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Junior Faculty Advisor Staff

Donnelle Bodnarchuk

DONNELLE BODNARCHUK

Junior Faculty Advisor

Donnelle Bodnarchuk is a rising junior at George Mason University majoring in History. Her goal is to pursue a career in the State Department working on international environmental policy and public outreach. Donnelle attended WYSE in 2016 and it was the best time of her high school career. In 2018 she returned to WYSE as a JFA for the Navy group and found the experience to be extraordinarily rewarding and amazing! She hopes to make this year’s WYSE as enjoyable and amazing as hers was and looks forward to meeting this year’s delegates!

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Jim Poyser

Faculty Advisor

Jim Poyser left his 2-decade career in journalism because of his urgency regarding climate change, joining Earth Charter Indiana as its executive director in September, 2013, to engage Indiana young people in climate leadership. Poyser directs Youth Power Indiana, ECI’s youth program responsible for the passage of climate recovery resolutions in three Indiana cities. He was trained by the Climate Reality Project and has created the world’s first climate change game show, The Ain’t Too Late Show. He lives in Indianapolis on the White River.

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Keni Rienks

KENI RIENKS

Faculty Advisor

Keni Rienks teaches AP Environmental Science, Coastal Engineering, and AP Seminar at an independent school in Wilmington, NC. She also leads the Cape Fear Surfrider Foundation and is on the board for the Duke University Superfund Research Center’s Community Engagement Core. When Keni is not working, she enjoys time on the boat and at the beach with her husband and two children. Keni holds a Masters of Environmental Management degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington.

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Junior Faculty Advisor Staff

Sabit Nasir

Junior Faculty Advisor

Sabit Nasir is a rising senior studying Environmental Studies and Geography at the University of Connecticut. He is currently the President of the EcoHusky Student Group, the largest environmental organization on campus for those interested in advocacy and the environment. Believe it or not, his environmental passion came from the WYSE program! WYSE allowed him to grow a love for environmentalism, bringing him to where he is today. As an alumni of the WYSE program, Sabit is excited to be one of the Junior Faculty Advisors this summer!

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Intern Youth Advisory Board

Austin Carroll

Conference Intern

Austin Carroll is a senior at Drumright High School in Drumright, Oklahoma. He was a member of the green group this past summer and has always been a “tree hugger” according to his family. For the past eight years, he has been a licensed Oklahoma wildlife breeder and rehabilitator specializing in waterfowl, in particular Aix sponsa or more commonly known as the North American Wood duck. WYSE reignited his passion for the environment and he hopes to be attending George Mason in the fall of 2018 to pursue a degree in environmental science.

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Junior Faculty Advisor Youth Advisory Board

Luke Bertaux

Luke Bertaux is a junior at Westlake Academy in Westlake, Texas. He is a member of his high school’s cross country team and is also involved in many organizations including National Honor Society, Rotary Interact, and Young Men’s Service League. Outside of school, Luke enjoys playing the guitar and working at his job in the retail department at a local water park resort. He has moved all across the United States and has lived in Illinois and North Carolina before coming to Texas. WYSE 2017 helped Luke find a strong passion for environmental engineering which is a path that he plans to pursue in college. He is excited to be a part of the Youth Advisory Board and to help make WYSE 2018 as successful as it can be.

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Junior Faculty Advisor

Emily Ellithorpe

EMILY ELLITHORPE

Junior Faculty Advisor

Emily Ellithorpe is originally from Massachusetts and attended WYSE in 2017 as a delegate and in 2018 as an intern. This fall she will be sophomore at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) with a major in Environmental Resources Engineering. She plans to focus on water quality and stormwater management, but also has an interest in green infrastructure. On campus, Emily is involved in Engineers Without Borders, The New York Water Environment Association, Eco-Reps and is a member of the Woodsmen Team. Outside of school she likes to spend time outdoors, travel, and make photo books/videos from her trips.
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Intern Youth Advisory Board

Taylor Rutter

Conference Intern

Taylor Rutter is a Junior at White Oak High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She is a member of many organizations, including Music Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Interact, Photography Club, and FCA. She is also the Vice President of Green Team, which is an environmental awareness organization and one of the largest student led groups on campus. During her free time, Taylor enjoys playing the french horn, reading, writing, and spending as much time as possible riding horses and being at the barn. WYSE helped Taylor find the path she wants to take after high school, which is going to college to study in environmental science and education.

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Junior Faculty Advisor

Christa Madison

CHRISTA MADISON

Junior Faculty Advisor

Christa Madison is a Christian Conservationist who grew up in small-town Roanoke, Virginia. She developed her love for nature from her time growing up surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is currently a senior and will hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from George Mason University pending her graduation in the spring of 2020. Christa is also perusing a minor in Tourism and Events Management, and a concentration in Conservation. She just completed a semester at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. Her professional interests involve photography and mending the relationship between humans and nature by community outreach and environmental education. Christa found her passion for the community and the environment through her faith and education.  Her faith leads her to believe humanity should be good stewards of the environment. Christa’s future ambitions are to continue to learn, grow, and advocate for the protection of the environment. She would like to explore careers in environmental education, the exotic animal trade, and environmental consulting in the private sector. She hopes for a future where humans interact peacefully with the environment and one another, it is her life goal to be a part of this process.

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Photographer

Kera White

Photography Junior Faculty Advisor

Kera is a rising junior at George Mason University from Newport News, VA, and is studying Communication with a concentration in Media Production Criticism and a minor in African American Studies and Film and Media Criticism. She attended the Washington Journalism & Media Conference in 2014, returned as a Junior Faculty Advisor in 2016, and will return for her third year as the photo junior faculty advisor. Kera currently works in the Office of Student Media as the General Manager for Mason Cable Network. Her freshman year, she held the titles of Assistant News Director, News Director, and the creator of “Freshmen’s Corner” before being promoted to General Manager her sophomore year. Her other on-campus involvements currently include Black Student Alliance, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Chase Dreams Not Boys, and the Black Literary Project Marketing Advisor. In her free time, Kera enjoys writing poetry, taking photos for her business “Amethyst Films” and hanging out with friends and family. She looks forward to meeting all of the Correspondents and capturing all of the beautiful moments that this conference has to offer!