government, and free markets. She is especially driven to address the growing appeal of democratic socialism by clearly explaining its real-world consequences in a way that is relatable and easy to understand.
Sydney Jezik - Sydney Jezik is a senior at Brigham Young University - Provo, where she studies political science, Arabic, and communications. She's previously worked at the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune in Utah covering faith and politics and Morocco World News in Rabat, Morocco, where she broke news on the international Gen Z protests and reported on democratic norm violations. She is running her second marathon soon and loves to spend time with her fiancé and cats.
