We are excited to introduce our 2021 summer interns! Despite the unusual nature of this year, we’ve continued our intern program (now in its 4th year) and are delighted to welcome our interns — working on an array of projects ranging from social media, to the website, to zero waste and 500 trees — to the team. Find out more about this wonderful team below.
SOCIAL MEDIA/MARKETING/WEBSITE
Kaley, Anika and Taylor will be working on various aspects of marketing and communications for GreenTown Los Altos.
Kaley Kwan
I grew up in an environmentally conscious family, whether using water from washing vegetables to water the garden, recycling, or walking and biking to school. I am also a California native, which means I have an existential crisis over the water crisis about once a month. Now, as a rising senior at Los Altos High School, I want to get more involved in environmental activism, specifically intersecting environmentalism and technology. I’m also a swimmer, which a lot of people might not know about me, since I am incapable at every other activity involving physical coordination. If I could wave a magic wand and help the planet, I’d force world governments to actually regulate major corporations that are ruining the planet in the name of profit.
Anika Sikka
I am a rising junior at Los Altos High School and this is my second year interning with GreenTown Los Altos. I’ve always been in love with the environment; whether it was going on hikes with my family or spending time at the beach, my love for immersing myself in nature has stayed constant as I’ve grown older. I advanced my interest and love for the environment through my middle school’s environmental club, culminating in representing the nation at the annual United Nations global climate change conference. During my freshman year at Los Altos, I got involved with GreenTown, and have continued to explore my environmental interests while working with an amazing group of people. Outside of school, I write for my school’s newspaper, play water polo, and play the guitar! My favorite plants are probably succulents because my gardening skills succ(ulent). One of my biggest passions is education, because I think that youth are capable of making a huge difference when equipped with the education and resources to do so.
Taylor Nguyen
Hello! I’m Taylor, a rising senior at Los Altos High. I am thrilled to have this opportunity at GreenTown in order to further my passions. I aim to study urban planning or environmental business in college which GreenTown bridges with focuses on sustainability and environmental education. In a perfect world, I’d wave a magic wand and enable environmentally-friendly practices to be more affordable worldwide along with education for implementing such practices. I want to work on urban planning or environmental business because I want to change at least one person’s life, my dearest passion. I developed this passion because of my Grandma who has continuously worked to better the lives of her children and the people in her life. She has my greatest admiration because of the sacrifices she has made and yet has been able to maintain her glowing, heartfelt charisma.
ZERO WASTE
Anneli and Michael will be supporting GreenTown’s Zero Waste project, identifying waste-related options for Los Altos’ developing Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and providing education and resources for helping our community members reduce plastic waste.
Anneli Chow
I grew up in Portland, Oregon and moved to Los Altos about four years ago. I have always been passionate about sustainability and environmental protection, and am considering majoring in environmental science in college. If I had to choose three words words that best describe, they would be: “conscientious”, “caring”, and “dedicated”. I am very invested in my family and friends, and love to give back to the community in any way I can. Outside of school, I am very passionate about dancing, which I consider my art and my sport. I have trained as a ballet dancer for thirteen years, and I love that it allows me to express myself and communicate a story solely through movement and music. If I could wave a magic wand to help the planet, I would wish that the government and major industries would promote and adopt more sustainable practices in order to preserve natural resources, minimize the production of single-use plastics and halt devastating effects on the planet, such as deforestation.
Michael Luk
I was born, and currently live, in Palo Alto, California. I am a rising senior at Los Altos High. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work with GreenTown, and I am excited to work on zero waste projects. I enjoy nature and outdoor activities like hiking and camping and hope to create a more sustainable and healthy environment. Although I don’t know many plants, my favorite plant is the California Goldenrod which has been the most interesting and best performing plant in my native garden. And if I could wave a magic wand to help the planet I would have everyone educated about sustainability so that we can take action to improve our world.
500 TREES
Naomi will be supporting GreenTown’s 500 Trees project, GreenTown’s effort to increase the amount of beauty and carbon sequestered in our community.
Naomi Schulze
Hi! My name is Naomi Schulze and I’m a rising Junior at Los Altos High School. I’ve always loved the outdoors, yet growing up in California has given me acute anxiety about the places I love — each year, the fires get a little closer to home and the grass where I hike gets drier. Being a part of my school’s Green Team has given me a way to channel this fear, and also to get involved in my local community. In addition to Green Team, I’m also a part of my school’s water polo team and student newspaper. In the future, I hope to study some combination of biology and environmental science! A few facts about me: my favorite book of all time is A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. If I could be anywhere other than here, I’d be in the Chesapeake Bay because I’m passionate about the restoration efforts taking place there, and also just admire its natural beauty. Lastly, if I could wave a magic wand and help the planet I’d force billionaires to redistribute their wealth.
CERTIFIED GREEN BUSINESSES
Keira, Kaya and Sadie are helping GreenTown understand the nuances of the Green Business Program and working to support Los Altos History Museum in its application for Green Business certification.
Keira Chatwin
I’m a rising junior at Los Altos High School and this is my first year interning for GreenTown. Preserving our environment and being climate conscious are two things I’ve always supported and GreenTown gave me the opportunity to do so. I started learning about the climate from a young age at my elementary school and in middle school I led an environmental club to write blogs and participate in conferences to address climate change. This continued into high school where I joined Green Team and continued to support new climate initiatives. My favorite plant is probably the blue-eyed grass indigenous to California because it has really nice flowers that are one of my favorite colors and the petal formation is so pretty. If I could be anywhere but here I would be in rural Australia near the ocean because the wildlife there around the beaches and at the reefs is so diverse and amazing. If I could wave a magic wand and help the planet I would love to reverse a lot of the environmental damage that already exists, restore natural habitats, and implement overhauling climate reforms in regards to corporations and the government.
Kayali Rammohan
My name is Kaya Rammohan and I am a rising sophomore at LAHS. I’ve grown up in Los Altos, and I hike and explore throughout California with my family often. I’ve always been passionate about the environment, especially growing up in such a beautiful area. This passion of mine grew especially in 8th grade when I participated in my middle school’s environmental club), and I’ve been able to contribute a lot more to our community and the environment by participating in Los Altos High School’s Green Team this past year. A few facts about me: my favorite plant is the split leaf philodendron - I've been taking care of one for a few months now (the plant's name is Jeffrey). And if I could be anywhere other than here, I would be visiting all my cousins and grandparents in Chicago, because I haven’t been able to visit all of them during the pandemic!