College Leadership Council (CLC)
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National Youth Leaders and National Staff at the 2008 Youth Leadership Initiative Training and Orientation retreat.
From Left to Right:
Top: Shawn, Mitch, Theo and Zach
Bottom: Renee, Lauren, Nina, Emily and Grace (staff)
Not Pictured: Sara, Josh, Caroline and Annika
Meet the Council
Annika
Hometown: Belmont, CA
Annika attended Notre Dame High School in Belmont, CA where she was president of her high schools Roots & Shoots group. Her favorite projects included selling reusable water bottles and teaching first graders about the environment at a local elementary school. Currently she is an exchange student in Sweden for a year where she is working on beginning a group. Next year she will attend University of California, Davis where she plans to further her involvement in Roots & Shoots.
Caroline
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Caroline first became involved in Roots & Shoots in ninth grade. She was already involved in her school's environmental club when she took a Roots & Shoots class taught by teacher and Roots & Shoots leader Katherine Leathem. Caroline took a leadership role in the creation of the Roots & Shoots campaign, ReBirth the Earth: Trees for Tomorrow. She is responsible for ensuring that all the necessary materials for the campaign are provided to groups around the nation.
EmilyHometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Emily first became interested in Roots & Shoots and the ChimpanZoo program at the age of 13, when she read Dr. Jane's book A Reason for Hope.. She's been involved with several R&S groups for the past five years and now runs a group with middle school students. Emily is a student at Warren Wilson College, studying conservation biology. She also plans to go to grad school to pursue a career in primatology.
Josh
Lauren
MitchHometown: Lincoln, NebraskaMitch started a Roots & Shoots group at the Lincoln Public School's Science Focus Program and has involved the group in a number of projects from cleaning up of the Lincoln Children's Zoo to raising money for different Roots & Shoots campaigns. Mitch has been influential in brainstorming ideas for Discovery Communication's new channel called Planet Green. In his free time, Mitch enjoys training harbor seals at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
Nina
Hometown: Cleveland, Tennessee
Nina currently attends Western Connecticut State University. Nina got involved in Roots & Shoots at Ridgefield High school in Connecticut. Her first group did a project testing water pollution in Candlewood Lake, the largest man-made lake in Connecticut. In college, Nina served as Secretary of Westconn’s Roots & Shoots group and later, in became Vice President. Her group is currently working on raising money to save tigers in Northeastern China. As part of the China/USA Roots & Shoots exchange program, Nina traveled to China in May of 2007. Where she met Tony, the volunteer who founded the tiger project, Tony goes into the mountains of China to remove any snares or traps that could otherwise harm the Bangle tigers.
Nina is confidant that with the help of the community and fellow members, she will help the group at Westconn achieve success in the projects they pursue.
Renee
Hometown: Madison, New Jersey
Renee became involved in Roots & Shoots during her first year in high school after reading In the Shadow of Man by Dr. Jane for a biology class. Renee attends Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, majoring in special education and speech and language pathology. Her goal is to work with disabled students in starting more Roots & Shoots groups in the Tri-State Area.
Sara
Hometown: Voorhees, New Jersey
Sara was first inspired to get involved with Roots & Shoots after hearing Dr. Jane speak at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia in May 2004. Since then she has started groups at Eastern High School in Voorhees, New Jersey, as well as The College of New Jersey, where she is a student. Projects she organized at her high school include trail restoration at a local wildlife refuge, the creation of a school yard habitat, pet food collection competitions for pets left homeless by Hurricane Katrina and the creation of a handicapped accessible native plant sensory garden for a pediatric facility.
Shawn 2007-2008 Graduate Fellow
Hometown: Elyria, Ohio
Shawn started a Roots & Shoots group at the College of Wooster in Ohio after seeing Dr. Jane on tour in 2004. One of his favorite projects was creating a nature-themed meditation room for students to use. Last year Shawn graduated with a degree in Psychology and plans to pursue graduate studies in Environmental Education. He has worked at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo where he completed his senior thesis studying visitors opinion regarding zoo animals and their lives in captivity.
Theodora
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Theodora first became involved with the Jane Goodall Institute through an internship at the ChimpanZoo office in Tucson. She decided to join Roots & Shoots after learning more about the program and meeting Dr. Jane. Some of her favorite Roots & Shoots projects include helping elementary school children grow plants in decorated pots and selling them as a fundraiser and using bike parts to make art and sculptures. Theodora attends Stanford University and plans to study environmental policy and international economic development.
Zachary
Hometown: Danbury, Connecticut
A student at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), Zachary is a student intern in the Roots & Shoots College Programs Office which is located on the WCSU campus. He is president of the Roots & Shoots club on campus and is enthusiastic about the progress it is making. In conjunction with the University, his Roots & Shoots club has successfully instated recycling in all the classroom buildings, the cafeteria and even in the dormitories on campus. Zachary believes in the interconnectedness between humans and nature and wants to help create a better world. He is an elementary education and Anthropology/Sociology major and hopes to share his passions with students in his future classroom. Currently Zach enjoys doing Roots & Shoots projects with local elementary, middle and high school students and is currently concentrating on the beautification of his college campus.
Here is how to apply!
Think you're ready to become a leader? Download a Youth Leadership Council Application. Then, mail or e-mail your completed application to: Grace Felten
Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Manger
181 White St.
Danbury, CT 06810
Email Grace
