Wayland Cultural Council adds two youth liaisons, finalizes grant cycle dates

WAYLAND — August 13, 2025 — Wayland Cultural Council adds two student liaisons and locks in fall grant cycle. At the Aug. 13 meeting, Chair Pallavi Nagesha welcomed Wayland High School juniors Mustafa Kheir and Iniyan Gandhi as incoming youth liaisons, recruited by member Maryam Libdi; both must file letters of interest with the town clerk before formal appointment. The council confirmed that local cultural grant applications open Sept. 2 and close Oct. 18, with a financial report due Oct. 9 and roadside signage going up the week of Oct. 6. Nagesha cited a $6,900 state allocation listed on the Massachusetts Cultural Council site, pending confirmation. Members unanimously approved spending discretionary funds to reserve a booth at the town's Oct. 4 multicultural arts event, which Kheir and Gandhi offered to staff. "Culture is not just arts," Nagesha said. "It is community." The meeting adjourned at 7:43 p.m.