Lee Balmeo

Liam “Lee” Balmeo (they/them) is a 15-year-old junior at Millikan High School. Lee is an award-winning youth poet, and has devoted their life to service and “direct-impact action”, whether that includes participating in community advocacy or publishing in journals all around the nation. They lead and have led multiple ethnic clubs such as AAPI, Vietnamese, and French Club, and are founding two nonprofits: UnitedWithin and BlankSpace, which aim to help marginalized youth. Lee writes about their and others’ experiences, blending traditional and contemporary styles of poetry while discussing impactful issues upfront and firsthand. They have been nationally and internationally published/recognized by The Poetry Society and received a Best of the Net nomination of 2026. Lee is also a 2024-2025 Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador of Long Beach, and was a 2025-2026 Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador of Los Angeles, among others.