Kyle Gracey graduated in May from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with degrees in Ecological Economics and Biochemistry/Biophysics. He currently works for the United States Secretary of Transportation as an Environmental Policy Analyst. As a newly "released" young scientist, Kyle is interested in supporting other enthusiastic students working to advance the science of sustainable development.

Julia Kalloz is currently a senior at Villanova University near Philadelphia. She will graduate in May 2007 with a double major in Honors and Political Science as well as a concentration in Environmental Studies and a minor in German. Before moving to near Philadelphia Julia lived in the small town of Gettysburg, PA. She was a Research Assistant in the summer of 2006 under an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates grant in Houghton, MI with Michigan Technological University's Sustainable Futures Institute. Julia studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany in 2005 where she worked in an ecological garden. She is very interested in sustainable developement and the power of local communities.

Kristina Maggi is a senior at the University of California, Davis, majoring in History with minors in Classical Civilization and Global and International Studies. For three years, she has been an active member of the Davis Model United Nations Team, participating in the Davis Model United Nations Conference, a world-renowned conference for high school students and serving as the club's 2006 Under-Secretary General for Public Relations. Kristina has also served on the Associated Students of UC Davis's Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, in which she put together a successful film series highlighting recent documentaries on environmental concerns, and an art show during Earth Day celebrations that showcased works made from recycled materials. In concert with both Davis Model UN and her student government commission, Kristina also raised funds for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. After graduation, Kristina hopes to pursue graduate studies in either history or international relations.(Chosen, unable to attend.)

Lauren Nutter studies at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and is an active member of SustainUS Maine. She is also a member of a communication and PR committee for College of the Atlantic carbon neutral initiative. She is also a leadership trainer for a non-profit, the Student Leadership Training Program. Through SLTP she has spent the past several summers teaching leadership skills to high school students throughout the New England area, tackling issues of bullying, abusive relationships, and issues of hate that students deal with everyday.

Anneka Olson is from Seattle, WA, and is currently a freshman at Bard College. She is interested in Human Rights, Public Health, and the intersections of these fields with issues of economic development and public policy. She has worked for a variety of nonprofits, a bike co-op, and has organized with her peers to protest the genocide in Darfur. She is currently working to create an arboretum at Bard to foster appreciation for the natural history of the college, and is involved with a nonprofit working on issues of women's health in the developing world.

Mitchell Sipus is a graduate student in the Urban Planning and Architecture departments at the University of Cincinnati. Within his undergraduate education, Mitchell was formally trained as a conceptual artist at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and The New York Studio Program. He is currently employed as a Cultural Resource Consultant, in which he works with archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians to determine the cultural impact of federally funded projects and provides alternatives to mitigate any adverse affects. With an academic focus concerning natural resource economics, Mitchell's multi-disciplinary background provides a unique foundation from which to analyze the dynamics of cultural advancement, economic development, and ecological sustainability.

Laura Smith grew up in Oakland, Maine and now lives in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She is a senior at Trinity University in San Antonio where she double-majors in Economics and Urban Studies. Her interests include the social and economic impacts of public policy and the development of sustainable communities. During the fall of 2005, she studied cities with International Honors Program, traveling to Buenos Aires, Shanghai, Beijing, and Auckland. She spent the summer of 2006 researching sustainable rural development at Michigan Technological University's Sustainable Futures Institute. At Trinity, Laura is involved with campus leadership and performs policy research for a State Representative. She loves spending time with her incredible family and hopes to pursue a career in policy and advocacy.

Lauren Elena Smith is a senior at Wesleyan University completing majors in Science in Society and Sociology, and a Certificate in International Relations. She is dedicated to pursuing social justice through public health, and is interested in attending law school to further that goal. She has done national policy work with the Student Global AIDS Campaign and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines to promote fair access to AIDS medications. She has also interned in Senator Kennedy's health policy office of the Senate HELP Committee, studied Health and Community in India, China and South Africa as part of the International Honors Program, led a student forum on Global Health, and done service-learning work with Healthcare for the Homeless in Connecticut.

James Taylor was born and raised in Montreal, Canada and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary where he received a BA in the Ethics of International Affairs. He has conducted research in Nepal, studied international trade in New Zealand, participated in sustainable development projects in South Africa and was most recently in Haiti with a medical relief team. James now works in Washington, D.C. at Bank Information Center (BIC), an independent non-profit organization that partners with civil society in developing and transition countries to influence the World Bank and other international financial institutions (IFIs) to promote social and economic justice and ecological sustainability. In the fall of 2007 James will begin graduate development studies and work in Kampala, Uganda.

Emily Walz is a junior at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Originally from southwest Minnesota, she is majoring in Political Science/International Relations and earning a concentration in Women's and Gender Studies. On campus, she has taken a leadership position with the college's Model United Nations delegation, and was recently selected as a Wingspread Fellow, continuing her interest in public policy and social issues. Emily spent last spring studying Political Economy abroad in China and Southeast Asia. A seasoned traveler, Emily is also a radio deejay and an aspiring slam poet.

Julia Wong is a high school student from Houston, Texas. Her interest in sustainability began when she studied the effects of land reclamation on Hong Kong's marine ecosystem. To better understand global policies and initiatives, Julia founded the Model UN - International Affairs Council at her school where the issue of development often sparks lively discussions. Volunteering for Red Cross has given Julia the opportunity to contribute to the Measles Initiative, and she is currently collaborating with youth from around the US on a national fundraising and awareness campaign to eradicate measles and malaria. Julia is thrilled to engage more high school students in SustainUS's national programs and geoclusters. (Chosen, unable to attend.)

Aleksandra Yakhkind is a senior in the University Professor's Program at Boston University. She began studying neuroscience and philosophy, and has worked as a research assistant in Child Psychology and Psychiatry Departments at Harvard University. After participating in the International Honors Program on Health and Community in India, China, and South Africa, her interests shifted to International Health. She currently works on a project reviewing programs for Orphans of HIV/AIDS at the Harvard Department of Social Medicine. While busily writing her undergraduate thesis on health care in Guatemala, she looks forward to help and continue learning through her work with SustainUS.