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Cohort 14 (2023-2025)

 

Name: Bailey Dunn

Hometown: Okinawa, Japan & Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Education: Bachelor in Sustainability and the Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida

Experience: Bailey spent the two years leading up to her masters program at the University of Florida, working with a small French non-governmental organization based in Zambia. She was the conservation and development project manager and carried out five different projects during her time there. Those projects include a women’s empowerment group that kept bees and produced honey, conservation education lessons in five primary schools, school field trips to the national park for game drives and tours of the elephant orphanage, school poultry production, and school feeding programs.

She believes conservation of natural resources is only possible when communities are empowered, informed, and involved in conservation projects. During her time in Zambia she was given the opportunity to work with people from many cultures and languages which helped her develop unique problem-solving skills.

In Zambia she collaborated with local education standards officers, teachers, community leaders, lodge owners, other non-profit organizations and even the chief of the area to develop programs that the community would be excited to take part in. All of her programs focused on sustainability as a key pillar for assessing their longevity and success with the eventual goal of the programs no longer needing outside funding or intervention from donors and NGOs.

Interests: African wildlife, conservation, sustainability, reading, nature walking, dancing

 

Name: Cecilia Picoaga

Hometown: Lima, Peru

Education: Bachelor of Communication for Development, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), Lima, Peru

Experience: Cecilia has more than 7 years working as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Sustainability Manager for multinational companies such as Diageo and Samsung. She also worked in the government and the nonprofit sector.  The areas/topics where she worked are: education, youth empowerment, environment, health, disabilities, coding, social skills, innovation and robotics.

Interests: ESG, climate change, children and youth empowerment, supply chains and food systems

 

Name: Daneille March

Hometown: St. Catherine, Jamaica

Education: BA in Guidance and Counselling, International U of the Caribbean, Kingston; Teaching Credentials specializing in English Language and English Literature from Shortwood Teachers’ College, U of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica

Experience: Daneille has been a teacher of English Language and English Literature at the high school and middle school levels for over 16 years. She has taught in several countries including Jamaica and the United States.

Daneille’s deep interest in education extends beyond the formal education system, to all aspects of life. She is passionate about improving access to quality and relevant education, especially in developing countries.

Daneille founded and operated an event and planning company, focused on providing educational excursions and events. One major goal of this company was to maximize students’ learning and development through co-curricular, extracurricular and non- curricular events and activities.

Daneille’s professional goals include adding development practitioner to her career portfolio.

Interests: Education; women’s empowerment; family, youth and community development; human rights; traveling.

 

Name: Estefany Güechá Sánchez

Hometown: Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia

Education: BA in International Relations, Diploma in Formulation of international cooperation and economic development projects, U de Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia

Experience: Her last name means warrior in the Muisca Indigenous language. She grew up in many parts of Colombia and graduated from a public school in a village. Upon graduating, her family could not pay for her university and this represented an opportunity in her life to connect with a huge purpose. After living the frustration of not being able to access higher education she promised to do what was in her hands so that the dreams and potential of young Colombians are not limited by their lack of financial resources. She achieved one of the best results on the state exam and with this accomplishment she was chosen for an academic excellence scholarship at the best university in Colombia for her BA. While at the University she managed to travel to many countries representing Colombia and her university in debate competitions, and she obtained scholarships in Canada and Turkey (Erasmus Mundus Scholarship), in addition to the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Scholarship 2023.

She co-founded the Cerros de Cambio Foundation in 2017 with the purpose of training and guiding communities in vulnerable conditions with opportunities that allow them to achieve a better future in the long term. She worked for years with the public and private sectors but her passion is the social sector because she is the living example of the positive impact of social mobility, which is why, as Executive Director of her non-profit organization, she dedicates her life to creating opportunities that reduce the social gap regarding access to quality education.

Estefany is a social leader who grew up in a country that has been in an endless internal war that has claimed the lives of millions. She promotes education because she is convinced that it is the way to build a more just and peaceful Colombia. She has built a career as a speaker on innovation and social entrepreneurship, one of her goals is to give a talk on platforms like TED that touches the hearts of millions who want to make social entrepreneurship a life option. She dreams of building a Collective Social Responsibility system in which the commitment to be sustainable is shared so that the private sector has real incentives to invest in the social sector to create a lasting impact internationally.

Interests: Social entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Conscious capitalism, sustainable development, nonprofit management, public speaking, debate, leadership, female empowerment, gender equality, social justice, human rights, Latin American Studies, singing, traveling.

 

Name: Hailey Muchnok

Hometown: Orlando, Florida, USA

Education: B.A. in Sustainability Studies with minors in Environmental Science and Geology, U of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

Experience: Hailey graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in May 2023 from the University of Florida. Whilst completing her undergraduate degree, Hailey interned and conducted research at the UF BioEnergy and Sustainable Technology Laboratory. The subject of her research was the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the concrete industry. She sought to answer the question as to whether it was possible to create a closed-loop system in which microalgae is cultivated from cement flue gas to be digested anaerobically in order to produce biogas; this biogas would then be used in order to power cement plants. Her research was recently approved for publication in the UF Journal of Undergraduate Research, exemplifying her devotion to sustainability and all that it entails. She is furthermore passionate about the intersectional nature associated with sustainability and ensuring that the different aspects of it are not regarded in isolation. Her career goals are rooted in enhancing the wellbeing of global and local environments as well as their inhabitants and are driven by the worsening nature of the climate crisis.

Interests: Climate change, sustainability and its intersectional nature, coastal conservation, social equity, ecotourism, reading, beaches, fitness.

 

Name: Jennifer Quartey

Hometown: Gomoa Eshiem, Ghana

Education: BA in African Studies and Philosophy, U. of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

Experience: Right after graduation, Jennifer worked with Lead For Ghana as an English Language teaching fellow in an underserved school located in the Volta part of Ghana. Her professional sense of purpose was to impact and transform the livelihoods of girls in rural communities through excellent education. Under the two-year Lead For Ghana fellowship, Jennifer contributed to many initiatives in the community she served which included the completion of a three-unit classroom block, donations of thousand-plus exercise books as well as other stationery and most importantly the launching of Teens-In-Entrepreneurship initiative (TIE).

Through the support from the Women Changemakers for Education mentorship program, in 2022, Jennifer founded TIE which seeks to promote girls’ education in underserved communities through mentorship programs as well as vocational training in beads-making, baking and sewing. The initiative has empowered about 32 teenage girls through vocational training of which five girls and two girls are being partially and fully sponsored to attend Technical and Vocational institutions respectively. As a first-generation scholar, Jennifer’s ultimate dream is to see every girl work hard to succeed no matter what circumstances they face and she believes acquiring a vocational skill is one of the ways to go around it.

In addition, Jennifer also volunteered with Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) as a Learner Guide and used the My Better World Programme modules to educate forty (40) young girls in Junior High School on their well-being and ways they could thrive both in and outside school.

Interests: Education, gender equality and equity, climate change, community development: how do environmental issues affect women’s development and girls’ education in remote areas, and how can climate change education help address such issues?

 

Name: Rosemary Godfrey Maro

Hometown: Dar es Salaam , Tanzania

Education: BS in Wildlife Science and Conservation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Experience: Rosemary was born and raised in Tanzania, a country well-known as the land of Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti. She went to secondary school right at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro in Machame District. Her experience there together with the country’s natural splendors nurtured her innate connection with the wild and natural surroundings, embarking on a journey of her education at the University of Dar es Salaam, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife science and conservation.

As a Program Coordinator in a non-profit organization she participated in the review of the National Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) implementation strategy to aim at integrating and fostering sustainable rural livelihoods, in line with improving wildlife conservation. She also coordinates an Environmental education program with students and teachers, community-based conservation activities including restoration of wildlife corridors through afforestation of native species, mitigating human-wildlife conflicts and placement of chili fences to keep elephants from destroying farms.

During her volunteer work in different national parks in Tanzania, Rosemary demonstrated her commitment to scientific explorations including animal behaviors, reproduction, growth and nutrition in wild mammals, demographic surveys of wild mammals, vegetation dynamics, utilization of natural resources and applying fire ecology principles to rejuvenate ecosystems. Her dedication to community-based conservation and taking human-wildlife interactions from conflicts to coexisting have won her recognition in the Environmental Conservation community of Tanzania.

Interests: Nature, wildlife conservation, climate change, non-profit management, gender equality, women’s inclusion, awareness-raising campaigns, public speaking, diving and marine life exploration, hiking, waterfalls, fitness, yoga and meditation, cycling, playing tennis.

 

Name: Salvador Cuadros

Hometown: Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia

Education: BS in Chemical Engineering, U De Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia

Experience: After receiving his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Salvador briefly worked In the Young Research Program with the University of Cartagena and Colciencia, working in the development of products based on plants to replace anticorrosives based on heavy metals. After that, he worked at the University Of San Buenaventura Cartagena, participating in the design and management of a project-oriented to the training of workers in the oil industry. Then, in 2019 he started as Full-time Teacher in Basic Science at the University of Santo Tomas Villavicencio until 2021. Currently, Salvador is a High and Middle School Teacher in Chemistry, Biology, and Math.

Interests: Studying technologies and practices related to the environment and sustainability, playing soccer, playing chess, running.

 

 

Name: Sydney Khanthavong

Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida

Education: BS in International Studies, U of Florida; Minor in Sustainability Studies, U of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

Experience: Sydney began her college experience focusing on international studies and business administration. Inspired by her upbringing of being raised with family business, she desired to hone in on her own knowledge and experience within the importance of small business. At the University of Florida, she was inspired by the university’s stress on sustainable efforts and decided to shift gears in her major, long-term career goals, and purpose in life.

During Sydney’s undergrad, she was involved with social movements that focused on human rights. She actively participated in national protests in order to raise awareness and advocate for the oppressed. Additionally, she interned at a local nonprofit that redefines foreign aid through education reform in Haiti. This internship allowed Sydney to engage with individuals from interdisciplinary backgrounds and become introduced to program coordination.

She currently works as the Global Partnerships Coordinator at a nonprofit focusing on the transition from surviving to thriving of orphans and vulnerable children. She engages with the nonprofit’s NGO partners and builds connections across the globe for collaborative projects. Sydney works alongside the Program Director and Director of Global Partnerships to coordinate projects and maintain partners’ logistics through CRM software. She strives to continue to build upon this skillset and serve as a project manager for an NGO with substantial sustainable change in the future.

Interests: Human rights, nonprofit management, advocacy, project management, ESG frameworks, climate change, cultural appreciation, mental health.

 

Name: Veronica Manguinho de Souza

Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil

Education: Bachelor in Psychology, U Cruzeiro do Sul, São Paulo; MBA in Strategic Management, Specialization in Change Management and Regenerative Leadership, Fundação Instituto de Administração Business School, São Paulo, Brazil.

Experience: Veronica has more than 15 years working as Head of Organizational Development and Change Management in multinational companies such as Natura, Sodexo, and Citroen. In these companies she led Cultural Transformation, Diversity and Inclusion, Organizational Design and Employee Experience.

She is recognized for her genuine commitment to creating inclusive, high-performance work environments. Her approach is based on the principles of TEAL organizations, redesigning areas such as Corporate Education, Talent Management, Attraction, On and Off Boarding to align with these principles.

In her academic journey, she serves as a guest professor at Fundação Dom Cabral, and lectures on Equity and Inclusion, Innovation in HR, Acceleration Programs for Young Leaders, Regenerative Leadership, Future of Work among other topics.

Interests: Traveling, nature, spirituality, indigenous leadership, inclusion, women and youth empowerment, regenerative design, eco psychology, donut economy, shamanism, ancestry.

 

Name: Wendy Mesa

Hometown: Miami, Florida, USA

Education: B.S. in Agricultural Education, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA

Experience: After receiving her B.S. in Agricultural Education, Wendy returned to her hometown where she briefly worked at the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center as a biological aide focusing on seed embryology, and an agriculture assistant within the Agroecology lab. After her time at TREC, she began teaching Veterinary Assisting, Environmental Science, and Agricultural Foundations in the Miami-Dade County Public School District. Wendy is currently an Education/Training Specialist where she focuses on pipeline programs from the elementary to the undergraduate level.

Interests: Academically she enjoys learning about the many intersections between agricultural systems, global systemic inequities, and their impacts on Climate Change. For fun, she enjoys playing tennis, gardening, and spending time at the beach/pool/springs.

 

Cohort 13 (2022-2024)

 

Name: Ashley Dukhu

Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Education: BBA in Marketing, BBA in Management with a concentration in Leadership & Applied Managerial Skills, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Experience: Ashley’s interest in sustainable development began in her pursuit of her bachelor’s degree in business administration. Within her degree she learned of all the ways in which large corporations are directly involved in the many global sustainability and ethics issues happening today. These include the climate crisis, glass ceilings, and child and employee exploitation. In such classes, Ashley has completed strategic analyses and marketing plans to give companies an idea of diverse ways they can become more sustainable. In a recent project, Ashley provided Newell Brands with a marketing plan to increase sales while simultaneously reducing the amount of plastic waste for their brand, Mr. Coffee. In her recent strategic analysis of Amazon, she found the different ways that Amazon has been exploiting their employees and researched ways in which the company can combat this exploitation without sacrificing the money-making ‘benefits’ of the inhumane practice.

Throughout her college career, Ashley also became interested in gender and race equality, especially as it pertains to business. The large disparity in gender and race equality intrigued her to pursue her degree in sustainable development practice as it has become a more pressing issue in recent years. Ashley became involved in FAU’s National Organization of Women and the FAU Keep Moving Organization that focused on educating and advocating for equality, unity, and education.

Ashley’s degree in business administration gave her insight into how policies and processes that relate to such practices are implemented by companies. This gave her a significant understanding of generating, designing, implementing, monitoring and changing different policies within an organization. Understanding these is vital for any environmental or social change to take place. Ashley’s understanding of the business world allows her to develop her interests into realistic and achievable procedures that companies can use to better their footprint on the individual, community, and world.

Interests: Environment preservation and education, community development and impact, diversity and inclusion, gender equality.

 

Name: Carla Lissa Nelson

Hometown: Port-au-Prince, Haïti

Education: Medical Degree from Université Notre-Dame d’Haïti, Port au Prince, Haiti

Experience: Upon completing her medical curriculum at Université Notre-Dame d’Haïti, Carla’s studies were culminated by a thesis. In that regard, she chose to examine, through a cross-sectional study, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and their correlates, in a marginalized group of the Haitian population – the elderly. Carla’s research was recognized as a solid contribution for the accumulation of data on chronic diseases among the elderly. Her findings also have the potential to improve Haitian health policies pertaining to people aged 65 and up.

Her motivation to positively impact the life of many emerged from this experience and was substantially heightened with the loss of a family member due to questionable hospital policies in Haiti. This latest event raised her awareness on the precarity of the health policies in Haiti and made her realize that being a medical practitioner in a failing healthcare system was unreasonable. As a result, she embarked on a new challenge: to ameliorate health policies for the benefit of the masses. This newly-acquired perspective led her to begin a career in public health early on.

This resulted in her working as the Program Coordinator for a well-known Public Health-oriented organization and overseeing the implementation of 2 programs. Understanding how to best serve the target populations, with regard to their existing needs, was crucial to the successful provision of her deliverables. Therefore, she also collaborated closely with a multidisciplinary team as well as key stakeholders from various sectors including the Ministry of Health the Haitian Medical Association, the National Ambulance Center, and different NGOs. Carla’s work as a Program Coordinator for a Public Health institution further helped her mentally grasp the value of an integrative approach to holistically address a population’s needs. By enrolling in the Masters of Sustainable Development Practice Program, Carla aims to shape her career in public health through the lens of sustainable development as she strongly believes this outlook will help her become an Agent of Change, not only in her country, but also in other regions of the world where her services will be needed.

Interests: Planning/implementing/evaluating public health programs, public health research, systems thinking, international health, health policy, health systems management.

 

Name: Catalina Baracatt Prada

Hometown: Tarija, Bolivia

Education: BA in Political Science, Specialization in Women’s Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

Experience: From a very young age, Catalina saw firsthand the inequality in the world while growing up in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Nevertheless, it became evident that what she clearly understood as a systematic problem was not others’ priority to resolve. Realizing that by doing nothing, she became part of the problem. She then devoted her life to combating the system that allowed inequality to get replicated and amplify.

The experience that shaped her life was with Bolivia Recicla, an Organization that helps many indigenous people by exchanging recyclable materials for money. She had the opportunity to meet Los Recicladores, the invisible help that contributes silently to the environment without any recognition. The passionate, inspiring and hard-working people pushed her even further to fight along them.

Catalina took leadership positions in volunteer organizations such as TECHO Bolivia, an Organization that helps marginal communities by providing better living qualities. This organization allowed her to help and learn from those communities while helping build houses. Simultaneously, she was part of Operation Smile Bolivia, an organization that aims to provide fiances for surgery and dental care for thousands of children each year. While working with these organizations, she understood the immediate change that is needed. Decided to advanced her knowledge while continuing to volunteer. She took the role of Director of Fundraising for Service for Sight. Along with the student community, she organized events that were able to raise $37,000 while advocating for the visual impaired.

Interests: Nonprofit management, Indigenous leadership, cultural diversity, female empowerment, gender equality, social justice, human rights, Latin American Studies, post-colonialism, reading, podcasts, cooking.

 

Name: Damian Oakes

Hometown: Ixopo, South Africa

Education: BSocSci in Political Science & French (University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa); BA (Hons) French (University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa); MA: Interpreting and Translation (University of Pretoria, South Africa); Middlebury Arabic Summer Programme (Middlebury College, USA)

Experience: During his postgraduate studies, Damian was selected by the French Embassy in South Africa to participate in the programme d’assistanat : assistant(e) de langue (anglaise) at a high school in Annecy, France. After completing his post graduate studies, he worked as a French teacher at an Independent high school in South Africa. Teaching French as a foreign language (FLE), at various institutions (various governmental departments, Institutions of higher learning, and the Alliance Française) helped him appreciate the vital role of educators in empowering and impacting learners’ lives.

From 2015 to 2019, Damian worked with the African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA). The ACCA is an African Coalition of Civil Society Organisations which support African communities and individuals whose human rights are adversely impacted daily by the activities of corporations, both multi-national and domestic. During his tenure at the ACCA, they worked on the thematic areas of Free, Prior and Informed Consent and access to remedy. His tenure as the first full-time Project Coordinator for the ACCA helped him gain invaluable insight into the field of business and human rights, helped him understand the dangers of corporate impunity, and the important role played by CSOs in educating communities on human rights and advocating for community rights.

From April 2019 to July 2022, Damian worked with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in South Africa in the capacity of Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) Coordinator and Facilitator (Southern Africa region). COA sessions provide relevant information to refugees who have been selected for resettlement in Canada which enable participants to become active members of Canadian society. Working at the IOM has helped him better appreciate the resilience of refugees and the nexus between migration and development. Additionally, working with refugees, both within Southern Africa and outside the region, taught him to adapt COA training sessions to suit the needs of their participants and the importance of treating all people with dignity and respect.

Working in the humanitarian sector adds meaning and purpose to Damian’s life. Witnessing a life changed motivates him to remain in this field. As such, completing the MDP program at UF will assist in cementing a fruitful career in international sustainable development, with a focus on conservation, to better serve vulnerable populations internationally.

Interests: Foreign languages, Islam, migration and development, education, African history, colonisation, post-colonial Africa, refugees, smuggling, migration, human rights, hiking, fitness.

 

Name: Garon Joannou

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Education: BA in Philosophy, Environmental Studies Minor, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA

Experience: Garon started his undergraduate experience as a Business major before transitioning towards a degree in Philosophy. His time studying Ethics and Transcendentalism led him to take his first Sustainability course. Environmental ethics and personal engagement with natural phenomena were fascinating to him. He finished his time at Furman University by completing courses related to Sustainability and Environmental Sciences. Working with the local community through outreach programs led by the Sustainability Department and its associates was deeply rewarding. He enjoyed creating surveys and identifying problem areas within these communities with the help of his peers. This is what led him to become deeply involved with Sustainable Development.

Garon is fortunate to have diverse professional experience. He has interacted with individuals from various occupational and educational backgrounds by working in the service industry, corporate spaces, non-profits, volunteer practices, and international businesses. He is currently working at a sustainable textile company based in South Florida where he oversees both the execution of hospitality projects and sustainable initiatives.

His primary concerns are improving economic and social security in communities and pairing this with a strong ecological consciousness. He hopes to ensure that everyone has equal access to necessary resources that will ideally yield improvements to overall societal and environmental wellbeing. He believes that cultivating a connection between people and the environment will bring this positive change. Rekindling the love of the land will drive change in areas of desperate need.

Interests: Community development and empowerment, Sustainable Development Goals, resilience, sustainable education, climate change, climate change misinformation, food systems, music, record collecting, video games, pc gaming, soccer, tennis, hiking, walking my dog, traveling.

 

Name: Julia (Lia) Nelson

Hometown: Ada, Minnesota, USA

Education: B.B.A in Marketing, Schreiner University, Kerrville, Texas, USA

Experience: Growing up on a crop farm in Northern Minnesota, Lia found a passion for agriculture and environmentalism at a young age. As her involvement on the family farm grew, so did her interest in related issues of pollution, soil quality, and water contamination. Years in 4-H and FFA provided more opportunities to explore facets of sustainability especially during her time serving as a state and national shooting sports and wildlife ambassador. Through high school and undergraduate studies her interest in business piqued as did knowledge of green marketing and greenwashing. As a digital marketing intern for Green Cloud Nine, Lia organized a panel discussion of Olympic athletes ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games to break down the intersectionality of sports and sustainability. She has also taken on concerns of combating overconsumption and developing sustainable supply chains. Lia’s final honors capstone project investigated research correlating sustainable investments to firm performance. Additionally, she has consulted with Walmart’s sustainability team in web design and user experience. Lia is excited to advance her continued education at the University of Florida and anticipates a professional career in water and land management.

Interests: Corporate social responsibility, local agriculture, environmental law, data analytics, social justice, shotgun shooting, traveling, hiking, TED talks, podcasts.

 

Name: Khaalil Williams-Frierson

Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Education: BA in Sustainability Studies; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Experience: Khaalil originally started off as a computer engineering student, but after a couple of years, he found out that though he had a major interest in computers, that was not his true passion. He remembered how he would have long discussions with friends and family about the state of the environment and how things could and should change in order to make the world a better place. He also thought about how much he enjoyed his AP Environmental Science class and how much he enjoyed talking in that class compared to others. After that, he switched into the sustainability studies major at UF and found what he actually wanted to become.

Khaalil has had plenty of leadership experience through the National Society of Black Engineers, where he held the historian, secretary, and president positions throughout his years in the organization. Though he was no longer an engineering major, he would think of ways to integrate sustainable solutions into the many engineering topics discussed amongst his peers. This also occurs in his daily life, as whenever he sees a problem in society, he analyzes it and comes up with a sustainable solution in his head.

Khaalil believes that AI is the future of sustainability, as automation can lead to a decrease in wasted resources. This is why he sought after and obtained a certificate in AI Fundamentals while he was working on his degree. He also believes that a major issue in the world’s reach for long term sustainability is major corporations, which is why his end goal is to become a sustainability manager or consultant in order to tackle that issue at its root.

Interests: Renewable energy, AI in the field of sustainability, climate change mitigation, sustainable production, natural resource management, sustainable transportation, technology, video games.

 

Name: Laras Salsabila (Salsa)

Hometown: Bogor, Indonesia

Education: BS in Communication and Community Development, Resmi Institut Pertanian (IPB) University, Bogor, Indonesia

Experience: Salsa is a passionate, lifelong learner, and young professional with a demonstrated history of working in non-profit organizations and the Red Cross Movement. Growing up loving and giving freely awakened Salsa to care for the underprivileged. She is driven by a passion for helping others and a desire to contribute to the betterment of humanity.

Since middle school, Salsa has been actively involved in volunteering. To name a few, she volunteered with Terminal Hujan to provide non-formal education for underprivileged children in her hometown. During her college years, she and her friends initiated a project called “Geng Bacaku” with the aim of improving elementary school students’ literacy where she led the development of holistic learning curricula. She also volunteered with Research and Community Empowerment of IPB University where she and her team worked together with the community in Nibung Village, Bangka Belitung Islands, in strengthening the local tourist attractions. Her volunteering experiences have inspired her to pursue a career that appeals to her interests, gives meaning to life, and potentially makes a difference in some way.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Salsa joined the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC) Office for Indonesia and Timor-Leste where she supported COVID-19 Emergency Response Operations carried out by Indonesia Red Cross and Timor-Leste Red Cross for planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting activities. Apart from supporting the pandemic response, she was also involved in long-term community development projects; Integrated Community-based Risk Reduction (ICBRR) in Timor-Leste; Community Epidemic, and Pandemic Preparedness (CP3) in Indonesia; and several emergency response operations to natural disasters striking both countries. From this experience, she learned specific skills in project and program management, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing especially in the area of emergency response, disaster risk management, and humanitarian assistance.

Prior to joining IFRC, Salsa worked at Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL) where she assisted in data collection on conditional cash transfers for early childhood development in the capital of Jakarta using a randomized evaluation method. She gained experience working with various elements in the communities, including but not limited to the different types of authorities, religious and community leaders, media, etc.

During her college years, Salsa was awarded the 3rd most outstanding student by IPB University in 2018 and graduated as the top 2% performer. She was involved intensively in competitive parliamentary English debates and Model United Nations (MUN) and won several awards. Upon completing her master’s, she hopes to lead/create a social impact organization of her own focusing on the education and wellness of young children in Indonesia.

Interests: Children and youth, nonprofit management, humanitarian assistance, research methods, project management, program design, monitoring and evaluation, report writing, hiking, camping, kayaking, volunteering, live music, cooking, traveling.

 

Name: Matthew Sealy

Hometown: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

Education: B.Sc. Biology & Chemistry, M.Sc. Renewable Energy Technology, University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago

Experience: Matthew began his interest in environmental sustainability while working on a research project during his B.Sc. which focused on environmentally friendly waste treatment methods for use in the national sector. Since then, he has volunteered in various environmental and social groups focused on environmental and social issues. This volunteer experience has been the main driving force for him to pursue a career in sustainable development.

Academically, he has completed a B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry and has recently completed a M.Sc. in Renewable Energy Technology during the covid-19 pandemic. His research project focused on efficient designs for sustainable housing communities in Trinidad communities. During the pandemic and his M.Sc. programme he continued to work voluntarily both with regional groups and international groups via online platforms on social and environmental issues. One of the highlights of this time was being part of a project to produce an Energy Road Map for several rural communities. Professionally, Matthew has worked as a research consultant in the areas of digital media management, non-profit management, and business strategy. This work usually focuses on the integration of sustainable practices such as energy efficiency and waste management into corporate frameworks. He has also worked part time and voluntarily on grant writing as well as research focused on environment, education, and at-risk youth. During his free time, Matthew volunteers to tutor O-level and A- level high school students.

Interests: Renewable energy, climate change, urban development and planning, water security, energy mapping, environmental policy development, Environmental / Social / Governance (ESG), football, outdoors activities, reading.

 

Name: Mesly J. Mata Loya

Hometown: Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico

Education: BS in Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA

Experience: Mesly has always had a strong passion for animal and environmental welfare, and she originally wanted to be a veterinarian. Because of this, she has been involved with several organizations focused on animal health, including a kitten rescue, a trap-neuter-release program, a vet clinic, and the vet teaching hospital at Oklahoma State University. She also worked at WildCare Foundation, where she helped meet the medical and basic needs of wild animals that had been orphaned or injured. At this job, she noticed the outstanding vulnerability of wildlife and the desperate need to improve their situation. However, despite helping thousands of animals every year, she realized the limited impact of veterinarians on a population scale of wildlife health, which inspired her to take an ecosystem approach to conservation instead.

Mesly had several opportunities to participate in research as an undergraduate student. She was a summer REU student at Cornell University, where she collaborated with Dr. Scott McArt’s lab in a project regarding disease transmission on native pollinators. Besides learning the basic skills used in the research process, she learned from the direct collaboration of Dr. McArt with local farmers. As an undergraduate she also participated in research involving pathology, chemical solutions to water pollution, entomology, and avian ecology, behavior and conservation.

Most recently, Mesly worked as a receptionist and Spanish interpreter at a Christian non-profit pediatric clinic in Oklahoma City that focuses on serving uninsured and underinsured children. This clinic serves some of the most marginalized groups in Oklahoma City, including Hispanic immigrants, Afghan refugees, and low-income local families. Working there, she was able to deeply connect with these groups and she became even more inspired to continue to do so from an environmental perspective.

Interests: Wildlife conservation, rainforest restoration, anthropogenic impact, indigenous leadership, cultural diversity, immigration advocacy, sustainable living, reading, Christianity, tennis, dirt-biking, dancing, hiking.

 

Name: Mirian Yadira Molina de Cruz (Yadira)

Hometown: La Ceiba, Honduras

Education: Bachelor of Physical Science, California State University, Chico, California, USA; Forestry Technician, National School of Forestry Sciences (UNACIFOR), Siguatepeque, Honduras

Experience: Yadira has been working for more than 25 years in the Honduran forestry sector in an extremely challenging political, economic, and social context. She has a great deal of field experience, in implementing practical approaches to sustainable development. Yadira has been able to work and raise three kids (26, 16, and 13), in part because of the support of her husband, who is also a forester, however, it is not the case for most of her women colleagues working in a sector dominated by men who believe Forestry is a “man’s career”. Therefore, she believes this academic opportunity at UF would strengthen her ability to support women’s equal participation in natural resource management, as she plans to continue developing her leadership among her peers within the College of Professional Foresters of Honduras (COLPROFORH).

In 2004, together with her husband, and other colleagues, Yadira founded MaderaVerde, a Honduran non-profit that works on numerous development activities, in communities across the North Coast of Honduras contributing to the livelihoods of rural families of her country by promoting self-sufficiency and responsible forest management, increasing their competitiveness and creating successful businesses. Their projects foster economic development and employment opportunities for men and women and at-risk youth in marginalized forest communities. From there, working along with their partner NGO, GreenWood in the USA, in the remote valley of Sico Paulaya near the Honduran Mosquitia, Yadira lead the development of the “Green Broker Network” a unique and innovative, market-based approach, which was recognized with the first-ever Yale First Prize for Forestry Innovation from the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) during its annual meeting held in January 2014 at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and an award from the Vidanta Foundation of Mexico for its contribution to poverty reduction in December of the same year.

Moreover, since 2012 Yadira has been involved in the Voluntary Partnership Agreement VPA negotiated between the Government of Honduras and the European Union, as a representative, and spokesperson for civil society’s crucial role in the FLEGT process. From 2018 through 2020 Yadira was a member of the Technical Working Group for revising the “FSC standard for group entities in forest management groups” highlighting the need for practical and implementable approaches to promote the generation of local capacities that ensure self-management and market development for indigenous peoples and traditional communities.

Interests: Family outdoors activities, entrepreneurship, spreading the Christian gospel, development of rural communities, incentives to reduce illegal migration, promoting gender-equal participation in natural resource management, protecting biodiversity, strengthening resilience to climate change.

 

Name: Raymond Parker Hopkins

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Education: BA in Environmental Studies with a Biology specialization at McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland, USA

Experience: Raymond began collaborating with local conservation groups in the North Carolina Piedmont when he was quite young and was involved in writing legislation to pass a statewide Save the Frogs Day to bring awareness to the global amphibian crisis and its potential impact on the diverse herpetofauna of North Carolina. He later partnered with the NC Herpetological Society to push for recognizing two state amphibians in NC, the Marbled Salamander and the Pine Barrens Treefrog, and worked with the NC Zoo to tag Pine Barrens Treefrogs in the NC Sandhills as part of a long-term study.

In college, Raymond focused his education along herpetology with the goal of going back to work in zoos or museums as a curator after graduating. During his undergrad, he studied screaming behavior of the Smoky Jungle Frog, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, in Costa Rica and amphibian niche partitioning in Loreto, Peru two years later. While he began to explore sustainable development at this time, his primary interest was still herpetology in the Neotropics.

After graduating, he worked in food service until he was able to return to Peru where he spent a year at two study sites, the small Yarapa channel along Amazonas and Manú National Park investigating amphibian community distribution and abundance, and the climbing behavior of Rhinella margaritifera. There, he worked directly with indigenous and migrant communities of western Amazonia and the foothills of the Sierra. He was involved with building biogardens in Salvación and became more interested in promoting conservation through the intersection of economic and social justice that concentrates power and decision-making in the hands of local actors. He is very interested in divesting from occidental hegemony to promote indigenous knowledge and solutions in fighting climate change.

Interests: Forestry, habitat restoration, language, herpetology, decolonizing, sustainable agriculture, indigenous autonomy, water rights, community resilience, community conservation.

 

Name: Sylvia Adisa

Hometown: Mautuma, Kenya

Education: BSc in Project Planning and Management, specialization in sustainable development and empowerment of underserved groups, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya

Experience: Sylvia Adisa is a conservation leader and researcher with a current focus on examining marine biodiversity challenges associated with local fishing communities to provide evidence for sustainable resource use and management. Her research explores the preparedness and integration of Kenyan fishing communities’ traditional knowledge in the Ocean Decade objectives and the Sustainable Blue Economy.

In her previous role, Sylvia worked as a data analyst on sustainability and environmental conservation issues, with a focus on data collection and management and delivery of interventions critical for improving livelihoods especially for vulnerable communities across Western Kenya. Sylvia has led and co-developed environmental programs focusing on environmental restoration and leveraging young people to support environmental conservation. She has also spearheaded fundraising initiatives to build strong networks within the community development and conservation sector in western Kenya.

Interests: Women and youth empowerment, environmental conservation, sustainable development, climate and environmental justice, networking, traveling, music

 

Cohort 12 (2021-2023)

Name: Genaro Guerrero Espinosa

Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico

Education: BA in Environmental Engineering, Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Puebla, Mexico

Experience: Genaro has developed a great passion for water conservation during his professional and academic career. He has experienced firsthand the difficulties faced by local communities and industries in Mexico.

During his undergraduate studies, Genaro was part of his university’s student radio “Elocuencia 8080” as president  and  producer.  He  also volunteered as part of the water quality staff in UDLAP´s treatment plant where he led a census of native flora and fauna occupying its artificial wetland. From 2017 to 2019 Genaro was part of the Jumper Program at DOW Chemical and CORTEVA AgriSciences as a formulations intern–he led a quality control investigation on raw materials used in production.

After graduating with a BA in Environmental Engineering from UDLAP, he was invited to work at the Town Hall of San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, as Director of Projects and Environmental Education, from 2019 to June of 2021. Here he helped create solutions to solve water conservation issues and promote environmental education programs. He developed projects such as water treatment plants & wetlands, water purification systems for communities & schools, water access programs for agricultural use, water table recharge projects and local waterway restoration projects.

Genaro is very excited to continue his education at UF in the MDP program to further develop his skills to help industries and developing communities thrive.

Interests: Water treatment, water conservation, environmental education, climate change, life cycle assessment, chemistry, history, anthropology, hiking, radio, music, cooking, traveling.

 

Name: Jeantel Cheramy

Hometown: Mombin-Crochu, Haiti

Education: BSc in Environmental Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey

Experience: Growing up in Mombin-Crochu, a very remote rural area in the North-East of Haiti, his interest in Sustainable Development has been evident from an early age. It has been mainly influenced by the difficulties experienced by people in his community to meet basic needs such as access to safe drinking water, basic health care, and access to education.  At the age of 13, he left his family and home to travel to an urban area in order to continue his classical studies and access a much better quality of education. While studying in Cap-Haitien, the second largest city of Haiti, which has faced the effects of Global Warming, he understood that the notion of sustainable development should be integrated into Haitian education in order to protect future generations. Furthermore, he believes this to be a key element in the search for possible solutions to combat this scourge in his country. This is how the desire to be an advocate for sustainable development was nurtured.

In terms of university education, Cheramy holds a diploma in Environmental Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. He completed a short course in Environmental Planning and Implementation at UNESCO-IHE Water for Education in the Netherlands and completed training in Environmental Sustainability (Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program [ELP]) at UC Berkeley, USA. These trainings allowed him to better understand and recognize the environmental problems which the world faces, particularly Haiti.

For the last six years, Cheramy has worked for Caracol Industrial Park, an organization where local and international investors provide their resources to transform raw materials into quality products in an environmentally respectful manner. One project that he was working on was evaluating ways to reduce the impacts of its activities, services and products on air, water, and land resources. Through this work , Cheramy was responsible for the implementation of the EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety) System within the Industrial Park.

There is a lot of environmental degradation in Haiti that produces waste. Ultimately, Cheramy aspires to tackle the environmental concerns that Haiti faces, and through this work, to solve the problems of poor waste management throughout Haiti.

Interests: Sustainable development, environmental education and awareness, climate change, community development, waste management, human behavior, wildlife protection and conservation, participating in campaigns, social, environmental or animal rights groups.

Name: Nicole Khumo Senuku

Hometown: Gaborone, Botswana

Education: BS in Media Studies, Double Major in Public Relations & English, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Experience: Nicole is a young vibrant and energetic Motswana professional, loves strategy development, communications, media, marketing and advertising. Giving back to the community is at the core of her purpose; youth development and social change. She is a proactive young woman, a self-starter with excellent team skills. She values integration of expertise towards attaining organizational goals. She has very good interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, leadership, communications and initiative skills which enable her to work hard to deliver exceptionally.

In 2011 – 2017, she introduced a youth radio talk show: Nikki Fix It Show on Yarona FM to engage youth issues. She also founded a youth empowerment and development NGO Future Junction Botswana. Nicole volunteered her time and skills as a Youth Advisory Council member of the U.S Embassy, Botswana. Worked for the University of Botswana Careers and Counselling Centre for three years, she was named Best Peer Counsellor of the year in 2013. Moreover, being a result-oriented person accords her the ability to work in any given environment.  Having nurtured good time management skills over the years, Nicole became the 2014 Moremi Initiative Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD) Fellow, an opportunity that encouraged her to expand into community development, women and girl’s empowerment, youth advocacy and sustainable development issues.

Growing up in a landlocked country and the current Covid -19 pandemic motivated Nicole’s interest in food security/food systems and creation of decent work within the agricultural sector, as well as exploring ways in which Botswana can attain a sustained and inclusive economic growth. She became a Global Shaper in 2014 to join an assembly of community change makers, in association with World Economic Forum. In her MDP Program journey, Nicole wishes to explore effective natural resources management, green technology development and land rehabilitation, restoration and re-purposing post mining activities. Nicole has over six years’ experience working within the diamond industry, at De Beers Group.

Nicole believes that given a chance to explore her talents and professional growth, she can be an asset to any organization. On the above-mentioned work experience platforms, she developed international networking skills which enable her to interact and work well with diverse teams.

Interests: Food security, food systems, natural resource management, green technology, land rehabilitation / restoration / repurposing.