EVIE MITCHELL
Evie is currently a senior in high school, in Portland, Oregon. Her experience at the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE) was inspiring and she is honored to be a part of the Youth Advisory Board. She loves to hike, paddle board, backpack, camp, and anything that involves being outdoors. Her plans after high school are to attend Oregon State University where she will be majoring in Marine Biology.
OLIVIA DODGE
Olivia Dodge is a junior in the IB Diploma Programme at Churchill High School in Eugene, OR. She runs varsity cross country and track, in addition to volunteering as a youth cross country coach through the Oregon Track Club. At school, she is the student body communications officer for the 2023-24 school year. In her free time she enjoys reading, swimming, hiking at sunset, and live music. She attended WYSE in the summer of 2023, and is so excited to be on the Youth Advisory Board for 2024.
MONTANA PANKASKIE
Montana Pankaskie is a Junior at Palo Verde High School in Blythe, California. She attended WYSE during the summer of 2023 and is very excited to continue her journey with the program. Montana has a passion for all things marine biology and the environment; outside of school you can find her hanging out at the river or taking care of her FFA goat. Montana strives to achieve a degree in Marine Biology and work in a field to better the environment.
JULIUS RODRIGUEZ
Junior Faculty Advisor, WYSE Alum 2022
Julius R. Rodriguez is a clinical psychology senior at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, with a background in positive psychology and comparative animal behavior. His passion lies in finding physiological, observable data to support primarily mentalistic clinical and cognitive theories. He currently leads research on how optimism can moderate body image issues and how self-objectification, measured through eye-tracking, may be reduced in romantic relationships through admiration-based interventions that promote positive body image. He’s also studied sexual harassment in fish, deep-sea conservation, and sustainable college practice (recycling, gardening, pollinating, etc). He’s worked with psychologists, zoologists, conservation biologists, and park rangers, hosted sustainability and deep-sea education seminars, and spends most of his free time traveling to aquariums. At Rollins, he blends psychology and sustainability as Sustainability Senator, and as a WYSE 2023 alum, he’s excited to return and help students explore where behavior and the environment intersec
JULIUS RODRIGUEZ
Junior Faculty Advisor, WYSE Alum 2022
Julius R. Rodriguez is a clinical psychology senior at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, with a background in positive psychology and comparative animal behavior. His passion lies in finding physiological, observable data to support primarily mentalistic clinical and cognitive theories. He currently leads research on how optimism can moderate body image issues and how self-objectification, measured through eye-tracking, may be reduced in romantic relationships through admiration-based interventions that promote positive body image. He’s also studied sexual harassment in fish, deep-sea conservation, and sustainable college practice (recycling, gardening, pollinating, etc). He’s worked with psychologists, zoologists, conservation biologists, and park rangers, hosted sustainability and deep-sea education seminars, and spends most of his free time traveling to aquariums. At Rollins, he blends psychology and sustainability as Sustainability Senator, and as a WYSE 2023 alum, he’s excited to return and help students explore where behavior and the environment intersec
MICHAELA SCHNEIDEWEND
Michaela Schneidewend is a junior at Lourdes Academy, where she’s a current Chem Club leader and a member of the International Club. She volunteers frequently at the local animal shelters, helping to socialize the animals and making them adoptable. She loves kayaking, plants, photography, and camping. She participated in WYSE in 2023 and is happy to be back as a member of the Youth Advisory Board!
JADE LUTZ
Jade Lutz is a current senior at Panther Valley High School where she serves as a Chief Editor for her school’s newspaper and yearbook. She is also a key member of her school’s Volunteering Club, Student Advisory Board, and Student Council. When not working hard in her education, she enjoys spending time with her friends, reading, blogging, and enjoying nature. She plans to pursue degrees in Environmental Science and become a Secondary Educator. She was a part of the 2023 WYSE and is thrilled to return on the Youth Advisory Board. She is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
SAMANTHA SCHMIDT
Samantha Schmidt is a junior at Chesterton High School in Chesterton, Indiana. She is apart of the Best Buddies program at her school and loves to volunteer at the school library as well. In her spare time she is usually working, reading, doing homework, or hanging out with her friends. She intends to go to college after high school to major in Environmental Biochemistry! Samantha attended WYSE in the Summer of 2023 and is super excited to be apart of the Youth Advisory Board in 2024!
RYAN NESCIO
Ryan Nescio is a 17 year old junior at Haverford highschool with strong interests in environmental policy, wildlife conservation and veterinary medicine. He has grown up in the Philly suburbs spending a lot of his time navigating in and out of wildlife spaces from the centers of mega cities to national forest. That’s where he found his love for all parts of the natural world. Ryan attended WYSE in the summer of 2023 with the intention of learning how to make a difference, and how he could find his own place in this field. WYSE helped him make life-long friendships, professional connections and amazing memories, but most importantly, it’s where he found his spark.
MADDIE WELLER
Junior Faculty Advisor, WYSE Alum 2022
Madeline is an Environmental Science undergraduate at Georgia Tech, pursuing a
minor in Energy Systems and a Sustainable Business Certificate. She works with
the Tang Research Group, exploring rare earth element transformations for clean
energy applications. Madeline also contributes to methane emissions research
through Georgia Tech’s Methane Project team and was part of the first-place
Plastathon team developing a plastic-reduction app. She enjoys reading, hiking,
and photography. She uses visual storytelling to advocate for environmental
awareness and inspire curiosity through creativity and science.
MADDIE WELLER
Junior Faculty Advisor, WYSE Alum 2022
Madeline is an Environmental Science undergraduate at Georgia Tech, pursuing a minor in Energy Systems and a Sustainable Business Certificate. She works with the Tang Research Group, exploring rare earth element transformations for clean energy applications. Madeline also contributes to methane emissions research through Georgia Tech’s Methane Project team and was part of the first-place Plastathon team developing a plastic-reduction app. She enjoys reading, hiking, and photography. She uses visual storytelling to advocate for environmental
awareness and inspire curiosity through creativity and science.
GABBY HELING
Junior Faculty Advisor, WYSE Alum 2023
Gabby is from Oshkosh, Wisconsin and is a sophomore at UW-Madison majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies with a minor in Public Policy. When she attended WYSE, she found a passion for environmental sustainability though the lense of government with policy regulations. She has experience in both sustainability and government. A fun fact about Gabby is that she is horrified of camels and will be avoiding them at any zoo. She looks forward to meeting the
Delegates at this year’s Summit!
GABBY HELING
Junior Faculty Advisor, WYSE Alum 2023
Gabby is from Oshkosh, Wisconsin and is a sophomore at UW-Madison majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies with a minor in Public Policy. When she attended WYSE, she found a passion for environmental sustainability though the lense of government with policy regulations. She has experience in both sustainability and government. A fun fact about Gabby is that she is horrified of
camels and will be avoiding them at any zoo. She looks forward to meeting the Delegates at this year’s Summit!
