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Winners' Biographies
Minnesota
Tyler J. Rausch | Elk River High School | Elk River, Minnesota
"Peace: The Necessary Solution"
Coordinator: Ms. Denise A. Eidem
Tyler resides in Elk River, Minnesota where he is currently a junior. Being a sports enthusiast, he plays soccer and basketball for his high school team and enjoys both snowboarding in the winter and waterskiing in the summer. Tyler is a member of the National Honor Society and has been actively involved in the local food shelf drive. He is also a member of the French club and traveled to France with other members in 2007. Tyler has received his school’s “Gold Academic Achievement” and “Spotlight on Academics” awards along with Academic Letters for 3 years because of his near perfect grade point average and involvement in interscholastic activities. Outside of school, Tyler’s spare time is filled with many activities; he works at Target, is an avid traveler, enjoys reading, the History Channel, spending time with friends and relaxing at his family’s cabin. Tyler plans to pursue a career in engineering.
Mississippi
Parker Murff | St. Andrew’s Episcopal School | Ridgleand, Mississippi
"The Honest Broker: Resolving Natural Resource Conflicts in the Twenty First Century"
Coordinator: Mr. Chris Harth
Parker Murff, a resident of Jackson Mississippi, is a junior at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, where she is actively involved in theater, film, literary endeavors, and community service. She has attended numerous leadership programs, including the Lott Leadership Institute, Mississippi Governor’s School, Youth Leadership Jackson, and will participate in the International Youth Leadership Forum this summer in Beijing, China. She was recently nominated by the faculty and staff of St. Andrew’s for the Executive Women’s International Scholarship Program. She is co-president of the Spanish club and is an avid student of languages. Parker is currently studying Spanish and Chinese, and plans to add French, Italian, and Japanese to her repertoire as well. She is also actively involved with groups such as ONE, Hearts Against AIDS, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (S.T.A.N.D.), End Child Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking ( ECPAT-USA), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Missouri
Laura S. Fried | Pembroke Hill School | Kansas City, Missouri
"Black Blood Spill: The Fight for Oil in Central Africa"
Coordinator: Ms. Hilary K. Fried
Laura Fried is a recent graduate of The Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Missouri. She is passionate about writing, government, and foreign affairs. During high school, she participated in Youth in Government and served as a youth Supreme Court Judge for three years. Laura also interned at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library as a junior archivist where she catalogued and preserved historical documents. Laura attended the Junior Statesmen of America program for two summers at Princeton University and Georgetown University where she took college courses in political philosophy and political communication. In her junior year, Laura entered her research paper on “The Oslo Peace Accords” in the National History Day Competition, allowing her to compete in Washington, D.C. As a senior, she entered a paper into the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage writing contest. Her research on Senator Russell Feingold and the Patriot Act placed 5th out of 1,200 entries. Next year, Laura will attend Brown University and intends to double major in History and International Relations.
Montana
Hillary J. Ross | Billings Senior High School | Billings, Montana
"Economic Thinking About Conflict Over Natural Resources"
Coordinator: Ms. Laura M. Ross
Hillary will attend the University of Chicago in the fall to study economics and history. She has earned part of her college tuition by selling apples from her family's orchard. In June, she is graduating from Billings Senior High School in Billings, Montana as valedictorian of her class. At school, Hillary is a peer tutor, student mentor, a member of the Spanish Club, and the National Honor Society. She played soccer and basketball for Billings during senior year. Hillary has traveled with her school's Spanish Department to Costa Rica, Spain, and Morocco. She was also a volunteer at the World Water Day Walk. Hillary's interests include travel, history, cooking, sports, fashion, and backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains and cross-country skiing in Yellowstone Park. Her twin sister, Elizabeth, was the National Peace Essay winner from Montana in 2007.
Nebraska
Alyssa Mann | The Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heartl | Omaha, Nebraska
"Community Conflict Resolution: The Groundwork of Environmental Cooperation and Peace"
Coordinator: Mr. Chad Krier
Alyssa is a 2008 graduate of The Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, Nebraska. During her high school years, she participated in the Futures for Children Mentoring Program, Habitat for Humanity, the Juvenile Diversion Teen Court, a YMCA Team Leadership Camp, the Big Sister-Little Sister Program and was a member of the volleyball, basketball, cross country, and track teams. She has received high honors in academics and many prizes and distinctions in her coursework at Duchesne. Alyssa has traveled to the Dominican Republic for an immersion experience at the Institute of Latin American Concern in Santiago and a service project in Arroyo del Toro. This spring she attended the National Catholic Youth Conference. Active in her church, Alyssa has taught Vacation Bible School and is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She enjoys ballet, tap, and jazz dancing. Alyssa will attend Creighton University and plans to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
Nevada
Jacob B. O’Farrell | Douglas High School | Minden, Nevada
"Peaceful Resource Diplomacy"
Coordinator: Mrs. Phyllis E. Bateman
Jacob lives in Carson City, Nevada, and hopes to attend college in the fall at Seattle University. He is involved in the Alpine Club and is a member of the Young Democrats Club. Jacob worked on the Barack Obama campaign, and volunteered as a slacklining instructor at a local gymnastics business. He was a delegate to Nevada Boys State in 2007, and was an elected by his county as a delegate in the State Democratic Nominating Convention. Jacob plans to graduate high school with NHS honors.
New Hampshire
Jacquelyn Stolos | Pinkerton Academy | Derry, New Hampshire
"Colonization: The West's Role and Responsibility in Africa"
Coordinator: Mrs. Lori J. Stolos
Jacquelyn Stolos is a Junior at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. She is an avid reader and a lover of history. When she is not at school or running on Pinkerton’s cross country and track teams, Jacquelyn enjoys spending time with her friends. Jacqueline's commitment to education earned her New Hampshire’s October Francis Wayland Parker student of the month award. She is a class officer at Pinkerton Academy and the Service Coordinator for her chapter of the National Honor Society. Jacqueline is a lover of the outdoors, as well as yoga. After college, Jacquelyn wishes to pursue a career in law.
New Jersey
Sharon Kim | Bergen County Academies | Hackensack, New Jersey
"Water Crisis"
Coordinator: Mr. Bill Mendelson
A resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey, Sharon Kim is a senior at Bergen County Academies. Last year she wrote an essay on maternal health that won first place for the UNA-USA National Essay Contest. Sharon was selected as one of the finalists for the 2007 Bentley Tomorrow 25 International Leadership Competition; the finalists were featured in the May edition of Time Magazine. In school, Sharon has been an active participant of the Model United Nations team and has won speaker awards at national conferences. She was also Secretary of Internal Affairs during her school’s conference and led the Press Corps Committee as Editor-in-Chief. Currently, Sharon is interning at the United Nations as a representative of World Information Transfer, a not-for-profit organization that promotes health and environmental literacy. In her spare time, she likes to play the flute, practice tennis, and travel. Sharon will be attending Harvard College in the fall.
New York
Julia L. Lofredo | Preston High School | New York, New York
"Recommendations for the Resolution of Natural Resource Conflicts"
Coordinator: Ms. Caitriona Cullen
This student has not submitted a bio or a picture yet.
North Carolina
Otis R. Reid | Chapel Hill High School | Chapel Hill, North Carolina
"Natural Resources and Peace: Building Hope for the Future"
Coordinator: Mr. Donald M. Reid
Otis is a senior at Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is a member of the National Honors Society and a National Merit Finalist. He is passionate about languages, as evidenced by his participation in the French and German National Honors Societies. He was a national finalist for the US Team in the International German Olympiad and won 3rd place in the National Alliance Française Essay Contest. He has drawn upon his interest in foreign languages to contribute to his community by tutoring in French and helping to run an after-school German club to get 5th graders interested in German. In the fall, he will be attending Stanford University.
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