Founder, President
Sophia Qin
Founder, President
Sophia is a high school junior at Aragon High School. She first got involved in environmentalism in sixth grade, when she read an article about polar bears being endangered from climate change. Since then, she has pursued a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle and seeks to use the same medium that got her interested - writing - to influence her fellow peers. Sophia’s poetry and short stories are recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She currently serves as a news editor in her school’s journalism team to shed light on environmental news in her community. Sophia self-published her educational science fiction book on Amazon in late May 2021. Now she looks to collaborate with local schools, science enrichment camps, nonprofit organizations, and libraries to make her book more accessible to children. To explore this field more, she has attended several research programs and completed papers on carbon sequestration and environmental economics. Through her activities, Sophia hopes to demonstrate the potential and passion that all youth embody. Her ultimate vision for LED is to gather a network of dedicated and self-driven students who will push for a greener future together with her.
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Technology management
Aland Liu
Vice President of Technology Management
Aland Liu is a senior attending Dougherty Valley High School. He has a strong passion for technology and helping others. He became fascinated by technology, and began studying his first programming language, Python, in sixth grade. To further his interest, he spent his summer at Carnegie Mellon High School’s National High School Game Academy to study game design, followed a college-level machine learning course, and worked alongside others to develop small games. Blending together his desire to create a positive impact on society with his ever growing curiosity, he began contextualizing his knowledge with the world around him. During the COVID pandemic, he has participated in various innovative hackathons aimed at tackling social and environmental issues, and served as a programming mentor for middle schoolers in the Practical Python course. He intends to develop a game app for iOS and Android devices focused on spreading information about ways to protect the environment by the end of summer 2021. Through his work at LED, he hopes to create a community that shares a common goal and passion for the environment.
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Jason Xie
Chief 2D Artist
Jason Xie is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School. His continuing interest and reverence for technology and the arts has led him to explore both paths throughout his life, fueled by a desire to bring happiness to people through creation. He attended UC Santa Cruz's COSMOS and Carnegie-Mellon's NHSGA to combine such disciplines, and he's participated in hackathons, game jams, and club events to discover the extent to which technology and art can be intertwined. He hopes that his work at LED can help spread important messages about environmental issues and inspire others to take action.
Rahul Vyas
Chief Audio Designer
Rahul is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School. He has been composing music and doing sound design for 5 years now, and he loves playing cricket competitively. He hopes to see that the work LED does will teach the future generations about the environment, and everything the Earth has to offer.
Stanley Liu
Website Manager
Stanley is a rising seventh grader at Gale Ranch Middle School. He enjoys playing sports like badminton and swimming casually. After reading about global warming in school, Stanley was inspired to learn more about the environment and problems humans face today. Through his work in LED, he hopes others will be inspired to contribute in making a better and greener future.
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marketing
Asha Kannan
Vice President of Marketing
Asha Kannan is a high school senior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. Being a vegetarian, Asha is passionate about both plants and the development of more sustainable lifestyles. By interning at her local garden, founding her school’s Organic Garden Club, and working with other youth-led environmental organizations, Asha hopes to spread more awareness about environmental issues, through both writing and LED events. Through LED, Asha aims to encourage greener practices within her community. As the Vice President of Marketing, Asha is excited to connect with other organizations that share the same vision of a more eco-friendly future. In her free time, Asha enjoys swimming, reading, writing, listening to music, and spending time outside with family and friends.
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Mackenzie Gibson
Brand Identity Manager
Mackenzie is a high school sophomore attending Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, California. She is passionate about sustainable design, specifically in landscape architecture, and educating children about the future of their planet. Over the summer, Mackenzie participated in the AFSF “Build SF Summer Design Program” to learn more about design and urban planning. She also engaged in the CSI Sustainable Infrastructure program. During the school year, Mackenzie participates in her school’s environmental club. In her free time she enjoys reading, basketball, and tennis. Mackenzie hopes through LED, she can raise awareness about pressing environmental issues and instigate action with her art.
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Amanda Rudin
Social Media Manager and Event Coordinator
Amanda Rudin is a high school junior at Henry M Gunn High School. Growing up in a vegetarian and eco-conscious family, she has always valued sustainability and helping others. She seeks leadership roles that enable her to better her community, which has led to her current roles on the marketing team for LED and the board of the Jewish club at her school. Through her involvement in LED Amanda hopes to be able to have a meaningful impact on her community, using social media and coordinating events to help bring awareness to simple tasks people can do to make big differences. Outside of school, Amanda enjoys competing in show jumping on her horse, playing with her dogs, watching The Office, and spending time with friends and family.
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Outreach
Sharon Zhu
Vice President of Outreach
Sharon is a high school junior at Lynbrook High School. She has always been invested in science and protecting the environment since elementary school, since learning about animals and human-caused threats from a PBS kids TV show. She is involved with the science clubs at her high school and has researched the effect of climate change on ocean ecosystems. Sharon hopes through LED, she will be able to act on her beliefs about preserving and improving the Earth.
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Alex Li
Event Coordinator
Alex Li is currently a sophomore at Lynbrook High School. He joined LED to help protect the environment by spreading awareness about the true severity of environmental problems. He hopes to help keep the planet healthy as well as inspire others in the community to do the same. Outside of school, Alex enjoys numerous hobbies such as playing with his dog, playing tennis, and art.
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publications
Rohan Aggarwal
Editor-in-Chief of Publications
Rohan Aggarwal is a senior attending Woodside High School. He has a passion for engineering, preserving the environment, and volunteer work. His involvement in preserving our natural environment began when he became a rower. After practicing for months on polluted waterways that were uninhabitable to most wildlife, he organized shore cleanup events with his team and brought in local experts to educate them on methods to prevent further pollution. As the Editor-in-Chief of Publications, his goal is to synthesize complex environmental topics so they can be easily understood by youth and adults, in hope this information can encourage others to make conscientious efforts to preserve the environment.
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Audrey Hu
Blog Writer
Audrey Hu is a sophomore in Miramonte High School. She started becoming environmentally conscious through her school’s green team club and always seeks to expand her comprehension on environmental issues. In their free time, Audrey enjoys reading, playing tennis and art. Through LED, she hopes that she can inform and inspire people to be more aware of the environmental impact we have on Earth.
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Isabelle Ly
Blog Writer
Isabelle is a high school junior attending Aragon High School and College of San Mateo Middle College in San Mateo, California. Since learning about the climate crisis in middle school, she has dedicated herself to living a sustainable life and advocating for the climate crisis cause. She has participated in a School Strike for the Climate protest in 2019 and is currently a volunteer for the Environmental Volunteers based in Los Altos. In her free time, she enjoys designing, sewing, tailoring and up-cycling clothing, playing the flute and bike riding. Through writing for LED, she hopes to educate herself and others about the multi-faceted outcomes and affects that come with an ever-warming climate, spreading awareness and knowledge.
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