Student Blog: Amador Local Leaders Alumni Panel

On November 7th, 2022, the Amador Local Leaders club organized an Alumni Panel over Zoom, featuring multiple generations of past Amador Local Leaders members.

Local Leaders chose to host the event for current Amador students and Local Leaders members to see how their involvement in Local Leaders translates into their life after high school, whether that be in college, jobs, or internships. Through the panel, students were able to gain an idea of how the experiences, opportunities, and relationships made through Local Leaders have benefited previous members after graduation.

• Amelia Flores, class of ‘22 panelist and freshman at UC Davis, spoke about how Local Leaders created a gateway into her professional landscape, with interning at the Go Green Initiative and working an on-campus job.
• Julianne Ng, also class of ‘22 and freshman at UC Davis, touched on transitioning from highschool to college, and how she has carried over her environmental knowledge to Davis.
• Sanika Newadkar of UCSB, spoke about her experience as a past Local Leaders’ president, and of the internship and leadership opportunities Local Leaders offered her.
• Riley Chou, class of ‘21 and sophomore at UCSB, who spoke about the friendships made, lessons learned, and various skills, such as team management and time management, learned through Local Leaders.
• Amy Wang, sophomore at USC, encapsulated how it’s okay to be unsure when deciding a college major.
• Bryan Luo, class of ‘19, and senior at UCLA. He is a former vice president of Local Leaders, and shared his experiences and connections he gained through Local Leaders. 

A very memorable alumna who attended the panel was Raven Maier Bell, graduate of UCLA, who is currently working with the Go Green Initiative and is one of the original founding members of Amador Valley’s Local Leaders chapter. Bell spoke about the importance of networking and communication in professional opportunities later in life.

Amy Yang, a current Local Leaders member, shared her response to the panel experience,

“It was very surreal to see all the different generations of Local Leaders come together and talk … It was especially interesting to hear a founder of Local Leaders talk about the club”.

Everyone who attended found the event to be greatly beneficial as it eased some tension about high school and life after high school, providing insight about what panelists found important in the long run. Through providing a platform to club members and students that allowed them to get a full picture of how Local Leaders can help later in life, it was apparent that this alleviated the stress and concerns that many high schoolers feel about their future, and provided a greater understanding of how caring for the environment benefits both the students of today, and the students of the future.

This blog was written by Zara Nesar. Zara is a freshman at Amador Valley High School. She joined her school’s Local Leaders Club this year to learn more about her active role in the environment, and through the Journalism and Social Media sector, has been able to gain new skills and experience in creative social media outreach, writing, and local advocacy. She hopes to have more opportunities like this in the future!