Category: Youth Advisory Board

Eleanor Aitken will graduate from Sterling High School in Sterling, Illinois this May. She is matriculating to the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point to study in their College of Natural Resources and to play intercollegiate tennis. After college she hopes to become an interpretive national park ranger. She is president of key club, an officer for national honor society, four year varsity starter for tennis, four time state qualifier for tennis, three year varsity starter for track and field, and participates in student council. Additionally, she has an interest in the fine arts where she plays the trombone, acts in the musical, and sings in madrigals. In her spare time she enjoys traveling all over the world and hopes to visit all of the national parks.

Dylan Tingey is a senior at Westmont High School in Campbell, California. She volunteers as a Guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and as a Blood Donor Ambassador at the Red Cross. As a dual enrollment student on the West Valley College campus, she is also a writer for The Helm and a member of the Democracy Institute. In her free time, Dylan enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and trying new things. Dylan attended WYSE during the 2024 session and is thrilled to be a part of the Youth Advisory Board for 2025.

Claire Taylor is a senior at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, NJ. In school she runs her Green Team, Film & TV Club, is the Editor-in-Chief for her school’s newspaper, and is on the Student Council. Outside of school, she plays tennis, and rugby, bakes, and volunteers at local organizations. Claire attended WYSE in 2024, was part of the Red Group, and had an unforgettable experience. She is honored and excited to come back and participate in the Youth Advisory Board.

Claire Campbell is a 2024 WYSE Alumni who wishes to inspire others to take initiative and protect the environment! She currently attends Lowcountry Connections Academy as an 11th grader. Claire holds several leadership roles, such as serving on the student council, NHS member, NSHSS ambassador, and BigFuture ambassador. Additionally, she spends her free time enjoying creative pursuits such as reading, painting, and writing.

Chayse Burgess (she/her) is a high school junior from North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a future career in the field of marine biology, having started working on her associates degree as of August 2024. Chayse’s passion for marine life started when she watched Dolphin Tale for the first time at 11, becoming obsessed with the idea of helping animals that need it the most. Her other hobbies include reading, gaming, hanging with friends, or swinging around in a ninja warrior gym! Chayse enjoyed her time during WYSE 2024, and hopes to make WYSE 2025 as special and valuable of an experience as it was for her!

Carolina is a highschool senior from Connecticut. She loves to be creative and active. She also has a strong passion for biology, environmental science and animal science! One of her favorite things to do is figure out puzzles and challenges in her free time. In the future, she’s thinking about being an exotic veterinarian.

Caitlin is from Hoffman Estates, IL. She is graduating high school in May of 2025 and plans to study Environmental Science in college. Caitlin would like to thank her time at WYSE for allowing her to realize how important conservation is and realize that she wanted to pursue having a job in conservation and study Environmental Science. Outside of her passion for the environment Caitlin has many different hobbies. She loves to read, bake, rock climb, camp, hike and much more! You can find Caitlin at peace with a book in hand reading in a nature preserve or just sitting under a tree.

Brynne MacDonald is a junior attending Springfield High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania. She participates in her school’s color guard, community service club, and environmental science club. She is interested in pursuing a career in zoology and environmental science. She was a 2024 WYSE Delegate and hopes to help future delegates embrace the experience.

Ava Marie Hensley was a 2024 WYSE Youth Delegate from Naperville, Illinois. She loves environmentalism and currently wants to focus on political activism and policy, but is still figuring out what she wants to study and is constantly learning about different opportunities. Outside of her connection to WYSE, Ava Marie is a junior in highschool, and is passionate about music. She plays the french horn in her schools top ensemble and mellophone in marching band.

Anya Causer is currently a senior at Central Regional High School in Bayville, New Jersey, where she’s been a four-year member of the volleyball and track and field teams as well as a two-year player on Ocean Volleyball Club. She is member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta and was selected as her high school’s representative at the 2023 Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference and attended WYSE in 2024. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and playing with her two Siberian Huskies, Maggie and Zeus.