Young Leaders Award Recipients, Cohort 2
On behalf of the entire Walking Softer team and the nominating organizations, we would like to congratulate our second cohort's Young Leaders Award recipients.
We received numerous outstanding nominations and are excited to announce that a cohort of 12 Young Leaders has been selected after a rigorous and competitive selection process. These accomplished Changemakers will receive up to $75,000 to support their innovative projects while participating in year-long programming to build their leadership capacities while amplifying their voices in the movement toward a thriving and just plant.
And the awardees are…
Lauren Castelino is the founder of the Green Career Centre, where she prepares underrepresented youth for green careers. Over more than six years, Lauren has reached thousands of youth through developing environmental programs and sharing career development resources. Impressively, Lauren has secured more than $1.5 million dollars for BIPOC-led and impact-driven organizations which has financed the creation of scores of environmental events, dozens of green jobs, three community gardens and spaces for community organizing. Lauren has been recognized by Corporate Knights, The Starfish Canada, Metroland Media and several prominent politicians for her vital work.
Dr. Win Cowger is the Research Director at the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research. Win is an internationally sought expert for his data analysis skills and has produced software and methodological standards that are highly utilized and cited by the plastic pollution research community. His disciplinary background is in Environmental Science where he studies the sources, transport, and fate of plastic pollution in the environment. Win’s primary objective with science is to identify solutions to plastic pollution and assess their effectiveness.
Serena Mendizabal (she/her) is a Cayuga Wolf Clan-Panamanian woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Serena is a community-based researcher, grassroots organizer, and environmental advocate. Serena began her journey in climate justice and clean energy when she was 18 finding gaps in community consent for renewable energy projects and further explored what climate justice and a just transition can look like in a community of over 28,000 members. From then on, Serena has dedicated her life to Indigenous self-determination, climate justice, environmental health impacts, and clean energy transitions through studies, work, and extracurriculars. Serena is passionate about self-determined community development, action, and futures led by sovereign, healthy nations. Serena is the Just Transition Manager at Sacred Earth Solar, Co-Chair at SevenGen National Indigenous Youth Energy Council, Climate Action Strategy Co-Lead at Protect the Tract, and Course Collaborator for Connecting for Climate Change Action, as well as Board of Director at Student Energy and an Advisory Council member for Indigenous Clean Energy.
Brayan Cruz (He/They) is located on the traditional lands of the Acjachemen people in Santa Ana, OC. As a migrant person, their work is driven by the preservation of culture through seeds and food. Their knowledge comes from their lived experiences as a working-class migrant person, their community, and their culture. Their land work is focused on urban gardening and restorative farming practices in their community. Where they actively support the development of food and seed sovereignty projects. They are driven by intergenerational healing and migrant justice initiatives. Their individual and collective work is part of a greater responsibility. A responsibility to care for the land, cultural knowledge and seeds for the next generations. As an undocumented person, they believe in the access to traditional food and cooking materials as a medium for holistic wellness.
Tez Steinberg is an ocean explorer, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker on mindset, resilience and personal growth. As Chief Engine Officer of United World Challenge, Tez rowed a 7-meter boat across the Pacific Ocean by himself from California to Australia in 196 days over two expeditions that raised $77K in donations for scholarships for peace and $72K for river barriers to prevent ocean plastic. Named “One of the 50 Best Young Minds in the World” by the World Economic Forum, Tez has founded 4 nonprofits and is passionate about harnessing the power of business for positive change.Tez earned his MBA from London Business School and completed undergrad at the University of Oxford and Macalester College. Tez’s leadership has been recognized by some of the world's foremost organizations including The Explorers Club of New York, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, NEXUS Global, Summit Series, and the World Economic Forum.
Jack Hanson is the cofounder and executive director of Run On Climate. He has been working to advance climate justice since his senior year of high school. In 2019, Jack was elected to the Burlington, Vermont City Council at the age of 24, breaking voter turnout records in the process. While on Council he championed numerous policies to reduce emissions and lower the cost of living in Burlington, including requirements for landlords to weatherize rental units, renewable heating requirements for new buildlings, a citywide electric bikeshare system, a commitment and roadmap to get Burlington off of fossil fuels by 2030, and more. He started Run On Climate in 2021 to support other local-level leaders and climate activists working to advance climate action in their own communities.
Abhay Singh Sachal is a 22-year old Canadian whose research and work resides at the intersection of climate justice, ecoanxiety, mental health, and spirituality. He is the founder of Break The Divide, a non-profit organization that empowers young people to recognize their climate emotions and connects communities to build resilience and share knowledge amidst the climate crisis. Abhay is also one of 10 advisors in the inaugural Environment and Climate Change Canada Youth Council. Outside of his activism, Abhay is currently a student at the University of Regina, completing a Masters of Education in Educational Psychology; a public speaker on climate and mental health issues; and, an avid ice hockey player and pianist.
Keenan Adams was a military brat; however South Carolina is considered home. He played college football, studied forestry and wildlife and got a PhD from Clemson University. He has spent the last 15 years working as a land manager and scientist for several agencies in many parts of the country. He started a farm in Puerto Rico to make a positive impact on the land and the community.
Wawa Gatheru is a climate activist & Rhodes scholar passionate about cultivating a climate movement that is made in the image of all of us. She is the founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Environmentalist, the only national organization dedicated to addressing the pipeline and pathway issue for Black girls, women, and gender expansive individuals in the climate sector. She sits on boards and advisory councils for the Environmental Media Association, Climate Power, Sound Future, National Parks Conservation Association, and EarthJustice and is an inaugural member of the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council of the US EPA - the first federal youth-led advisory council in US history. For her work, Wawa has been recognized as a Glamour College Woman of the Year, a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient, an AFROTECH Future 50, a Grist 50 fixer, a Young Futurist by The Root, a Climate Creator to Watch by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a Public Voices Fellow by Yale, and was featured on the January 2023 digital cover of Vogue alongside Billie Eilish and 7 other climate activists.
Sage Lenier is a climate activist, public speaker, and nonprofit leader. She got her start teaching her own program at UC Berkeley, which broke records for largest-ever student-led class. She is the Founder & Executive Director of Sustainable & Just Future and was recently honored by TIME Magazine as a 2023 Next Generation Leader.
Miswar Syed is completing his master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in renewable energy and power systems, at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He is a researcher, published author, inventor, TEDx speaker, and panelist, having participated in numerous conferences worldwide. With experience in both Fortune 500 companies and startups in the clean energy sector, he focuses on lab-to-market processes, scalability, strategic partnerships, and market analysis. His expertise includes renewable energy systems, energy storage technologies, and AI applications in smart grids. Miswar has received multiple international awards for his work and is currently building his venture, Swish, which aims to enhance solar panel efficiency through innovative R&D solutions.
Suzanne Pierre is an ecologist and biogeochemist who is pairing science with social organizing to address the climate crisis. She is the founder and executive director of the Critical Ecology Lab, a national environmental research and social impact institution producing original scientific research, training professionals and the public, and changing the climate narrative to create pathways to justice and sustainability. Pierre holds a doctorate in ecology and biogeochemistry from Cornell University, and specializes in the cycling of carbon and nitrogen in plant and soil ecosystems across scales. She is based in the California Bay Area.
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