Category Archives: Alumni Spotlight

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Liza Morse (F’09)

Fall 2009 alumna and Grinnell College sophomore, Liza Morse, has been a leader affecting change both in classes as a biology and Spanish major, and in her extra-curricular activities. As a first year at Grinnell last year year she received a stipend for being the on-campus advocate for the organization Food & Water Watch. She also was elected Chairperson of the Student Environmental Committee for this year. In addition, this past summer she worked for the American Bird Conservancy in Washington, DC.

As part of Food and Water Watch, Liza acted as the Campus Coordinator for their Take Back the Tap Campaign, which aims to eliminate bottled water from campuses and encourage reusable water bottles, as well as to educate the student body regarding water issues (water privatization, fracking, etc.). You can read more about the campaign here!

As the Chair of the Student Environmental Committee this year, Liza has been running weekly meetings where the committee plans on-campus events for students and Continue reading →

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Eliott Wellenbach (F’11)

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We are always encouraging alumni to give back to The Island School, Cape Eleuthera Institute, and Deep Creek Middle School in any way that they can. Fall 2011 alum and avid lacrosse player, Eliott Wellenbach, found a unique way to give back that combined his love for Eleuthera with his love for the sport of lacrosse.

As soon as he returned from his semester in December 2011, he contacted us about holding a lacrosse camp at Deep Creek Middle School for kids in the nearby Bahamian settlements and immediately started collecting old lacrosse sticks and other lacrosse equipment donated from friends and family. He began creating practice plans and designing drills for these campers–most of whom had never even heard of lacrosse or seen a lacrosse stick.

In August, Eliott, his older sister Lilly, and his mother Pat headed down to Eleuthera Continue reading →

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Jan Shi (F’09)

Fall 2009 alum, Jan Shi graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy this past spring and instead of going straight to college this fall like most high school graduates, Jan deferred his acceptance to the University of Virginia and has taken the opportunity to spend the year traveling. As the recipient of the Phillips Exeter Academy Perrin Fellowship, a $10,000 fellowship awarded to an Exeter senior that supports a year of independent travel before college, Jan now finds himself preparing for his journey. On September 12th, he will begin his trip by traveling to Southeast Asia where he will stay for roughly nine months. Jan’s exact itinerary is flexible at this point, but he has plans to visit Thailand, Myanmar, Sumatra & Sulawesi (Indonesia), Borneo, and the Philippines. Jan hopes “to wander around the coastal regions and jungles of Southeast Asia to learn about the sea, environment, and other themes from my time at the Island School” and encourages people to contact him at jan.shi@me.com with suggestions or ideas for his trip! Good luck, Jan, and congratulations on this amazing opportunity!

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Francesca Forrestal (F’99)!

Fall 1999 alumna, Francesca Forrestal is a research assistant with ISSF and a PhD student at the Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at University of Miami in the Marine Biology and Fisheries Division. She recently wrote and published an article on the ecological effects of farming blue fin tuna as part of her research on ecosystem effects of bycatch in tuna fisheries. Be sure to read the full article here! Congratulations, Francesca!

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Maggie Cissel (SP’06)

Since leaving the island 6 years ago Maggie Cissel (SP’06) has been in search of a way to give back what The Island School gave her and an avenue to channel the important lessons she learned here of empowerment, sustainability and community work. Recently, she and her two friends launched a Kickstarter project that aims to fulfill these three things.

Maggie graduated from Elon University in North Carolina this past spring with a degree in Strategic Communications and an emphasis on video production. In January 2012, she had the opportunity to travel to India with Elon’s President, his wife and a professional video producer to film several documentaries for Elon’s Study Abroad office. As a result of her time there, Maggie and her two friends have decided to return to India and start a global community photography project. You can find out more about Maggie’s project on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

In reflecting upon her Island School experience, she says “I feel indebted to The Island School, Continue reading →

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Jack Burnham (F08) Receives Grant to Write About Asteroid Mining

IS alumnus, Jack Burnham (F08) was recently featured on 60 Minutes for the interesting work he has been doing throughout this past year. Right after completing his senior year at Northfield Mount Hermon, Jack received a Peter Thiel Fellowship, which is a grant that has allowed him to write about mining asteroids, in place of pursuing the traditional college route. You can watch the entire clip on Jack, and other Peter Thiel fellows, here! Congratulations, Jack!

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni in Action: Horatio Smith (F02) Gives Back–to the IS Kitchen!

Island School alumnus and Alumni Advisory Board member, Horatio Smith (F02) has returned to The Island School on a number of occasions. Currently, Horatio is providing professional development to the kitchen team to celebrate it as a classroom where students can become more involved with healthy menu choices. Horatio owns Nelly’s Deli, a restaurant and catering business in Nassau and has been helping the kitchen become a place of learning for Island School students and visiting Educational Programs by stressing the importance of using local foods in The Bahamas. In addition, the kitchen has recently begun to cater more and more special events and Horatio is coaching the kitchen team to take these events to the next level by inventing new and creative dishes and menus. Horatio says “The school has done so much for me. And that fact that I even have an opportunity to share my passion speaks volumes to the commitment the school has to its alumni. The passion that I have for life and Culinary Arts is largely part to the experiences of cooking in the kitchen with Mooch and Becca and caramelizing nuts over a camp fire on my 8 day kayak trip. Being able to give back in this way ensures that the veal lives on.”

Thank you, Horatio, for your hard work and dedication to The Island School and especially to the kitchen and its staff!

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Lee Taylor (F’99)

Lee Taylor (F’99), a student at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, is the captain of a Dartmouth team that won the regional finals in Boston for the energy track of the Hult Global Case Challenge. This challenge is a business model/consulting competition intended to improve the success of solar power and lighting technologies in Africa. He and the rest of his team are presenting at the international finals in New York in April. For more information about the Dartmouth team and the Hult Global Case Challenge, you can check out the press release here. Congratulations to Lee and the rest of his team!

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Congratulations America’s Next Eco-Star, Katie Romanov!

We are excited to announce that our very own Katie Romanov (F05) has been declared the winner of America’s Next Eco-Star Competition through SmartPower! After a long process of voting and judging all the entries of the young energy leaders who have committed themselves to sustainable practices on campus and beyond, Katie has come out on top. We are so proud of you, Katie!

 

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Katie Romanov F05!

After leading Middlebury’s Solar Decathalon team to an impressive fourth place finish in 2011, Katie Romanov (F05) is now in the running to be America’s Next Eco-Star, a contest sponsored by Smart Power. You can watch Katie’s video here, where she not only talks about the impact her Island School semester had on her passion for the environment, but the many other activities she has been involved in throughout her high school and college careers that would make her the most qualified candidate for this contest. Be sure to vote for Katie so that she can become America’s Next Eco-Star! Good luck Katie!