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Amanda Adams is an honor student at Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is involved in many clubs and other activities which include French National Honor Society, Technology Honor Society, Teens for Life, and Governor's Program on Abstinence. She enjoys dancing in her free time and she has danced for eleven years. Amanda also enjoys being with family and friends and doing anything with them that they may want to do. She volunteers her time in many ways including working with homeless animals due to Hurricane Katrina, taking time to keep disabled people company, and many other ways that she may be of help to others. Amanda has been nominated twice for the National Young Leader's Conference, but was unable to attend both times. Amanda was selected to be a part of the WWF Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program. She is thrilled to be a part of this program and cannot wait to begin and make changes in the world.

My name is Abbie Barras. I am 17 years old and I attend Poplarville High School. I lived in Chalmette, LA until Hurricane Katrina, after which my family and I moved to Poplarville, MS. I sing in the choir and singing is my favorite thing to do aside from going to youth group at church. I also love to act and draw and am very outgoing. I will attend The University of New Orleans in the fall, and I intend to major in Mathematics and pursue a career in teaching. I am the youngest in my family with three older sisters, and I have two nieces. My family is very important to me.

Dylan Beasley is a 17 year old junior attending both Ben Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, participating in the media arts discipline. As an aspiring Audio Engineer, he has done many projects outside of school towards that career, including live sound at the Jazz and Heritage Festival, Voodoo Fest, and a job at a local Studio. He was nominated for Nocca's Presidential Honor Awards, and won 1st place, as well as several 1st place special-interest awards, in the regional science fair on a sound acoustics project in the engineering division. In addition to Audio, he has spent a lot of time dealing with video production, and has submitted and won placings in such film festivals as the Louisiana Film Fest, the Red Stick Animation Film Festival, and the Ozone film Festival. At Ben Franklin High School, Dylan is a member of the National Honor Society, and has competed in the State championships for swim team. In the summers, he has spent extensive time camping, hiking, and honing his survival skills, volunteering three years in a row as staff for the Kerrville Folk Music Festival, and travelling to Japan. Dylan plans to continue through High School keeping up his academics, in the hopes of getting a scholarship for college.

Ariel Bernberg is currently a 9th grader at Isidore Newman School of New Orleans, La. Last year, she spent a year doing community service with the City Year Organization for which she spent every Saturday painting local public schools, cleaning out apartments for the handicapped, and making further efforts to renew her beloved city. At the end of this program, she was rewarded The President's Volunteer Service Award given by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. At school, Ariel is an active member of the Newman Green Club, a club that targets how to make school life more economically friendly. Additionally Ariel is currently a team captain for the upcoming Relay for Life event, a 24 hour walk to raise money and awareness of cancer. In her spare time Ariel greatly enjoys photography. In particular, Ariel likes photographing nature and insects.

Stephen Bordes is currently a freshman at Jesuit High School and lives in New Orleans, LA. He is an honor student, is the recipient of the National Merit Latin Award, and has qualified for the Duke University Talent Program. Stephen is a fourth year Keeper Aid for the Audubon Nature Institute and frequently travels to different parts of Louisiana and Mississippi to teach about animals and conservation. He is a multi-time recipient of the Audubon Zoo Mentor Award and the Most Valuable Volunteer Award. Stephen was born in Greenwich, CT and has been a resident of New Orleans for the past 8 years. Stephen is an avid reader and likes to sail, swim, snowboard, and play the piano.

My name is Elizabeth Brusseau and I am a junior at Benjamin Franklin High School. I work at La Divina, a gelato shop in New Orleans, and volunteer for the Key Club at my school. Recently I have volunteered with Gulf South Solar on Brad Pitt's Pink House project in the ninth ward. I am involved heavily in Speech and Debate and have won 6 awards this year and 4 awards last year in different events. I also won an award for my involvement in the Science Olympiad team at the end of last year. I love reading and crocheting in my spare time, although most of my time is devoted to school, work, and speech.

Timothy Caine is an Eagle Scout and active member of Troop 93. He is an outdoorsman and an avid backpacker. Currently, Tim is a senior at Hoover High School where he has marched in the Band for four years. For two years he played in the Hoover Jam Jazz Band where he is now lead trumpet. Tim enjoys listening to classic rock, jazz, and classical music. In August of 2008, Tim will attend Auburn University where he plans to march in the Band. Tim is a member of First United Methodist Church in downtown Birmingham where he is active in the youth group. He has been on three mission trips with his youth group. One such trip was to New Orleans to repair damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. He will attend one more mission trip with his youth group in June of 2008.

My name is Jelacia Campbell and I am excited to be participating in the WWF Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program this summer. I am currently a senior at Northwood High School in Lena, Louisiana. I have been accepted to Northwestern State University for the fall semester of 2008. I was voted class clown for senior personalities. I also participate in LSU-Alexandria's Teen Leadership College Program. In this program, we volunteer at certain organizations, for example, The Boy's and Girl's Club of Alexandria. I participate in Northwood High School's Drama/Debate Club. Whenever I get a chance I like to go out and play soccer, go to the mall with friends, and listen to music.

Rachel Ribando Gros is a 16-year-old honor student from Metairie, Louisiana. She is a sophomore at Mount Carmel Academy, located on Robert E. Lee Boulevard in one of the hardest hit areas of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Rachel received a scholarship to Mount Carmel and since her eighth-grade year there, has earned awards for academic excellence in the subjects of English I, English II, Physical Science, Geometry, Art I, and Latin II. Rachel placed 3rd at District Literary Rally in 2007 for Latin II and will be representing her school at Rally in 2008 in the subject of Algebra II. She recently received 2nd place in the Orleans Parish Communication District's 9-1-1 Poster Contest. Rachel is currently active in several groups at her school, including Academic Games, Quiz Bowl, and National Art Honor Society. She takes lessons for guitar and Irish dance and sings in the New Orleans Children's Chorus. She has toured with this choir in New York, Chicago, and Toronto and she looks forward to a choir trip this summer to San Francisco. Next year, Rachel will be attending the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches, Louisiana for her junior and senior years of high school. Rachel is excited to be a part of the WWF Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program and hopes that she can contribute to a solution for the problems facing her region regarding climate change.

Hello! My name is Jessica Harvey and I am 16 years old. I am currently a Junior at Eleanor McMain Secondary School in my hometown of New Orleans, LA. After Hurricane Katrina I relocated to Gretna, LA which is about 5-10 minutes outside of Uptown New Orleans. I am very active at school. I am the president of the school choir, I am on the Flag Team, and I am also on the Student Leadership Advisory Committee (S.L.A.C.) I have been on the principal's honor roll for the first two quarters of this school year. I volunteer for different projects. I love to sing, dance, act, and even sometimes write.

My name is Sarah Hewes, and I attend St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi, Mississippi. I was on the national honor roll last year, and was nominated for it again this year. I love volunteer work. I have helped put on a breakfast for underprivileged children. I am very active at my church, and volunteer there often. At the moment I am helping to plan a fundraiser for a teacher of mine who has cancer. I have helped build two parks after Hurricane Katrina, and I love to work outside. I have been nominated to go to National Young Leaders Conference this summer. I play varsity golf for my school, and I am the captain this year. In my spare time I like to play golf and read. I also love to be outside. In the summer I like to go out to the barrier islands on my boat, go out on the bayou and wakeboard, kneeboard, and swim.

My name is Ben Hyman; I am a freshman at the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am fifteen years old, but will turn sixteen in May. I have lived in the same Uptown New Orleans house and gone to Newman my whole life since pre-kindergarten, with the exception of my seventh grade year, which was partially lost to Katrina. In the August of 2005 my family and I evacuated to Dallas where I attended the Greenhill School and lived with close relatives. That January I returned home to New Orleans to finish the school year at Newman. Luckily, my house was not damaged significantly during the disaster. I have always been involved with current events and the news, and especially the climate change crisis. When I was told about this program, I was eager to apply, and now I am extremely honored to be accepted.

Evan LaBranche is a junior at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, LA. At Franklin she has lettered in softball and cheerleading. She is a member of the Ben Franklin speech team where she placed in several city tournaments and qualified to participate in the national speech tournament. Evan has received numerous academic, service and volunteer awards from Ben Franklin including awards for helping to rebuild Ben Franklin after Hurricane Katrina. Evan was also inducted into the National Honor Society this past October (which requires a 3.85 cumulative grade point average), and serves as a peer facilitator, peer tutor, and peer mentor to her fellow students at Ben Franklin. As Evan was a French student for two years, she earned the privilege of going to France in 2007 to learn about their people and culture. Evan was selected to go to the district science and engineering fair where she won first place in Environmental Science and is now eligible to compete at the state science and engineering fair in April 2008. Recently, Evan was nominated for the National Council on Youth Leadership. She is a member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. where she has participated in toy drives for lower income children, the UNCF Walk-a-thon, feeding the homeless at a local shelter, and building playgrounds for local schools.

Sydnea Lewis attends Benjamin Franklin High School. She loves to read and is the President of the Library Reading Club at her school. Currently she works at Curves Gym for women as a circuit coach. She has worked with UNO Advanced Materials Research Institute as a nanotechnology intern. When she isn't working or reading, Sydnea volunteers at St. Margaret's Retirement home, sits with her grandmother or spends time with her self-appointed little sister. Sydnea also paints and her artwork has been featured in exhibits. As an advocate for peace, Sydnea has represented New Orleans in D.C. with the National Campaign to Stop the Violence. She has written poetry concerning violence that has been placed in the Library of Congress and has had a press conference with her senator regarding violence and the aftermath of Katrina. Sydnea is always willing to experience new things and is never afraid of failing.

Hello I am Dillon Molnar. I moved to New Orleans in 2002. I attended St. Georges Episcopal, Jesuit High School, and am now at Benjamin Franklin High School. I like to play video games, hang out, and sleep.

Kathrina Janee McGary is a 17 year old senior at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, LA. While attending Franklin, Kathrina has been active in several clubs and activities. She participates in Academic Games, Black Culture Club, Culinary Club, Cheerleading, Hispanic Culture Club, Key Club, National Honor Society, Peer Assistance Team, and Track. She is involved in several community activities such as mission outreach, City Park and school cleanups, and is President of the First District Baptist Missionary Association Young People's Department. Kathrina has participated in several national programs such as Duke University Talent Search, National Leadership Forum on Medicine, Lead America Medicine and Healthcare, and the National Youth Leadership Council. She has been awarded academic awards in various subjects and has received the following honors: National Achievement Finalist, AP Scholar, Commended National Merit Student, National High School Scholar, and Principal's Honor Roll. In her leisure time, Kathrina enjoys playing the piano, listening to music, and spending time with friends.

I am Ankita Patel, a junior currently attending Hoover High School in Hoover, AL. I am a student studying in the International Baccalaureate program, and I also am on the HHS Comprehensive and Pre-calculus Math Team. In reference to my academic courses, I have received an award for maintaining a GPA over 4.0 and I have received some Math Team awards in the 10th grade for competitions. Also, I enjoy doing community service at various areas such as working at our HHS Math Team competition, babysitting for teachers, doing Audio-video related work at my temple, and cleaning at my temple. For my community service, I have received an award for completing 80 hours. In my spare time, I love reading novels, fan fiction, and news articles. Watching T.V., surfing the internet, and playing games are things that I also do in my spare time.

My name is Lauren Pharo and I am 17 and a junior at Hoover High School, located in Hoover, Alabama. I have two brothers, Shawn (23) and Jason (20) who both attend Auburn University. I have been a Manager at Roly Poly sandwiches for a year. I baby sit every week for an 18 month old little girl named Ellie. I love to spend time with my friends and family. I enjoy reading, going to concerts, and being outside. After my senior year at Hoover I plan to go to Auburn University for nursing. I love babies and I hope to become a Neonatal nurse.

My name is Dane Verret, I'm from New Orleans, LA and I'm currently an eighteen year old senior in high school. I plan on furthering my education, and I'll be attending Middlebury Liberal Arts College in the fall. First and foremost, I'm a poet. What that means to me is that I'm obligated to not only look out for my fellow man, but the world that we both inhabit. I feel that it's my duty to make sure that others know about the changes that are going on in the world--but, I feel that it's my privilege to make sure that others understand the clout of these changes. That's why I seize every opportunity I can to make an impact, and by taking these chances, I grow as knowledge grows.

Jackson Giani Weldon is a sophomore in high school at St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He is an active member of St. Stanislaus' Philosophy Club and Sailing Team. He enjoys playing guitar, reading political journals, and plans to study journalism and music in college. He is active in two youth ministry groups and plays music for one of those groups. He has also volunteered in the rebuilding of Hurricane Katrina damaged homes in New Orleans. He is a camp counselor and teaches sailing during the summers. His parents are John and Germaine Weldon in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and he has two sisters, Anna and Morgan, who will be attending graduate school in the fall.

Hope Whitsell is a sophomore at Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana where she is an honor student. She currently is a member of Celebration, a school liturgical choir; Mount Carmel Academy Swim Team, 2006 and 2007 state champion; Student Government; Teens For Life; Governor's Program on Abstinence; Technology Honor Society; Crescent City Swim Club, a year round swim team; and Lakeside Swim Team, a summer swim team. Last summer she participated in the Ulster Project where she hosted a Northern Irish teen for a month. This program is an international peace keeping program to promote peace in Northern Ireland. Hope is currently active in her CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) group where she participates in service projects and recreational events. She went to elementary school at St. Dominic School in New Orleans. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family.

Maggie Whitsell is a sophomore at Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is an honors student who is involved in many extracurricular activities. These include Mount Carmel's swim team, Crescent City Swim Club, a year-round swim team, and Lakeside Country Club Swim Team in the summer. Mount Carmel swim team has won state for the past two years. Additionally, she is a member of Celebration, the liturgical choir at Mount Carmel, Technology Honor Society, Teens for Life, Student Council, Governors Program for Abstinence and her parish Catholic Youth Organization. She enjoys volunteer work with many different organizations. In the summer of 2007, she participated in the Ulster Project, an international peace keeping organization for teens from Northern Ireland and the United States. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with her friends and family.

Hi! I am Danielle Wold. I am 17 and live right outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. I live on the west bank of the Mississippi river. I love this city and have lived here from birth. I live with my parents, Kim and Tim. I also have an older sister who attends college at Southeaster in Hammond, Louisiana. I attend high school at Ursuline Academy in New Orleans Louisiana. I love this school and have attended Ursuline for the past four years, with the exception of my displacement period during hurricane Katrina. I will graduate from Ursuline on May 10, 2008. Throughout my years in high school I have completed various charitable works such as working with habitat for humanity and an active member in the effort to rebuild New Orleans after the hurricane. After graduation, I plan on attending Louisiana State University or Tulane University. I plan on majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Political Science. Once I have completed college I hope to take a year off before graduate school and join the Peace Corps. This is a dream of mine, and I believe life is never completed until you have helped someone else.

Taylor Yarbrough is an 11th grader at Lusher Charter School in New Orleans, Louisiana. After graduating next year she plans to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and someday earn a PhD in psychology. Taylor enjoys vacationing with family, reading, creative writing, shopping, music and the arts. This summer Taylor will be participating in the WWF/Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program, Tulane University's Upward Bound Program and the Tavis Smiley Youth Leadership Institute. Once her busy summer has slowed down Taylor plans to volunteer at Children's Hospital.