Aradhya Seth
Graduate Student, University of Illinois, PGC 2018 Finalist
Aradhya is a first-year graduate student studying the field of information management and data analytics. He was the Project Green Challenge Runner Up in 2018 and subsequently a PGC Ambassador in 2020. He is grateful for Turning Green in many ways, as it has helped him become a more conscious and confident individual. He loves writing lifestyle blogs and is glad to be back as an Ambassador this year.
Caralee Ellis
Chief of Staff, Turning Green
Caralee graduated from the University of California, Berkeley where she received a B.S. in Society and Environment and a Food Systems minor. Throughout her academic career she held leadership positions across several student organizations advocating for environmental and social justice. She started her journey with Turning Green as a lead intern on the Conscious Kitchen team in August of 2021 where she worked on projects like Project Cereal, OEHHA Public Comment on glyphosate, and was a guest speaker alongside Dr. Jessica Shade at the 2021 PGC Finals. She was promoted to the first fellow position the organization ever had in November of 2021 where she completed a comprehensive cost analysis of all organic scratch-cooked meals served at WCCUSD, supported data collection of all organic purchasing, and worked on recipe development that kickstarted the Project Salad initiative. Caralee is organized, adaptable, and driven by a passion for protecting the health of the planet and all those who inhabit it.
Ella Widmann
Sophomore, Grinnell College, Summer 2022 Intern
Ella is a rising 2nd year at Grinnell College majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Environmental Studies. Learning about environmental justice as a form of social justice has fundamentally changed the way she views the world, and she is so excited to apply those learnings to the work of Turning Green. She is originally from Colorado and is a big advocate for collaborative thinking. In her free time, Ella can be found laying in the sun, eating bagels, and reading creative nonfiction.
Emeline Myung
Second Year, UC Berkeley, PGC 2019 Finalist
Emeline is studying Society and the Environment and Gender and Women Studies. She deeply believes that we are all part of nature, and therefore endeavors for the liberation of the environment, animals, and humans and is committed to learning from the invaluable lessons of flora, fauna and ecosystems. Her journey of activism was kickstarted as a Project Green Challenge 2019 finalist, and she continues to foster her inspiration with Turning Green, now excitedly returning for her third year as an ambassador.
Will Funk
Intern, Turning Green
Will is a graduate of Colorado College class of 22’ with a degree in History and a passion for environmental law and policy. Will enjoys reading and writing in his spare time and plans to attend law school in 2023.
Ilana Zeitzer
PhD Candidate, University of Illinois, PGC 2017 Finalist
Ilana’s field of study is ecology. Her passion for sustainability and conservation is taking her to a future in ecology conservation research with specific interests in plants, fungi and soils. She graduated from Dickinson College in 2019 with honors in Biology and a minor in art. She received her masters from SUNY ESF in December 2021. She was the second place winner of Project Green Challenge 2017.
ISAAC AGUILAR
Senior, UC Berkeley, PGC 2017 Finalist
Isaac Aguilar is a senior at UC Berkeley studying Ecosystem Management and Molecular Environmental Biology with an interest in scientific research at the intersection of conservation and community-centered natural resource management. Growing up in a Latin American community and exploring the deserts, mountains, and coast of San Diego, California, Isaac developed a fascination with the outdoors. In 2017, Isaac was a Project Green Challenge finalist and discovered a passion for environmental conservation. Since then, Isaac has engaged in environmental leadership as a peer advisor for the College of Natural Resources, president of The Wildlife Society at Berkeley, and Doris Duke Conservation Scholar. A naturalist at heart, Isaac has travelled around the diverse ecosystems of California, México, the Polynesian Archipelago, and Alaska for environmental research projects aimed at biodiversity conservation.
Kat Nguyen
Sophomore, UC Berkeley, PGC 2020 Finalist
Kat is studying Data Science and GIS. She became involved with Turning Green in 2020 as a PGC Finalist, where she completed a climate action project focused on cafeteria sustainability, hydroponics, composting, gardening, and a circular economy. Since then, she has continued her involvement with Turning Green as a Summer Intern, Campus Rep, PGC Challenge reader, and is excited to be an Ambassador for the second year. During her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, creating Spotify playlists, and going on long hikes.
Hannah McGovern Gross
Program Coordinator, Turning Green
Hannah is a native New Yorker, an actor, singer and environmentalist. She founded the NYC chapter of Turning Green while at The Brearley School, won a grant while she was a student at Wellesley College to host a Project Green Dorm event there, and since then, has helped whenever she could, most recently with Project Green Challenge in 2020 and now also for 2021.
Sunny Bitner
Lewis & Clark Law School, PGC 2018 Finalist
Sunny was a Project Green Challenge Finalist in 2018, an Ambassador in 2019 and 2020, and a Fellow at Turning Green in the Summer of 2020. Sunny graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2020, and because of her work with Turning Green, she was inspired to pursue a career in environmental law. She is now in her third year at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and will graduate with a J.D. and a certificate in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law in Spring of 2023. Her favorite part of law school has been gaining real environmental litigation experience by working in the Earthrise Law Center’s clinic for law students at Lewis & Clark.
ASHLEY UGARTE
Founder, Hijita
Ashley is the founder of Hijita, a Mexican chocolatería based in Austin, Texas. She is known for her innovative and delicious chocolate creations, her passion for Mexican chocolate culture, and her commitment to supporting Mexican heirloom cacao farmers through direct trade. Prior to founding Hijita, Ashley was head chocolatier at Dandelion Chocolate, San Francisco where she co-spearheaded the launch of their award-winning confections program. A Rice University grad, Ashley has worked alongside Turning Green for over 9 years, serving as an intern, fellow, and program coordinator of both Project Green Challenge, and the Conscious Kitchen.
Vincent Kreft
Senior, Bloomington High School North, PGC 2021 Finalist
Vincent is a senior at Bloomington High School North in Bloomington, Indiana. He is enthralled by the sciences and has a strong passion for math. In the future, Vincent hopes to study chemistry with an emphasis on green chemistry solutions. Vincent enjoys playing the piano and making music with the school’s Jazz Band. Vincent is a bilingual French and American citizen and an active member of Surf Rider Foundation Europe. He was the second place winner of Project Green Challenge 2021.