Dr. Rick Spinrad, NOAA Administrator, converses with the second cohort of eeBLUE Young Changemakers during their kick-off summit in Washington, D.C., in July 2024. He will meet regularly with these high school students throughout the coming year to hear their perspectives on a variety of NOAA-related topics. (Image credit: Megan Fink / NAAEE)
In late July, 15 high school students from across the United States and territories traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with each other and with NOAA for the first time. Though they walked in as strangers, they left four days later as a unified cohort ready to spend the year working together for positive change.
Three weeks before arriving in the capital city, these students received word that they had been accepted into the eeBLUE Young Changemakers Fellowship. Entering its second year, this program helps empower its participants to take action on ocean and environmental issues both at the local and the national scale. The program is supported through eeBLUE offsite link, a partnership between NOAA’s Office of Education and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) offsite link, which works to increase environmental and scientific literacy to build more resilient communities nationwide.
The 15 accepted students were selected from a pool of over 600 applications hailing from 40 states and all five U.S. territories. The selected changemakers represent 11 different states as well as two territories: American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Guam, Hawaiʻi, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia.
“We were absolutely blown away by the interest in the fellowship and by the passion that each applicant conveyed. It took us countless hours of reviews and discussions to narrow it down to just 15,” said Dr. Lauren Gibson, NOAA Policy Advisor on Youth Engagement. “As a cohort, this year’s changemakers represent a diversity of geographies, experiences, areas of focus, and skills, all of them important to solving the global challenges we face today. We were so excited to meet them and begin our year together.”
Changemakers discuss how to meet multiple social and environmental needs simultaneously during a summit workshop led by NAAEE.
(Image credit: Megan Fink / NAAEE)
The new fellows spent their days in D.C. learning more about NOAA, building their communication skills, and reflecting on their roles in creating positive change. They met with individuals inside and outside of the agency, sharing their personal stories and experiences with Dr. Rick Spinrad, the NOAA Administrator, as well as other NOAA staff, NAAEE staff, and several House and Senate employees.
“Getting to experience first-hand what everyone is doing in order to mitigate the climate crisis gave me some hope as well as a sense of ambition,” said Hahyeon Kim, a fellow from Oklahoma. “I also gained better communication and networking skills as small conversations I had throughout the summit opened up new ideas, connections, and interests.”
After returning from D.C., fellows will spend the school year designing and leading an action project in their home communities, with support from a NOAA mentor. They will also engage in roundtable discussions with Dr. Spinrad to share their perspectives on NOAA priorities like climate change, ocean issues, and environmental justice.
“Decisions made during my tenure as NOAA Administrator will continue to impact young people for many years to come. Youth deserve to be a part of those decisions,” said Dr. Spinrad. “I’m already impressed by this incredibly bright cohort of students and look forward to working with them throughout the coming year.”
The fellows, too, were energized by the summit and excited for the remainder of the fellowship.
“The impact that the summit had on me was monumental and truly unforgettable,” said Gavin Duenas, a fellow from Guam. “The way we were all able to instantly click as a group was definitely a foreshadowing of the excellent work we will do in the year to come.”
Changemakers enjoying their kick-off summit in Washington, D.C., stopped to take a photo on the National Mall in front of the Washington Monument.
(Image credit: Eden Knapp / NOAA)