The GREEN Program 2023/2024 Ambassadors
Environmental advocates for climate education and a sustainable future
Advocates for a GREEN generation
Ambassadors are standout TGP alumni who are on a mission to support future sustainability leaders through experiential education, adventure, and travel.
- Co-hosting virtual events
- Fostering community engagement
- Mentoring sustainability students
A global community of change-makers
- Through their semester-long term, Ambassadors take part in unique programming as a part of TGP’s global team.
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- Leadership development
- Professional development
- Community organizing
Preparing for impactful stories
“TGP has made a significant impact on me and my career path. I have always been concerned about the environment and finding ways to be sustainable in my daily life.
After I went to Iceland, my whole outlook on life and what I want my career to be changed. I want to be an engineer that makes an impact in the world through engineering and the power system.”- Alex Underwood, TGP Ambassador Fall 2020
Meet The GREEN Program’s 2023/2024 Ambassador Cohort:
Connect with a TGP Ambassador on Campus Today!
Hi, I’m AJ Ewing. I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and studying Construction Science and Management at Clemson University. I am currently the President of Association of Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Secretary of Phi Sigma Kappa. In my free time I enjoy hanging out with friends and family along with staying active in intramural Soccer and Basketball. I am super excited to be a part of The Green Program Ambassador team! After my visit to Kathmandu with The Green Program I made it one of my top priorities to share my experience to as many people as I can. This was truly one of the best experiences in my life and I feel everyone should get the opportunity to experience such a fascinating accelerated study abroad program.
Nepal: Ethics of Sustainable Development Winter 2022
I am a recent graduate of the University of the District of Columbia where I earned my Bachelor’s in Computer Science and worked for organizations and research studies to increase diversity in the fields of computing and sustainability. Since then, I’ve started my job as a software engineer in which I’m contracted to work on projects for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. TGP has deepened my relationship with the environment and helped me realize how important it is to connect with people who share the same passions. I aim to bring this opportunity to more people of different backgrounds since I believe everyone should have the chance to experience what I did through TGP.
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability, Summer 2022
Elizabeth Tofte
Penn State University | Earth Sciences
Email: [email protected]
Hi everyone! My name is Elizabeth Tofte and I’m an Earth Science major at Penn State University. I am hoping to pursue a career in atmospheric/climate science. I had the amazing opportunity to join the GREEN Program in summer 2022 on the Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation trip. It was one of the most inspiring trips of my life, and I’m so excited to share this experience with others!
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability, Summer 2022
Jared Harris
Virginia Tech | Business Information Technology, Astronomy & Comp Science Minors
Email: [email protected]
Hello! My name is Jared Harris and I am sophomore at Virginia Tech studying Business Information Technology with minors in Astronomy and Computer Science. Going on a trip to Iceland with the Green Program has helped me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things while I still can. Iceland has also helped me to pursue my passion as a photographer, helping me learn more about composition, lighting, and other techniques firsthand. With the knowledge I learned about sustainability and myself, I wish to be able to impact the world from the business and data analytics side by integrating efficient and cost effective systems into business models. I am very excited to share my TGP experience with others in order to influence and change the world.
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability, Winter 2023
Hello, my name is Alexa Fields and I am currently a 4th year sustainability student at San Diego State University. Last summer I was fortunate enough to have been able to accompany my peers to Iceland with the Green Program. I love being outdoors and doing activities that get me out of my comfort zone, which is why this program was such a great fit for me. I learned a plethora of invaluable skills, as well as more on the practicality and usability of renewable energy on a large scale, which I hope to apply to my future career. I am thrilled to be further involved with the program and be able to share my unique experience with all of you. I hope to encourage more people to join the Green Program on a trip to make unforgettable memories!!
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability, Summer 2022
My name is Sophia Shi. I am an incoming Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. I received my Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at North Carolina State University in May 2022. Through traveling and adventures, I grew to truly appreciate nature and thus amplifying my desire to protect it. By working with my cohorts on the capstone project, my eyesight expanded beyond the engineering field to broader perspectives. Therefore, I decided to pursue higher education with my graduate research focusing on process systems optimization for renewable energy. As the first in my family to go to college, I want to bring TGP to a diverse crowd, especially to those who might be held back by cultural stigmas or socioeconomic constraints from studying abroad. I want more and more people to have the opportunity to gain a personal relationship with mother earth and the motivation to contribute to sustainable efforts.
Peru Online: Indigenous Knowledge & Sustainability
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability
Hannah Yoo
San Diego State University | Recreation & Tourism Management, Sustainable Tourism
Email: [email protected]
Hi, my name is Hannah Yoo. I am currently a student at San Diego State University, majoring in Recreation and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Sustainable Tourism. I am originally from Davis, California and some of my hobbies include bouldering, playing badminton, and being a foodie. I also love to travel as I have been to countries such as Thailand, Fiji, and South Korea. My most recent trip was to Peru with TGP and through this trip, I was able to learn about water resource management and what sustainability meant in relations to indigenous peoples. I also was able to be as creative as I wanted with the capstone project which was my favorite part. I hope to help others also have the same amazing experience which is why I became a Green Program Ambassador!
Peru: Water Resource Management & Sustainable Practices, Summer 2023
Emily Crunican
Bishop’s University | Environmental Studies, Double Minor in French & Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
Email: [email protected]
Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I am a third year student at Bishop’s University in Canada. I’m studying environmental studies and have a double minor in French and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. In my free time I’m usually doing something outside, often hiking or photography related. In May 2023 I was fortunate to travel to Peru through The Green Program for the Water Resource Management and Sustainable Practices Program. I had such an incredible time learning both in class and in the field. I appreciated how we looked at environmental issues from multiple different lenses and perspectives. The Green Program was an amazing experience for me and I am looking forward to sharing my experience with others!
Peru: Water Resource Management & Sustainable Practices, Summer 2023
Alia Amanpour Trapp
Temple University | Political Science, Minor in Religion
Email: [email protected]
Hello! My name is Alia Amanpour Trapp, and I am attending Temple University as a political science major, minoring in religion. As a young professional, hoping to become an attorney working in environmental law, I came to the Green Program looking for clarity—clarity about the direction I wanted to take my career in. Service learning in Peru is genuinely one of the most important things that I have ever been a part of, and working with the Green Program has helped me realize how much I wanted to incorporate this kind of work in my own life and career. I am excited to help educate and empower others who are interested in creating a more sustainable world––especially those who come from diverse backgrounds like myself!
Peru: Water Resource Management & Sustainable Practices, Summer 2023
Catherine (Cate) McAulay
University of South Florida | Environmental Science & Policy, Minor in GIS
Email: [email protected]
Hey, I’m Cate. I am a sophomore from Orlando, FL studying at the University of South Florida where I am majoring in environmental science and policy and minoring in geographic information systems and technology. Attending TGP in Iceland was an amazing and unforgettable experience. It was my first time ever traveling out of the country and it was my first solo trip. It helped push me out of my comfort zone and truly experience what was around me. I love being outdoors and exploring the nature of different places. I am passionate about wanting to better the world so that everyone can see how amazing nature is. TGP gave me a new appreciation for nature and how to help better it. From studying in lectures, to seeing the power plants, to hiking a glacier, the experience and knowledge learned from TGP is unique. I want to inspire others to have this same opportunity and gain the knowledge and appreciation for the world that I and other TGP alumni before me have.
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability, Summer 2023
Elena Knops
Iowa State University | Chemical Engineering, Minor in Sustainability
Email: [email protected]
Hi everyone! My name is Elena and I’m from Menasha, Wisconsin. I go to Iowa State University and major in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Sustainability. I absolutely love to travel, spend time outdoors, watch movies, try new foods and activities, and hang out with friends! My trip to Iceland in May 2023 with The Green Program was one of the most amazing and life changing experiences I have ever had. Iceland gave me endless opportunities to further my love for nature and sustainability. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to share my experience with other people and have a positive impact on those around me as a TGP ambassador!
Iceland: Renewable Energy Innovation & Sustainability, Summer 2023
Mikayla Atwood
North Carolina State University | Chemical Engineering – Sustainability
Email: [email protected]
Hi, my name is Mikayla and I am a Senior this year at NC State working on my chemical engineering degree. This summer I worked with TrakRef learning about refrigerant sustainability and analyzing data, and I hope to pursue a sustainability career after graduation. TGP has demonstrated how valuable our environment is and working together to protect it, and I can’t wait to continue to do so. I look forward to getting more students at NC State involved in the program and excited about sustainability.
Nepal Online: Ethics of Sustainable Development, Summer 2022
Bianca Harleston
Virginia Tech | Smart & Sustainable Cities
Email: [email protected]
Hello! My name is Bianca, and I am a 2nd year graduate student at Virginia Tech studying Urban and Regional Planning. I had the opportunity to study abroad to Cusco, Peru, with the Green Program during my final semester of undergrad. I learned about the importance of sustainable development in the context of South America and how to empower natives and locals to help create a sustainable future while honoring the past. From hiking to the iconic Machu Pichu to studying ancient and modern water management systems, I was challenged physically, mentally, and spiritually in such a beautiful way. I am excited to share with others this one-of-a-kind opportunity to visit Peru!
Peru: Water Resource Management & Sustainable Practices, Summer 2023
FAQS
I’m a TGP alumni and may be interested in becoming an Ambassador. What are the benefits?
The Ambassador program is a semester-long leadership development program (with opportunities to extend). Ambassadors gain additional leadership development and community organizing skills in the field of sustainability and education, all while being a student or young professional in the field. Ambassadors also receive priority application to return as a Program Mentor on future TGP programs, with all expenses paid. Ambassadors have opportunities to join future TGP programs as a participant at discounted rates (or free!)
Who can become a TGP Ambassador?
The TGP Ambassador program is only open to TGP alumni who have completed a TGP program or course, abroad or online. We seek motivated individuals who are active leaders in their community and are eager to progress TGP’s mission of sustainability education forward. Ambassadors may be university students, graduate students, or young professionals in the field. Contact [email protected] if you’d like to become a future TGP ambassador.
What do Ambassador do?
Ambassadors are official liaisons between the TGP HQ team and their respective community. Ambassadors are responsible for advocating for sustainability education, co-hosting community events, and mentoring TGP students.
How much time does it take to be an Ambassador?
The role is very entrepreneurial. Your team rep will work with you to develop a plan for the semester that is unique to your schedule and goals.
CONNECT WITH A TGP AMBASSADOR
Accepted students get access to mentorship and campus events with TGP Ambassadors