Monique Coleman, best known globally as Taylor McKessie in High School Musical, has built an enduring career as an advocate for youth empowerment and social change. Appointed the United Nations’ first Youth Champion in 2010, she travelled to more than 20 countries, amplifying young voices and promoting education, equality, and opportunity — particularly for girls. Through her talk show Gimme Mo’ and initiatives such as mPowering Action and Girl Up, she has championed mental health, storytelling, and resilience as tools for transformation.

As an FAO Champion, Monique has used her global platform to support World Bee Day, spotlighting the importance of pollinators for food security and biodiversity. In 2025, she brought her trademark energy and authenticity to the SDG Media Hub during the UN General Assembly, highlighting the importance of healthy diets and reducing food waste alongside FAO Goodwill Ambassadors, the Harlem Globetrotters. This year also, she co-hosted World Food Day and Junior World Food Day in FAO HQ in Rome, inspiring a new generation to see food not only as nourishment but as a force for equity, sustainability, and hope. A featured panelist in FAO’s Foods Futures conversations this October (alongside Michelangelo Pistoletto and Professor Jeffrey Sachs), Monique now looks ahead to championing the International Year of the Woman Farmer for FAO in 2026.