Meet our CREATE Connections Interns!

For the past couple of months we have had the pleasure of working with six college interns as part of our CREATE Connections project. They will be working with us through next summer to help develop and deliver education and outreach activities that will be shared through public libraries and other locations and have already started learning about Easton and Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plans (CAPs) and how best to communicate about these topics. Learn a little bit about each of our interns below!

Name: Rebecca Capone
School: Lafayette College
Major: Environmental Geoscience
Why CREATE Connections? “I am excited to be a part of CREATE Connections because it offers me the opportunity to engage with the greater Lehigh Valley community while deepening my ties to Easton, where I go to school. I am particularly inspired by Nurture Nature’s work in fostering collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to community education. Climate science is critical to everyone, and I believe this program plays a vital role in making this knowledge accessible and actionable for all.”

Name: Madisen Dippel
School: Moravian University
Major: Public Health with an Environmental Health focus
Why CREATE Connections? “I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a project that allows me to work closely with the community in an effort to increase the public’s knowledge on climate action and sustainability. CREATE Connections encourages people of all backgrounds to be a part of something bigger than themself.”–

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Name: Kaya Griffith
School: Lehigh University
Major: Architecture and Graphic Design
Why CREATE Connections? “I think the Nature Nurture Center makes such an amazing impact in terms of environmental research and outreach towards the Lehigh Valley community. I hope that through CREATE Connections, I will be able to make a great impact towards the Bethlehem community as well.”

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Name: Aleksander Lehtovuori
School: Northampton Community College
Major: Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, & Biology
Why CREATE Connections? “I am super passionate about creating projects on the local level that will help diminish the effects of climate change on the region. I want to find ways to creatively inform the public and set a precedent for other areas to follow so we can unite larger regions in climate change action. This will put more and more pressure on politicians to get on board. CREATE Connections allows me to explore ways to involve the public that are creative and fun and community oriented without losing sight of the end goals; and there is an added bonus of being associated with NOAA, an organisation I deeply admire and would love to work for in the future and the Nurture Nature Center, an organisation that shares my goals and passions for improving policy and helping the planet.”
Name: Annalise Thapaliya
School: Lehigh University
Major: Earth and Environmental Science
Why CREATE Connections? “This project harnesses many of my passions into one: grassroots action, community engagement, and climate education. I believe in the power of communities to drive the environmental movement towards increased social and ecological resilience. Being involved in CREATE Connections mirrors my commitment to being an active member of my community in pursuit of a better future for all.”

Name: Taylor Treonze
School: Lehigh University
Major: Environmental Studies
Why CREATE Connections? “I hope to engage with the local community through environmental education! CREATE Connections is an excellent group of students and activists I’m excited to work with throughout the year.”

This webpage was prepared by the Nurture Nature Center under award NA23SEC0080002 from the Environmental Literacy Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the U.S. Department of Commerce.