Miriam Niestat is a junior at Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago, Illinois, where she is a member of the girls’ lacrosse team and plays trumpet in the jazz band. Miriam serves as president of Kenwood’s Best Buddies Chapter and is an officer of Youth and Government. As a 2020-21 Or Tzedek intern with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), she learned about the intersection of Judaism and social justice and has continued her activism with the JCUA’s Youth Organizing Caucus. Miriam is always up for a meaningful conversation and loves hanging out with her dogs, Pointer and Mordechai.