HWS News
13 December 2024 • STEM • Sustainability Leading the Charge: HWS Students Inspire High Schoolers at Climate Summit By Sydney Herbruck '25
Hobart and William Smith students led environmental sustainability workshops for high school students during the annual Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit.
Hobart and William Smith recently hosted the eighth annual Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit, bringing together more than 120 high school students from the Finger Lakes region to discuss climate action and environmental reform. The day-long event featured workshops led by HWS students who shared their commitment to environmental sustainability.
This year’s summit, “Finding YOUR Place in the Climate Movement!” was organized by Environmental Studies and Economics major Anjalee Wanduragala ’25 and Environmental Studies and Philosophy major Elle Xu ’26. The two designed the program to help participants discover how their unique skills could contribute to meaningful climate advocacy.
“I’m incredibly proud of the students who made this event possible,” says Nadia Harvieux, Associate Director for Educational Programs at the Finger Lakes Institute, who oversaw the Summit. “Their hard work, creativity and passion for climate action are truly inspiring. Watching them take the lead and create meaningful experiences for their peers gives me so much hope for the future.”
Building on a mission to empower individuals, the Summit extended its reach by fostering collaboration with a team of regional high school students that formed a dynamic youth leadership cohort focused on climate advocacy. The event united students from 12 surrounding school districts including Corning-Painted Post, Geneseo, Geneva, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Ithaca, Marcus Whitman, Midlakes, Mynderse, Naples, Penn Yan, Romulus and Webster Thomas.
The youth leaders, Griffin Brown, Payce Chu-Lustig, Riley McLeod and Sarah Stronjoy, helped fellow high school students facilitate climate-centered workshops such as “Changing Colors, Changing Climate,” “Getting in the Flow: Movement and the Environment” and “Invasive Species and Climate Change.”
Griffin Brown, a junior at Geneva High School, described his involvement as “driven by a desire to create change within my community and on a broader scale.” Similarly, Riley McLeod, a senior at Mynderse Academy, shared her “long-standing commitment to FLYCS and passion for environmental work to build a safer planet for all.”
The event featured a keynote panel with students from HWS and Cornell University who shared insights about their journeys into climate advocacy. The panelists included Abigail Cole ’25, Finn Foley ’25, Emily Rourke ’24, Natalie McFadden ’27 (Cornell) and Emily Nicholson ’27 (Cornell).
In fielding a question about how she got started as an advocate, Rourke reflected on the impact of the HWS community on her journey. “As an Environmental Studies major, I was inspired by the support systems around me. It wasn’t one person, but a community of professors and classmates who encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone.”
Foley discussed his upcoming experience at the United Nations’ conference, focusing on climate’s impact on food security. See article here.
The 2024 Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit was made possible with support from The Wyckoff Family Foundation, Waterloo Container Company, Red Jacket Orchard and the Partnership for Campus-Community Engagement.
For more information on the Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit, contact Nadia Harvieux, Associate Director for Educational Programs at the Finger Lakes Institute.
Pictured above, students stop for a photo during the Finger Lakes Youth Climate Summit, “Finding YOUR Place in the Climate Movement!” The Summit was held on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
