Round 2 - Club Panelists
Saman de Silva
BAYLI
Jamie Minden
Silicon Valley Sunrise
Jonathan Ke
CYAP
Audrey Chang
LAHS Green Team
Katie Rueff
Gunn Green Team
Saman de Silva is a local environmentalist from Gunn High School. In addition to running the Gunn High School Green Team, he founded the Bay Area Youth Lobbying Initiative (BAYLI) as a way for him and other youth environmentalists to become directly involved with federal and state politics. He is a devoted politico-environmental advocate who hopes to be able to unify local environmentalists in political causes.
Jonathan wants to share his knowledge about the current climate crisis with others and raise awareness of the urgent problems it produces on our planet. He firmly believes that education is the key to bring about change. As you, he feels that it is important that we carry out this mission because the younger generation holds the future of the world in their hands. He also loves photography, and you can find him in the city with his camera, or maybe at home in front of his laptop editing photos.
Katie Rueff is an environmental activist who helps organize tree plantings with Canopy and teaches students at Ohlone and Palo Verde through ClimatEdu. Outside of Green Team, she is a member of the theatre community and enjoys biology.
Jamie Minden is a senior at St. Francis High School and a co-founder and hub coordinator of Silicon Valley Sunrise (formerly known as Silicon Valley Youth Climate Strikes). She is also a Teen Conservation Leader at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is the President of the Saint Francis Environmental Club, and is co-president of the Saint Francis Queer Student Union. She has worked on a variety of causes, successfully advocating for environmental changes in local City Councils, and working with local politicians on environmental and social justice policy. In her free time she enjoys watching stand-up comedy and kayaking.
Audrey is an ardent environmentalist with an interest in environmental education and grassroots movements. As the co-president of LAHS Green Team, she has helped pass a Climate Action Resolution with the MVLA District School Board, ban the sale and distribution of plastic water bottles, and reduce on-campus idling by 80%. When she’s not organizing projects, Audrey can be found hiking or sewing large plush objects that resemble food.