In 2019, three classmates and I launched The Tomorrow Project, a youth environmental education nonprofit teaching students about our world’s environmental challenges and what they can do to combat them. Prior to COVID-19, we visited elementary schools and led hands-on, interactive workshops to show students why it is so important to care for our planet. Now, we have transitioned to online instruction, hosting Zoom workshops and offering self-led educational opportunities on our website that students can take into the world around them on their own. Our mission is to make climate education accessible and to inspire others to preserve the environment. We are currently working to make our program more available to members of underserved communities, ensuring students of all socio-economic backgrounds can access our curriculum and encouraging them to actively protect our planet. When The Tomorrow Project was launched, we were three high school juniors figuring things out along the way. Through a combination of research and a lot of trial-and-error, we began recruiting other youth volunteers who were passionate about this journey. Now, we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization operating in 9 US cities (& one in India!), with over 130 youth volunteers. As co-founder of the organization, I have always been in a senior leadership role. I quickly began guiding and mentoring other volunteers, and I had to learn how to give performance feedback. I have worked hard to find my way on my own, sharing my story and offering tips that I found helpful on my journey - but I haven’t had a mentor to guide and encourage me in my own development. I would use this grant to build on my self-taught leadership skills. A stronger set of tools and a better understanding of my leadership style will enable me to lead my team more powerfully and impactfully; inspiring, guiding, and supporting our volunteers on their own paths towards becoming leaders As executive director of The Tomorrow Project, I have been named an Ashoka Youth Changemaker (twice), which has given me the opportunity to meet other youth leaders across the country. I have met people with similar entrepreneurial stories, and people with vastly different ones, but we all have had one thing in common - we are working hard to make our communities a better place. This network of changemakers has been incredibly inspirational, and it has motivated me to provide opportunities for other youth to develop as leaders as well. The Amplify grant will enable me to learn valuable leadership, mentoring, and community-building skills and tools so that I can continue to empower my peers to make their own difference in the world and grow as leaders as best I can.

I believe education is the foundation for our development as individuals, as communities, and as a society. Education is an ongoing pursuit, a continuous journey of learning how to learn, and a process of asking questions and searching for answers. The educators I know have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place, and I’m proud to be a member of this community. I grew up in a family of educators who taught me the power of knowledge and the importance of education as a tool to enact positive change. Across multiple generations, my family has instilled in me a belief that inspiring others to learn strengthens communities, connects people, and fulfills us. In 2019, three classmates and I launched The Tomorrow Project, a youth environmental education nonprofit teaching students about our world’s environmental challenges and what they can do to combat them. We are making efforts to take our program into underserved communities, and we ensure students of all socio-economic backgrounds can access our environmental education resources. Building this organization from the ground up while also working directly with students in the classroom has been incredibly rewarding. Last year, we visited a fourth-grade class and conducted a workshop on water pollution in local rivers. They were excited to participate in the workshop, and at the end, named habits they would develop to protect their waterways. Being an educator is about finding creative ways to engage people in learning, and having fun in the pursuit of intellectual exploration and social impact. I have grown in my community of educators over many years, and I am grateful for the people who have educated me along the way.