INTERVIEWED BY PHOENIX MINTUS
Photographed by Phoenix Mintus
On her place of special meaning: On her place of special meaning: I chose the Fox Valley River (in Aurora, Illinois) as my place of special meaning because it's a really nice place and it's isolated from everything else. It's like a little paradise. It’s a good place to ground yourself and just think.
The most rewarding part of being a leader: I just like watching the community work together, people making friends. Especially at the river cleanups, I like the friendships that have grown over the past few river cleanups. And it's just super nice to watch.
Who has inspired her journey: My mom, she has really supported me through all of this. She's been my main supporter since day one. And so has my dad, he gives me awesome pep talks before each river cleanup and I'm just really grateful to have them.
“I’m passionate about working, especially with the river cleanups. I want to do as much as I can to help the environment.”