Katie graduated from Boston University with a degree in environmental science, minoring in biology and environmental analysis and policy. Her passion is in ecosystem ecology, studying the effects of climate on biology and the interactions between the many forces in an ecosystem. Her dream job would be with a land management organization or studying invasive species with the National Parks Service (like purple loosestrife!). In her free time Katie likes to write her food blog, cook, knit and garden. Since Roots & Shoots, Katie has interned for VHB, Inc., an engineering and environmental consulting firm. She completed field work with a focus on wetland resource protection, and the policies that go with it, and rare species assessments.
Fiona Stirling
Fiona is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and holds a Bachelors Degree in Global Environmental Studies. She grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia and fondly considers herself a third culture kid. Fiona has a strong passion for environmental conservation and believes that the natural environment, animals and humans are deeply interconnected. She is also interested in health and fitness and hopes to one day be part of a program that encourages healthy lifestyles as part of a healthy planet. She is excited to be part of the Roots & Shoots Northeast Spring team! Since her internship, Fiona has travled to Tasmania and Bali to visit family. During her travels, she volunteered at the local RSPCA and animal rescue centers. Currently, she is pursuing a Community Environmental Studies graduate certificate at Tufts University.
Libbie Goodill
Libbie is a graduate student at New York University working on an M.A. in Environmental Conservation Education. She graduated from Villanova University with a B.A. in history in 2010. In 2009, she was an Intern at Maysie’s Farm Conservation Center, an organic vegetable farm in SE Pennsylvania. She hopes to work for education reform that would incorporate place-based and environmental education into all curriculums. She is passionate about gardening and strengthening local food systems, hiking, biking, and loves spending her summers working as a camp counselor at Camp Arrowhead, in Lewes, DE. Since her time with R&S, Libbie worked at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with kids and fresh organic vegetables! She also started her work towards her master's degree in Environmental Conservation Education at New York University.
Fall 2010
Nele Groosman
Nele is a current senior at Northeastern University, with a concentration in International Affairs and minors in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology. She grew up in Europe and has studied and worked in South Africa, Switzerland, and Australia during college. She is passionate about sustainable farming, education, Africa, photography, cooking, and traveling. She is eager to learn more about non-profit management by interning at Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots this fall.
Jane Schroeder
Jane is a recent graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She received a B.A. in Environment under the domain of Ecological Determinants of Health in Society, which focuses on the complex interactions between environmental and human health. Additionally, she received minors in both World Religions and Womens Studies. Jane is passionate about protecting and conserving the environment as well as promoting animal rights. In the future, she plans to attend law school and pursue a career in environmental law. Jane is excited to work with Roots & Shoots this fall and to learn more about this inspirational organization.
Summer 2010
Molly Braun
Molly graduated from Tufts University in 2009 with a B.S. in envoronmental studies and math. She also interned with Roots & Shoots this past spring, helping to plan events. Having worked with other environmental organizations in the past on science based projects, she is looking forward to learning about the running of an organization like Roots & Shoots and the Jane Goodall Institute, and is very excited to help plan Dr. Jane's New England visit. Now Molly is pursuing her master's degree in Urban Planning with a concentration in the environment and sustainability, at Hunter College in New York City.
Julie Duke
Julie graduated from Harvard University, with a degree in a History of Science. She is passionate about animals and has volunteered at various animal shelters and wildlife rehabilitation centers, such as Wildlife Center of Missouri. Julie wrote her senior honors thesis about 19th-century animal cognition and became a Resource Efficiency Program (REP) representative for her dorm. This involved educating fellow students on sustainability issues and promoting eco-friendly actions in dorms. Currently, Julie lives in Chicago and loves her job as Conservation Programs Assistant at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Nicole Coakley
Nicole is a rising sophomore at Suffolk University, where she is studying American History with a minor in Secondary Education. Nicole has been working with Roots & Shoots since high school at which point she served as a member of both the Roots & Shoots New England and National Leadership councils. As an intern at Roots & Shoots New England, she will be working on creating a constitutional model for the regional College Leadership Council and expanding the scope of the council’s events, outreach, and recruit. After serving as a youth leader, Nicole is excited to learn more about the inner-workings of Roots & Shoots and the office work that it takes to make non-profits successful. She hopes to inspire college students to consider their impact and take action to make a difference in their schools and communities.
Alyssa Tochka
Alyssa is a junior at Boston University, where she is studying International Relations with a concentration in Regional Politics and Cultural Anthropology and minoring in Economics. Her admiration for Dr. Jane Goodall allowed her to stumble upon the opportunity to be a summer intern at the Roots & Shoots NE office. Alyssa has been a vegetarian since 2009 and is passionate about human rights, protecting the environment and humane treatment to animals. She is looking forward to joining the Roots & Shoots team to help save the world!
Spring 2010
Kira Adams
Kira is a Peace Fellow under the Urban Youth Leadership Corps. Her love of children and her concern for her community led her to the position of a Peace Fellow. A Peace Fellow teaches non-violent conflict resolution workshops to children 7-12 years of age in some hot spots for violence in Boston, Mass. As an intern at Roots & Shoots, Kira hopes to learn all she can about the Jane Goodall Institute and all the programs the institute supports.
Catherine Bunker
Catherine is a junior studying history at Simmons College in Boston, MA. She is currently an intern for Roots & Shoots New England. Her love and admiration for Dr. Jane Goodall is what brought her to Roots & Shoots. She is currently busily preparing for Dr. Jane Goodall’s visit in May.
Nicole Estabrooks
Nicole is an Ecology and Conservation Biology major of the class of 2012 at Boston University. She is an advocate for animals and the environment, and has been a vegetarian since 2003. Nicole’s goal in life is to become either a veterinarian or a doctor, or to go into environmental conservation and wildlife rescue, which a veterinary and ecology background should help with. Nicole was a spring 2010 intern at Roots & Shoots New England, helped members as they developed projects toward conservation, animal care, and global sustainability. In spring 2011, she studied abroad in Ecuador with BU’s Tropical Ecology Research program, where she researched montane, coastal, and rain forest ecology. Nicole has also worked for Pfizer for two years.
Sam Sweeney
Sam is excited to finish her freshman year at Simmons College and to be working with Roots & Shoots. She is passionate about human rights and equality for all, and looks forward to learning as much as she can about changing the world with Roots & Shoots and the Jane Goodall Institute. She hopes that her experience here can help her pursue a career in the communications field and become a journalist.
Fall 2009
Kerry Canton
Kerry recently graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Environmental Studies. Her internship with Roots & Shoots this fall focuses on Membership and Outreach. Having developed a passion for international environmental issues when she studied abroad in Uganda, Kerry is really excited to lean about how Roots & Shoots works on the local, regional and international level. Kerry will be in the office until February, which is when she will begin her next adventure as a Peace Corps. Volunteer in Zambia.
Meera Gajjar
Meera graduated from Tufts University. She grew up watching Dr. Jane's movie People of the Forest. She worked on planning the 2009 New England Regional Summit. Interning at Roots & Shoots has allowed Meera to combine her interests in fostering peaceful communities and environmental responsibility. From learning how to make a Giant Peace Dove to calling members to invite them to events, Meera greatly enjoyed her experience at Roots & Shoots. She is now a second year law student at Lewis & Clark. She hopes to learn how law can contribute to sustainable development. Meera is the treasurer of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, and is involved with a Roots & Shoots group in the Pacific Northwest!
Theresa Kolpakova
Theresa is a naturalist, educator and environmentalist whose passion for combining humane education, therapy and nature-based experiential activities has led her to pursue a graduate program in Education and Community Arts at Lesley University, where she completed an internship with Roots & Shoots as the Community Arts Outreach Coordinator. Theresa hopes to inspire exploration of nature connections through implementation of programs that encourage curiosity and discovery through experiential learning as well as respect, understanding and compassion for all beings. Nowadays, Theresa is working towards becoming a certified dog trainer, with a focus on raising awareness of shelter dogs. She plans on partnering with local animal shelters in designing a humane education curriculum that will be available to potential and current adopters. In addition, she also teaches zumba and works as the Naturalist-In-Residence for the Massachusetts Aubudon Society in several elementary schools.
Summer 2009
Neema Chaiban
Neema is a junior at Tufts University studying political science and environmental studies. Born in Nairobi, Kenya—Dr. Jane’s first stop in Africa—she grew up learning about Dr. Jane and her work and is grateful to be a part of Roots & Shoots. She is worked in the summer on Roots & Shoots New England membership relations and outreach projects.
Rachel Czubryt
Rachel is a rising senior at Simmons College studying English and communications. She joined the Roots & Shoots team this summer to help out with media related projects. She is also very excited to be learning about working with a non-profit, the Jane Goodall Insitute and the projects that the Roots & Shoots members work hard on all year round!
Holly Moore
Having recently returned from studying in Switzerland, India, China and South Africa on the International Honors Program, Holly joined the Roots & Shoots intern team ready to tackle New England. She first became interested in environmental conservation as a child in England, following her passion to Boston University where she studies Public Health and Development. With a love for photography, Holly was thrilled to be working on the "Drop of Hope" Water Campaign and World Water Photography Project!
Laura Olivier
Laura was a rising sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, where she was considering possible majors in environmental studies, archaeology or South Asian studies. At Roots & Shoots she worked in Administration and Strategic Partnerships, which includes budget work and research on organizations. This summer, in addition to her job at Roots & Shoots, she works weeding and planting at a CSA called Yarrowstalk Farm-- so really, more roots and shoots!
Spring 2009
Yairmari Casillas
Carolyn Conley
Carolyn is a current student at Boston University studying psychology and international relations. She began working as an intern at Roots & Shoots after hearing about it through the international relations department at BU. She has been a fan of JGI for years and is excited to be working for such a great cause!
Gabby Fish
A senior at Boston University, Gabby participates in her school’s Children’s Theatre and in Native American youth outreach across the country. Last summer she volunteered at the Center for Animal Rehabilitation and Education in South Africa, raising orphaned baboons who will eventually be released back into the wild. Since her return from Africa, Gabby plans on focusing her post-graduate career on wildlife protection, and is very excited to be part of the R&S New England team!
Keylsey Irl
Abigail Schoenberg
Abby first encountered Roots & Shoots after meeting Jane Goodall at an event not far from her hometown in New Jersey. Ever since, she has been passionate about environmental conservation, animal protection, and humanitarian aid. A freshman at Harvard University, Abby plans to concentrate in Visual Environmental Studies with a secondary in English; she hopes to have a career in either community relations or documentary production.
Tessa Venell
Tessa graduated from Brandeis University in July 2008, where she majored in International and Global Studies. She spent a semester in Kunming, China and, since this experience, China has been Tessa’s focus for affecting international change. She received grant funding to create the documentary The Green Reason, which included footage of Roots & Shoots in China, and production of the movie wraps up this spring. In Spring 2009, Tessa worked with Roots & Shoots New England on press and media. Afterwards, she became a consultant for PBS International and researched international media markets and did database development work. Tessa has also worked with graduate students at the Harvard Kennedy School to organize an international conference about China's environment and energy in spring 2011.
Rachael Wyant
Rachael graduated from Boston University with a degree in political science. She first became interested in the power of grassroots social change during her time abroad junior year and loved how the Roots & Shoots mission emphasizes community building and networking between youth. In the Boston office, Rachael worked on media related projects, including updating the website and helping to put together monthly and seasonal newsletters. Since working as an intern, Rachael co-founded The Thousand Alternatives Collective, an organization that works with social justice organizations and students on effective group dynamics and communication techniques. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in International Affairs and works for the International Rescue Committee in New York City.
Katie graduated from Boston University with a degree in environmental science, minoring in biology and environmental analysis and policy. Her passion is in ecosystem ecology, studying the effects of climate on biology and the interactions between the many forces in an ecosystem. Her dream job would be with a land management organization or studying invasive species with the National Parks Service (like purple loosestrife!). In her free time Katie likes to write her food blog, cook, knit and garden. Since Roots & Shoots, Katie has interned for VHB, Inc., an engineering and environmental consulting firm. She completed field work with a focus on wetland resource protection, and the policies that go with it, and rare species assessments. 
Fiona is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and holds a Bachelors Degree in Global Environmental Studies. She grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia and fondly considers herself a third culture kid. Fiona has a strong passion for environmental conservation and believes that the natural environment, animals and humans are deeply interconnected. She is also interested in health and fitness and hopes to one day be part of a program that encourages healthy lifestyles as part of a healthy planet. She is excited to be part of the Roots & Shoots Northeast Spring team! Since her internship, Fiona has travled to Tasmania and Bali to visit family. During her travels, she volunteered at the local RSPCA and animal rescue centers. Currently, she is pursuing a Community Environmental Studies graduate certificate at Tufts University.
Libbie is a graduate student at New York University working on an M.A. in Environmental Conservation Education. She graduated from Villanova University with a B.A. in history in 2010. In 2009, she was an Intern at Maysie’s Farm Conservation Center, an organic vegetable farm in SE Pennsylvania. She hopes to work for education reform that would incorporate place-based and environmental education into all curriculums. She is passionate about gardening and strengthening local food systems, hiking, biking, and loves spending her summers working as a camp counselor at Camp Arrowhead, in Lewes, DE. Since her time with R&S, Libbie worked at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with kids and fresh organic vegetables! She also started her work towards her master's degree in Environmental Conservation Education at New York University.
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Jane is a recent graduate of 
Molly graduated from 
Nicole is a rising sophomore at 
Kira is a Peace Fellow under the 
Catherine is a junior studying history at 
Nicole is an Ecology and Conservation Biology major of the class of 2012 at 
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