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The CATALYST Ambassadors
The 2009-10 CATALYST team is currently comprised of 26 high school youth from throughout California, from as far north as Eureka and as far south
as Los Angeles. Here is your opportunity to meet them:
Ben Bazor, Region 1 CATALYST ambassador
Alexander Crowe, Region 1 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Alex Crowe and I am 16 years old. I have lived in Eureka my whole life, but I have traveled to eight different countries. I am a junior in high school and this is my second year as a CATALYST ambassador. Over my 3 years in high school I have recorded over 700 hours of service. Right now I am making a calendar using old pictures from around Eureka and retaking them from the same angle to show the progress of Eureka. My hobbies are Crew (rowing) and traveling.
Ashlyn Barnett, Region 2 CATALYST ambassador
I'm Ashlyn. I am a high school senior and my age is constantly changing. I am currently in my third year of service via CATALYST. This past year I have collaborated with CSU Chico in creating and performing a presentation for elementary school children, focusing on cultural diversity, human rights awareness, and anti-bullying. My hobbies include reading and writing dirty, indecent, and suggestive poetry, as well as playing the mandolin and taking photographs. I hope to continue my service throughout college, as well as maintain the many connections and friends I have made in CATALYST.
Iris Bright, Region 2 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Iris Bright. I'm seventeen years old and am a high school junior. I've been a CATALYST Ambassador for a year, this being my second. I have been in another service-learning group through my technology program at school. As of yet I am not working on any specific project, but I have many ideas that I'm excited to begin working on. In addition to service-learning, I enjoy reading, writing and cleaning my room.
Olivia Filbrandt, Region 2 CATALYST ambassador
Hey! I am Olivia Filbrandt, a second-year CATALYST from Chico, CA. I’m a junior at our local high school and I love to bake and color. I’m active in NCL, SCF, Key Club, Rotary Interact, and afterschool mentoring all in our area. Community service and service-earning are very important to me and are a part of my life but other times I’m playing tennis or basketball, snowboarding, traveling or just having a fun time with my sisters or friends. Oh I also like biking in the rain.
Lizzy Whipple, Region 2 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Lizzy Whipple. I’m 15 years old. I live in a small town called Etna. I’m a sophomore in high school and this is my first year in CATALYST. I am interested in anything with animals. Some of my latest service experience is tutoring elementary school students. Currently I am involved with the MyVote Campaign, which is awesome!
Monica Durand, Region 3 CATALYST ambassador
Alexandra Caulfield, Region 4 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Alex Caulfield. I am 15 years old, and a sophomore in high school. This is my first year serving as a CATALYST ambassador. Currently, I am the co-President of the community service club at my schoo. We do things such as organize blood drives. I love to play violin and horseback ride.
Alexander Chung, Region 4 CATALYST ambassador
This is my first year in CATALYST, but just after the first retreat my opinions and understanding of service-learning have changed. CATALYST is such a great opportunity for all students who are interested. I am 16 right now, and I attend Irvington High School, which was recently awarded the title of "America's Greenest School." A majority of the green programs at my school are spearheaded by myself, my committee, and a group of extremely talented teachers. One of the programs I started just this year (09-10) is the "Go-Green Team" club, and it currently has over 200 members. The goal of the club is to raise awareness of going green and to educate the students at my school. Our most recent event was the Green Fair, where over 30 local businesses and companies came to our school to show off what they do to Go-Green. This bottom line is I try to ensure everyone I can impact who know about going green.
Pui Shan Law, Region 4 CATALYST ambassador
Hi! I am Pui Shan Law. I'm a high school sophomore. This is my second year serving as a CATALYST ambassador. I have volunteered at the Food Bank in my middle school that was part of the Cesar E. Chavez Afterschool Club. Although I am not currently involved in a service-learning project, I am working to change that.
Jillian Du, Region 5 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Jillian Du and I am currently 17 years old. I am a high school senior. This is my second year as a CATALYST ambassador. In addition to serving with Youth Service California, I am closely involved with Youth Community Service based in East Palo Alto and Palo Alto as well as Interact District SI 70 (which includes the Bay Area). I have taken my volunteer service trips abroad, from France to Cape Cod, MA, and have loved every minute of it. In my free time, I enjoy watching Friends, the TV series, and rollerblading. I love to explore and travel the world, and hope to discovery as many new cultures as possible!
Vivian Shen, Region 5 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Vivian Shen. I am a senior in high school and 17 years old. I am a second-year CATALYST ambassador. I've been doing service since middle school when I designed and painted a mural in my school. I'm currently president of a service club at my high school, so I get to attend local events. I love listening to music, reading, hanging out with my friends, and just relaxing.
Kevin Ward, Region 5 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Kevin Ward. I am 16 16 years old and a high school
junior. I hail from East Palo Alto, CA. This is my second year as a CATALYST. I love to travel and have been to Japan, Thailand and Mexico. I also like to write poetry and lyrics.
Stevie Cordoza, Region 6 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Stevie Cordoza. I’m from Oakdale. I am a freshman in high school. This is my first year as a CATALYST ambassador. I’ve been a part of Relay For Life for 12 years. I like to swim and play water polo. I look forward to being a part of CATALYST.
Ry Ith, Region 6 CATALYST ambassador
Hi! My name is Ry Ith. I am 16 years old and a high school junior. This is my first year serving as a CATALYST ambassador. I have service experience that includes tutoring and mentoring elementary school students and participating in dropout prevention forums. Some things that interest me are nursing and medicine. My hobbies include playing flag football and softball (although I'm not really good at it). This is who I am.
Meghann Jones, Region 6 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Meghann Jones and I am from Oakdale, CA. I am a high school junior living through my 16th year (I am 16 years old). This is my first year of CATALYST but I have been active in my community for 5 years, from something simple such as donating blood to working with the public, I do it all on a daily basis. I love music and theatre, but most of all I enjoy making my voice heard and serving the community.
David Deedwania, Region 7 CATALYST ambassador
Hello. My name is David Deedwania, and I am a 17 year-old high school junior. This is my second year serving as a CATALYST ambassador, and I must say, it has been a momentous experience! My previous service and current service experience is mainly: 1) YGEP (Youth Graduation Empowerment Project), a youth-driven, statewide program advocating that high school students stay in school and receive a full rudimentary set of educational skills needed for future jobs and applications; 2) FresYES, using media to complete service projects, such as rebuilding parks, political campaigns, commercial for organizations, etc... My main interest/hobby is music, especially composing and producing it (in a digital setting). Using computer programs (e.g. Logic and FL Studio) and a keyboard, I compose my own songs, and sometimes sing/rap over them. It really is the love of my life.
Jennifer Gaxiola, Region 7 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Jennifer Gaxiola. I am currently 17 years old and a senior in high school. This is the second year I am a CATALYST ambassador but I have been doing community service for many years and I love it. I am currently an executive youth producer for the Center for Multicultural Cooperation and an All-Star for the Fresno Youth Empowerment Studio. My hobby is producing short videos. In the future I would love to major in anthropology and a medical field. Any of the UCs is where I want to be for college.
Ana Aguilar, Region 8 CATALYST ambassador
Hey everyone! I'm Ana Aguilar. I am 16 years young and a junior in high school. This is my second year as a CATALYST. I am also involved in a Virtual Enterprise class called the Don's Net Cafe that includes programs like Roots and Shoots and V.I.T.A. (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). I am involved with these organizations because I like to help people, animals, and our environment. Just about anything! As a career I would like to start off as a nurse and work my way on to becoming a doctor. I also do all of this to make my parents proud and show that, yes, a Latina teenager can be very powerful and successful! Some things that I enjoy in my free time are listening to music and hanging out with my family and friends. I also love to laugh and smile! Well that's all for now. I'm looking forward to serving as a CATALYST this year.
Katherine Gray, Region 8 CATALYST ambassador
I am known to most people as Katherine Gray. I am currently 17 years old and a junior in high school. I have lived in Santa Barbara my whole life and this is my first year as a CATALYST ambassador. Some of my hobbies include tax preparation, contact juggling, singing, and dyeing my hair unnatural colors.
Annie Walmsley, Region 9 CATALYST ambassador
I’m Annie Walmsley. I am a high school junior from Irvine, CA. This is my first year serving as a CATALYST ambassador. Since second grade, I have been involved in the nonprofit organization, Team Kids. The projects I have done in the past are: raising $30,000 for a Boy who needed heart surgery, the lemon-AID project, the Mexico City project, a bake Sale that raised $10,000 for Katrina victims and many more. Our current project is the plastic soup project, which is raising awareness about the plastic dump in the ocean.
Taylor Wood, Region 9 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Taylor Wood. I’m a 15 year-old high school sophomore who is a 4.0 Honors student, a Girl Scout, a first-year CATALYST ambassador, and an active member of my community. For three years, I have organized a team of 20 people to participate in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Cancer Walk. My team and I have raised over $3000 each year. I am also a varsity cross-country runner and an active member of many clubs at my school. Right now I am working on forming a community service club at my school that focuses on action and awareness. Service plays an important role in my life and I am very excited to be part of CATALYST.
Carolyn Feibleman, Region 11 CATALYST ambassador
I’m Carolyn Feibleman. I am 15 years old and a high school sophomore in Long Beach. I am a first-year CATALYST ambassador and I am part of a youth service organization in Long Beach called Volunteens. I spend most of my “free” time singing, doing theatre, and working on service-learning projects ranging from working at charity fashion shows to co-organizing the Special Olympics.
Natalie Gordon, Region 11 CATALYST ambassador
I'm Natalie Gordon and I am a 14 year-old high school freshman. I have been active in service-learning programs since elementary school and perform community service through such organizations as the Beverly Hills Women's Club Junior Division and the Teen Advisory Committee for the City of Beverly Hills. I am currently focusing my energies on a fundraising drive for Shriner's Hospital for Children as well as enlisting the Board of Education and the City Council in Beverly Hills to provide more service related opportunities for all members of our community. I am a classical harpist and a member of my school orchestra. In my spare time, I enjoy playing golf, spending time with friends and family, and, most of all, having fun!
Kemi Oyewole, Region 11 CATALYST ambassador
I am Kemi Oyewole, a 15 year-old high school junior. I live in Long Beach and this is my first year as a CATALYST ambassador. In the past I have volunteered at a middle school and with activities at the local senior citizen center. I currently am involved with mentoring middle school students for the robotics team in my high school. I enjoy mentoring these students because they always help me view robotics concepts in a totally different way. In my spare time I enjoy playing tennis with the tennis team in my high school and reading.
Tessa Ormenyi, Region 12 CATALYST ambassador
My name is Tessa Ormenyi. I am 16 and a junior in high school. I currently live in Woodland Hills and
this is my first year as a CATALYST Ambassador. As a freshman I was
introduced to the Teen International Media Exchange at my high school that
works with media organizations around the world. For the past several
years we have raised money for a media center in Freetown, Sierra
Leone. This year we are focusing on raising awareness of child
soldiers. This past summer I participated in the 3rd International
Youth Media Summit in Belgrade, Serbia, where I wrote, directed, and
edited a short film on women’s rights. My future plans include a
campaign to bring awareness to the genocide in the Congo and continued
traveling. My interests include socially conscious prose, photography,
filmmaking and thinking about corruption, ignorance, socialization, and
quantum physics.
