Dhaka, Bangladesh

Like the rest of the Out of Focus members, Zakir lives in Muipur, a neighborhood in the south of Dhaka. While there, he sometimes helps out with his family's fresh food business. The rest of his time is spent working in photography and also studying for the government-administered SSC final examinations. He has been studying business and journalism and hopes to do more of that in the future. Zakir also loves swimming, singing and creating new projects. You can see Zakir's work, as well as the rest of the group's work, on their individual portfolios embedded in the Drik site. Follow the links to Out of Focus and then to the portfolios for some outstanding photographs. www.drik.net

You can find more pictures of Zakir here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

You may know Moli from her participation in the forum, and others may know her from her brief moment of stardom in the Bangladeshi movie (and Cannes winner) "Clay Bird" in which both she and Shetu appeared. However, both girls are humble and when we went to see the famous movie in a hall in Dhaka, their friends (and not them) told us about their acting debuts! Moli is more dedicated to her work as a photographer, which is how she supports herself and her family. Moli is also attending school in Dhaka. She enjoys going to art and photographic exhibitions and of course, taking pictures.

You can see more pictures of Moli here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

At 19, Falan is one of the older members of Out of Focus and he has been there from the group's start in 1994. It is hard to find him without a video camera in hand. Before joining the group, he worked as a rickshaw puller, an assistant on local buses, a steel welder, and a helper in tea stalls. Now he is working at Drik and doing photography to support himself and help raise his two younger brothers. Falan is also a writer, and has been keeping journals for the past few years, writing the story of his life. It is sure to be an amazing story, and we will be emailing him regularly to remind him to get working on the English translation.

You can write to Falan at drikfalan@yahoo.com and you can see more pictures of him here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

You may remember Shetu from the beautiful and sad story that she wrote for the Junior Journal, about her father's death. Shetu was also part of the Hamida group, and is also still working with Out of Focus and Drik. She has been concentrating on videography, and in addition to her Drik work, she created a video project for a national NGO for disabled people. There is a lot Shetu wants to accomplish in her life - in addition to being a video editor, she wants a graduate degree and to go abroad and teach photography as well. For her photography is a way to expose the injustice and pain that people feel and often do not want to express and it is a way to communicate ideas which are new to people. Right now, Shetu is a trainee at the Drik Gallery and a student at the Bangladesh Open University.

You can write to Shetu at shetu_drik@yahoo.com and you can see more pictures of her here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dadon is currently working in Out of Focus's business venture, while at the same time continuing with photography and studying Business and Commerce at the University of Dhaka. He is hoping to continue his education and become an accountant in the future. Education is very important to Dadon, and like J.F.K, Dadon frequently asks himself, " what can I do for society?" At present he is working to keep up his studies and support his family. Another reason he enjoys working with Out of Focus is that it brings young men and women together working side by side, a rare opportunity in his community.

You can write to Dadon at fa_dadon@yahoo.com and you can see more pictures of him here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Iqbal has always been in the arts and is now working as a full-time freelance video photographer. He says of himself that when he was young, he used to paint pictures with paint and now he paints through the camera on photographic paper. In addition to the photography work he does, Iqbal has worked as a production assistant at World View International and with Ekushey Television as a journalist. When he realized he needed more money to support his family, he began doing wedding and birthday photography by renting cameras and editing panels. Iqbal is also very socially-motivated and he spoke to us of his dream to create a group like Out of Focus for girls in Cox's Bazaar (a region several hours from Dhaka) where there is no education for girls.

You can find Iqbal at iqbal_labai@yahoo.com and you can see more pictures of him here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Kashem is interested in photography because for him it is a way to explore social issues and protest injustice. He wants to be a photographer for life, and has already had a magazine internship. Another reason for doing photography for Kashem is to support his family, although this is difficult when is also trying to complete his general studies. He has worked with Out of Focus for many years and he is currently a trainee at Drik Gallery, where exhibitions from local and international photographers are staged continuously. Kashem also told us about his latest project with Shopna - they are planning to create desk calendars to sell as a fundraiser for Drik. In his spare time, Kashem likes listening to music and playing with children.

You can write to Kashem at kashem_drik@yahoo.com and you can find more pictures of him here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Like Bristi, Rabeya (or Rima to her close friends), also took part in 'Muktokhobor' of ETV as a junior television journalist, in addition to her photography and videography. Officially, Rima is working in Drik's Internet division, but like her friends, she is extremely committed to photography as a medium for expression, and she hopes to do an advanced diploma in photography one day in the future. Already Rima has passed her O levels, and is studying political science at the University of Dhaka when she isn't working. For Rima, there are lots of reasons to work. The biggest three are to pay for her education expenses, contribute to her family, and to do something against injustice in the Bangladeshi society. Whether because of her sharp mind or her travels abroad (Rima has twice visited Europe), she is a talented translator and aided us enormously when our Bangla failed us (right…).

You can write to Rima at rs_rima@yahoo.com and you can find more pictures of her here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bristi, also known as Hamida, was one of the eight participants in the Hamida group from Bangladesh, and the group's representative to the in-person summit in Cambridge. That same collection of young people are also known as the "Out of Focus" group, and they work together as socially-conscious photographers and videographers. Out of Focus is affiliated with the larger gallery and photography school called "DRIK". Bristi herself is sixteen, and she works as a photographer, a videographer (there are tons of pictures of Bristi with her eye hidden by a camera), and as a junior television journalist at 'Muktokhobor', a programme broadcast by Ekushey Television. She is hoping that her career will take her further into journalism. Bristi's hobbies include collecting stamps and birds, which she keeps as pets.

You can reach Bristi (Hamida) at brist_n@hotmail.com and you can find more pictures of her here.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

You may also remember Shopna's name from her messages to the online forum discussions on child poverty. Shopna has been working with Out of Focus since its' start in 1994, and through her work in photography and videography, she has been an activist against child labor and child marriage, both widespread problems in Bangladesh. Aside from her work with photography, Shopna is takes classes in computers and has been attending seminars in children's issues. She also holds a part-time job at the World View Cybercafe in Dhanmondi, Dhaka in order to provide support for her husband and adorable four year-old boy. Shopna loves listening to songs and reading books. One day, she hopes to be a famous photographer working with underprivileged children.

You can reach Shopna at shopna_faysal@hotmail.com and you can find more pictures of her here.

Singapore

A life-size yoda stands guard outside Hsia's room in her parents' house in the North of Singapore, providing a clue to some of Hsia's interests. Now in her second year at the University of Singapore, Hsia is studying economics and has hopes of finding a job with the monetary authority or another government job in the future. What really keeps her going though is her extra curricular activities, like Japanese anime. Hsia's story with the Junior Summit was an exciting but frustrating one - after being an extremely active participant in homeroom 22 and the topic group discussion on racism, she was elected to be a delegate in Boston. Unfortunately, the Boston conference coincided exactly with her O levels exams, which were only offered once a year, and to avoid the risk of repeating a whole year in school, Hsia was unable to attend the Boston conference. You can find her online now though.

You can email Hsia at art11140@nus.edu.sg.

Singapore, Singapore

We were honored that Chean Juyun took one of his few days off from officer cadet school to meet with us at his parent's house in Singapore. At 20, Chean is training to be a lieutenant commander in the Singaporean Army, which has a bigger presence internationally than you might guess, given the small size of the country. Chean comes from a family that likes traveling, and he is no exception; after his army service, he is hoping to study economics and engineering overseas. But being abroad is just for study and travel, when it comes to picking a place to live, Chean wants to return to the year-round summer weather of Singapore!

You can reach Chean at little1@pacific.net.sg and you can see more pictures of him here.

Singapore

As he was before the Junior Summit, He Ruije is always president of one thing or another. Last year, when he was in his fourth year, he was president of the school, and now he is VP of his Junior College. During the Junior Summit online forum, He and his school mates were known as "Dunman" and they participated in the topic group about preventing cruelty to animals. His school was really excited about the Junior Summit and let them work on the online forum during classtime. Also, the school participates in community service activities, something He still does today. After we interviewed him, he left to tutor a child from a less advantaged area of Singapore. With a brother already at MIT, He is also hoping to go to the United States for studies.

You email reach He at jierui@hotmail.com and you can find more pictures of him and his parents here.

Ashkelon, Israel

So we tried to play it cool, but we couldn’t help being a little taken aback to find Amir at his house in Ashkelon in complete army gear – fatigues and an M-16. Still a peace-loving person, Amir is in the midst of completing his 3-year army service, required for all Israeli high school graduates. His position is as a medic in an engineering unit so he spends his days using emergency medicine skills and taking care of people. Amir’s future is open, though he is hoping to find a way to study business management in the United States. Over Israeli cakes and coffee in the house Amir lives in with his parents, Amir told us about what happened to the RPS project that he proposed during the Junior Summit—several years later it was started between his former school and a Palestinian one in the West Bank.

You can email Amir at amir_n@netvision.net.il and find more pictures of him here.

Ternopil, Ukraine

Many of the participants that we have visited so far have asked about delegate Tanya Kovalenko, who was a major contributor to topic group 17 (how to use technology to improve education). Although she wasn't ultimately able to attend the in-person Summit, because her visa was denied, Tanya continued with online discussions until her Internet access was cut off. However, Tanya is now back online at her University in Ternopil where she is studying business management and hoping to use those skills to improve business in her area of the Ukraine. Tanya is still convinced that the internet can make a big difference in the lives of children, and that internet usage needs to be more widespread in her own region. Our visit to Tanya's home town of Tornopil (Western Ukraine) was quite exciting - we took an 8 hour sleeper train there from Kiev, and spent the day touring the town with Tanya and her family.

You can email Tanya at yuri@ssft.net and find more pictures of her here.

Kiev, Ukraine

Sasha and her sister Olga picked us up from our hotel in Kiev to take us to their weekend home outside the city where their parents spend all their free time. Sasha, who is 19 now, is studying Marketing at Vienna-affiliated University in Kiev, and spends her spare time putting her many languages to work. Her classes are in English, she speaks Russian with her parents, and she often works as a translator in Italian! (The day before we arrived, she had spent the entire day working at an industry fair translating between Italian and Ukrainian.) Sasha also lives in a very internationally-minded home – both she and her sister have been on exchange programs in the United States, and the family often houses students from other parts of the world.

You can email Sasha at sgaletsky@hotmail.com and find more pictures of her here.

Athens, Greece

Konstantina greeted us in her chic Athens apartment whose artsy fun decorations gave clues about her life today. In addition to being a student of Communication, Media and Culture at Athens University where she is focusing on advertising and public relations, Konstantina is also doing design for a very avant-guard Greek magazine called “Ozon” (too avant-guard for Greeks, she says), and making jewelery for friends. Konstantina’s family comes from the island of Chios, which is famous for producing “maxtis” or “mastic” which is what makes chewing gum chewy and which Konstantina insisted we try before leaving her apartment. Look for Konstantina during the 2004 Olympics in Athens – she is applying for work there.

You can email Konstantina at nantiag@hotmail.com and find more pictures of her here.

Serres, Greece

Strains of the American National Anthem wafted down the stairs as we arrived at Dimitrios Karas' house. Dimitri lives in Serres, in the North of Greece, with his father, his grandmother and his sister Eleanna, and he was welcoming us to his house by playing this regal tune on his cello! The rest of the visit was just as full of wonderful surprises. Dimitri showed us the famous cloth bag that he had described at length in his Junior Summit topic group on the environment. He also showed us some computer programs that he had taught himself to write, some beautiful computer music. . . and the strangest set of dancing stuffed creatures, that have been created in honor of the 2004 Olympics in Athens! Dimitri was one of the youngest participants in the Summit at 10 years old. Today he is primarily concerned with finishing the very tough school exams that all 14 year olds must pass, and dreaming of what he wants to do with the future. His dreams encompass both a career as engineer, and also as child psychologist. Talking to the intense but also very caring Dimitri, we have no doubt that he could follow either of these career paths with pleasure and success.

You can email Dimitrios at dim-el@otenet.gr and find more pictures of him here.

Athens, Greece

During the Junior Summit, Nikos was a participant in topic 16 and involved in discussions on how to make computing less expensive, a topic that is still very close to his life and work. As a Mechanical Engineering student at the Technical University in Athens, Nikos is aiming for a career in computer science, specifically nanotechnology. His interest in computers extends beyond academics as well; Nikos has been using his PC to create video montage. He is also learning guitar and currently in a rock band that performs around Athens.

You can find more pictures of Nikos here.

Athens, Greece

Spiros was studying for no less than 9 single subject exams when we met him at his parents home in Athens. Now 16, and in his second to last year in high school (the hardest in Greece) Spiros has little time for much other than school, tutoring, and of course, the Junior Journal. Where would the Junior Journal be without Spiros? The international online journal has been published monthly since the Junior Summit, and is still seeking and finding new writers and editors. (See http://journal.jrsummit.net.) Spiros chose an engineering track in his high school and is hoping to pursue a few graduate degrees in electric engineering. He is still very interested in history and literature though, and made an excellent tour guide pointing out important Greek monuments as we drove around Athens together.

You can email Spiros at tzelepisk@otenet.gr and find more pictures of him here.

Rabat, Malta

Petra also lives in Rabat with her parents and brother though not for long -- she has plans of moving overseas soon. As a student of tourism at Malta’s university, Petra spends three days in classes and two days in a hotel training. Moro, her boyfriend, is also studying tourism (though he is working in a travel agency) and the two of them are planning to move to Toronto, Canada next year together. One day in the future, Petra dreams of retiring on Gozo (a smaller quieter island that is also part of Malta) but for now, she is ready to travel and see more of the world.

You can email Petra at petra@maltanet.net and find more pictures of her here.

Rabat, Malta

Danielle Grima and Petra Buhagiar were part of the two-person team “cchamps” during the Junior Summit and were very active participants in the war and peace topic group. Danielle is now on her way to being a lawyer; as a second year student at the University of Malta, she is taking classes in family law and human rights, and is hoping to create a career of those interests. Classes at University take up most of Danielle’s time, but we also got to hear about her new hobby of painting glass, which she plans to spend the summer doing. Danielle lives in the city of Rabat on Malta with her parents.

You can email Danielle at danielle@um.edu.mt and find more pictures of her here.

Kingston, Jamaica

In the day between our interview with Hilary in New Haven and meeting Nicole in Princeton, the two friends had talked and exchanged stories, so Nicole had nothing new to learn from us when we met her in her dorm room, but she told us all bout the adventures in her life since the Junior Summit. Princeton is actually the second North American school Nicole has attended; she also spent the latter half of high school in the US, at Andover Academy in Massachusetts. Nicole has been active in a range of community development projects since the Junior Summit, and now at Princeton, she is studying economics and and hoping to pursue a career in sustainable development.

You can email Nicole at nmclaren@princeton.edu and find more pictures of her here.

Penang, Malaysia

Check out Thrivecast, Gerald's website and you will discover the many adventures and accolades that have come his way since the Junior Summit. Among the most notable is being a three-time speaker at the International Student's Committee (ISC) symposium in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Gerald is originally from Malaysia, where his family still lives, but he is now settled in the United States, studying at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. His interests center around web design and business, which he managed to combine last summer while doing web development for JP Morgan Chase bank in New York City.

You can find more pictures of Gerald here.

Burlingame, CA, USA

It wasn't hard to figure out which of the four rooms in the suite belonged to Hilary - amidst the dishevel of American college dorm life was one perfectly clean bedroom with a poster of the beach on the wall, loads of photographs and some memorabilia from Hilary's a capella singing group, Something Extra. Hilary is now in her second year at Yale, where, between marching band, tap dance, and taking classes in political science, she also serves as business manager of her singing group. Hilary has another two years before deciding what will follow college; for now she is deciding what to do for the summer -- working for her local congressman again, or try something new?

You can e-mail Hilary at hilary.mcquaide@yale.edu. Pictures of Hilary coming soon!

Vancouver, BC, Canada

As to be expected, little Jacqueline is no longer little Jacqueline (she towered over both of us) but she still lives in Vancouver with her parents and little brother and is coming close to finishing her first year in high school. Since the Junior Summit, Jacqueline has participated in a variety of projects for kids, including the Youth Millenium Project and Millenium Dreamers. While she opted to take an elective course in her high school on technology, and she enjoys all of her studies at school, Jacqueline's real passion is for musicals. She just starred in "Peter Pan" and is looking forward to her next chance to sing and dance on stage.

You can find more pictures of Jacqueline here .

St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Janys May made the move from St. Johns, New Foundland (known to locals as "the Rock") eastward to attend the University of Toronto, where she is now a sophomore, though that is not the extent of her travels. After the Junior Summit, Janys spent time in Argentina, and then a full semester in Cuba with a school program, an experience that solidified her interest in international affairs and turned her on to the study of Spanish. Janys is now doing a double major in Spanish and international relations, and planning all kinds of other study experiences herself that involve travel to Spanish speaking countries. We found her in her apartment in Toronto, which she shares with a best friend.

You can email Janys at janysmay@hotmail.com and find more pictures of her here.

North York, Ontario, Canada

We caught Gil on what for him was a typical Saturday morning: by 10 am, his brother and sister in-law and his niece were all over at his parents house in the suburbs of Toronto sharing coffee and home-made babka (bread with chocolate swirls). Aside from being a doting uncle, Gil is a student at the University of Toronto, where, like his older brother before him, he is studying computer science and getting excited about a career in that field. It sounds like it might not be long before we run into Gil in the halls of MIT or find him at another graduate computer science program.

You can email Gil at gil-hagi@rogers.com and find more pictures of him here.

Melbourne, Australia

Nick greeted us in his office on the top of the YMCA in his new home town of Toronto, Canada. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Nick first moved to the northern hemisphere to New York to co-run Nation1 several years ago. Since that time, Nation1 merged forces with Taking It Global, a Canadian-based youth activist organization and Nick took on a large role with them after the merger - he is now in charge of strategy development. Every now and again, Nick takes some time off now and again to attend University back in Australia, but most of school is on hold for the time being, when there are so many other compelling projects to take care of.

You can email Nick at nick@takingitglobal.org and find more pictures of him here.

Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

A three hour drive from Toronto through Ontario brought us to the tiny town of Collingwood, and to the home of the McAndrew family. Although she was one of the younger participants in the Junior Summit in-person forum (now in her third year in high school), she was probably remembered less for her young age, and more for her ROOTs sponsorship - Megan got the clothing company ROOTs to clothe all her fellow Canadian delegates for the in-person Summit. Megan has another year left in high school after which she is hoping to move to Vancouver to complete a two-year international program that would give her an international baccalaureate and exposure to people from all over the world.

You can email Megan at mcandrew@info2000.on.ca and find more pictures of her here.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Tsipora lives by herself in an apartment in Montreal decorated by beautiful paintings, all of which she did herself. Outside her buidling is all the bustle of downtown, and the spillover from McGill University. In addition to painting, Tsipora is studying a mixture of subjects at McGill, giving herself an education in religion and medical anthropology. We met with her on Purim, a Jewish holiday full of costumes and food, so we got to sample Tsipora's homemade hamuntashen before they were taken to a party later that day. Good timing for us!

You can email Tsipora at tsipim@hotmail.com and see more pictures of her here.

Tanger, Morocco

It was easier than getting to Morocco, but just barely; meeting Nusrah at Concord College entailed a two-hour flight followed by a four-hour drive through three states. Of course it was worth it. After showing us around the apartment she shares with her brother (also a student at Concord College), Nusrah pulled out some footage from her latest project - a movie about college life that she wrote, and is now directing and producing. Nusrah is active in several communities outside college -- online for instance, as one of the co-creaters of the Girls Movements, an online community to empower young women, as well as in the local West Virginia elementary schools, where she brings international students from the College in to talk about other cultures.

You can email Nusrah at nusrahw@yahoo.com and see more pictures of her here.

Beijing, China

Online forum participants may remember Naiqing (Jeff) Gu as part of a five-member team from China called "Five Elements" who were interested in environmental issues. All five of the "Elements" have since left China to study abroad, and we found Naiqing at Columbia University in New York City where he is studying computer science but taking loads of humanities classes as well, and enjoying the latter very much. Although he moved around the world a bit, Naiqing never disappeared from Junior Summit related activity; he has been writing for the Junior Journal consistently since its inception. Now in his third year at Columbia, Naiqing is looking forward to research and a graduate education in computer science.

You can email Naiqing at ng289@columbia.edu and see more pictures of him here.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

You can imagine our surprise at finding Hisham, who came to the Junior Summit from the United Arab Emirates, in Worcestor, Massachusettes, which is no more than a half-hour drive from Boston! Hisham lives in Worcester with his brother and his brother’s wife, all of whom are students at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Although he is studying computer science in school, in his free time, Hisham has been spending a lot of time mixing tunes for parties and is better known around campus as DJ Hash (see email address for proof). Visiting Hisham in Worcester was a delight, also because he wants to find a way to revive the Junior Summit conversation online, and was one of several participants that we visited who offered his help in getting things going again. Anyone else?

You can email Hisham at djhash@hotmail.com and see more pictures of him here.

Niue

We found Monica in Auckland, where she was staying with her grandmother for part of the summer holidays. This is mid-way between Monica's two homes: about 1000km from her current one in Dunedin, and several times that distance from the home she grew up in, on Niue island in the Pacific. At 19, Monica is now studying biomedical science at the University of Otago with her sister, Leigh. After graduating next year, she plans to apply for a graduate program in medicine. Yet moving to a larger South Pacific island has not changed Monica's dedication to her home country -- as soon as she becomes a doctor, Monica plans to return to Niue.

You can reach Monica at phat_niuitupu@hotmail.com.

Niue

Before we even arrived, Ina wrote to tell us that she was looking forward to having us come to Niue, and understand why she is so passionate about where she lives. After only a couple of hours on "the Rock" (as locals call it), we did indeed understand, and we also began to see how intricately Ina's life is intertwined with her small South Pacific island. In fact, Ina is currently a news journalist -- THE news journalist -- for the country of Niue. Ina claims that the Junior Summit led her to become interested in the power of the media, but watching her greet absolutely everybody on her entire island by name led us to believe that reporting on people's lives was a natural career choice for her! By the end of the week, we realized that Ina knows all the gossip on the island as well -- but it's not clear if that's because Ina's a journalist, or because, having so many different interests, and having her hand in so many different pots, she gets all the news first-hand! Ina is currently taking courses by satellite from the University of the South Pacific, but may actually leave the island to continue her studies in journalism.

You can reach Ina at ina_tweety@yahoo.co.nz, see more pictures of her here, and more pictures of lovely Niue here.

Sydney, Australia

After spending this past summer teaching English in Hong Kong, Tannie is now headed back to Sydney for his third year at University. With similar ambitions as he had in 1998, Tannie is eager to begin a career in law and has been working hard to fulfill that dream. Like some of his fellow participants, Tannie is an active emailer, and was delighted to hear that he might be able to get more updated email addresses from JS friends he has lost contact with in the past few years. That said, he gave us more "updates" (read: gossip) on Junior Summit participants than anyone else has yet. And he probably gave us more "excitement" (read: stress) too due to the fact that Justine ended up teaching him how to drive stick-shift, when he showed up with a manual drive car that he proclaimed he didn't know how to use!

You can find Tannie at tannie@email.com and see more pictures of him here and here.

Dunedin, New Zealand

It should come as no surprise that Steven Sutton is vice-president of the students association at the University of Otago in Dunedin. This is a full-time job that mandates Steven take only half the standard number of academic credits. It was hard for Steven to say precisely what he wanted to be doing in the future, but for us it would be hard to imagine him without a large office, a larger staff, and many important problems in front of him. Certainly, Steven already knows how to choose a restaurant, and entertain guests! At present it looks like he will likely graduate with a degree in law and then head to Wellington to start working.

You can find more pictures of Mr. Sutton here, more pictures of dinner here, and you can reach Mr Sutton at sutton83@ihug.co.nz.

Christchurch, New Zealand

Olivia participated in the Junior Summit by convincing her school that spending time on the school's computer was superior to attending home economics classes. Yet with one email account for the whole school, it wasn't an easy project. Today Olivia prefers face-to-face contact with friends, and maintains most of her long distance friendships by snail mail. We met with Olivia at her parents' home in Christchurch, one week before she started university. Enrolled in a joint degree in law and environmental science, Olivia hopes to work for the New Zealand department of conservation. Already she has spent time in France as part of an exchange program focused on protecting the environment and learning about other countries' approaches to the same environmental problems.

You can email Olivia at burgan@inet.net.nz and see more pictures of her here.

Kapiti Coast, New Zealand

Iselde (also still known as Izzy to people from her earlier years) has spent the past two years studying massage therapy in Wellington and is very excited about a career as a masseuse specializing in energy work. We got to hear about the events of Iselde's life since the Junior Summit and her ideas for her future at her mother's home on the beautiful Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's north island. Parked in the backyard were the two VW buses that Iselde grew up touring around in, while attending school. Iselde showed us around her new and old homes, and made sure that we got a picture of her in her new butterfly top. Iselde is still very committed to saving the environment; her life goal is to buy as much land in New Zealand as she can and make it into national park.

You can email Iselde at iselde_dreamer@hotmail.com and see more pictures of her here.

Napier, New Zealand

After graduating from high school at sixteen, Tracy spent a year working and studying in New Zealand's capital, Wellington. We found her during a brief stint back in the beautiful, small and agricultural town of Napier where she was working in a health food store and editing a local gardening newsletter while deciding what business venture to take on next. While wandering around her backyard, we got to pick apples and meet the chickens , and hear about the contrasts of Tracy's country and city lives. Tracy is still interested in the environmental issues that had her so engrossed during the online forum, and she is eager to get back in touch with other members of her home room and topic group.

You can find pictures of Tracy and her family here and reach Tracey at tracy_a_h@hotmail.com.

Auckland, New Zealand

Morgan attends high school in Auckland, which she loves, because it means that whenever New Zealand Junior Summit participants go abroad, they go through Auckland, and so despite not attending the in-person Summit, Morgan has met many of the other New Zealand participants in person. Interested in eastern religions and in psychology, Morgan lives in a very special multi-leveled home designed by an Austrian artist (and friend of the family). Both she and her sister and mother are all also very involved in the arts: Morgan's focus is on photography. Talkative and outgoing, Morgan was really excited to get back in touch with JS participants from all over.

You can email Morgan at morgiebrightstar@hotmail.com and see more pictures of her here here.

Auckland, New Zealand

We found Stacey McLean poolside at her parents' home in the lovely Auckland suburb where she is spending the summer. When her summer job at a local cafe ends, Stacey will return to University to continue her studies in business administration. We think it won't be long before Stacey is running her own public relations firm! Since the Junior Summit, Stacey has proven her love for travel, and has saved her money to fund trips to Asia and Europe and back to the United States. She is also known around Auckland for hosting and otherwise befriending international exchange students.

You can email Stacey at stacey911@hotmail.com and see more pictures of her here.

Brisbane, Australia

After spending her last year in high school in the prestigious position of head girl, Maddie is now in her first year at MONASH, where she is studying medicine. Although it was a big move away from the Brisbane she grew up in, Maddie is loving being away at college where she has learned about a new city -- Melbourne -- and made loads of new friends. We met Maddie at her home in a suburb of Brisbane where she is spending the summer holidays with her parents and big sister and dog, and working during the days.

You can reach Maddie at Maddie_young@hotmail.com and see more pictures of her here.

Brisbane, Australia

While Genevieve told us that was studying chemical engineering at the University of Melbourne, we had to learn through other Brisbane Junior Summit participants that Genevieve had a career of winning physics competitions, one of which sent her to Helsinki to compete. Eager to spread her love of engineering, Genevieve is spending her summer holidays tutoring high school kids in physics and maths. Before "settling down" with a career in engineering or management, Genevieve wants to travel and make use of her Chinese, a language she has been studying every year since grammar school!

You can reach Genevieve at jaffacat@yahoo.com and see more pictures of her here.

Gold Coast, Australia

Karen's days begin at 4:30 AM to give her time to get from her house in a remote area of Australia?s famous Gold Coast to her job at a nursery school. This is part of a work-study program in which Karen will become licensed to work as a group leader and design programs for nursery school. Eventually, Karen plans to run her own nursery school for a few years and then pursue a degree in child psychology. Aside from work, Karen also spends time with young people in her role as a girl guide: she is the third generation in her family! Karen is still in touch with a handful of other Junior Summit participants from New Zealand and Singapore -- her homeroom liked each other so much they continued talking until this past year!

You can reach Karen by emailing her at Kan_22@hotmail.com and you can see more pictures of her here.

Brisbane, Australia

As she did during the days of the Junior Summit, sixteen year-old Chantelle still lives in the countryside (or « bush » as they say locally) an hour outside of Brisbane in Queensland. We meet Chantelle at the Brisbane School of Distance Education, a correspondance school, which she visits a few times a month for tuturials or to meet with some of the 4000 other students that also complete their studies by correspondance. This kind of flexibility in school has allowed Chantelle to pursue her other interests on her own time ? her latest goal is to promote science as a career choice for yourng Australians. As for herself, Chantelle is excited about a career in computers and one in which she can do good for other people.

You can contact Chantelle at ambassde@hotmail.com and find more pictures of her here.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Eduardo finished high school last year and is spending this year studying for exams that will take him to medical school in Brazil. He is confident about his commitment to becoming a doctor and researcher, most likely of oncology. We met Eduardo, his parents, and his girlfriend Rachel, (who has been his best friend since they were 5 years old) in the de Olivera Rodrigues Neto home near the Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro. After a long and thoughtful discussion, we couldn't resist making Eduardo blush by asking about the “Black Hole”. Yeah, what was that...?

You can email Eduardo at erodriguesneto@hotmail.com. You can find more pictures of Eduardo in his home here

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Right now, as he finishes up high school at one of Rio’s two American schools, Fernando has two big goals in mind – surfing, and California. Gone are the days when Fernando used to spend hours playing computer games ; now his computer interactions are mostly limited to ICQ. Although he enjoys the waves and cultural of Brazil, he is hoping to attend a university in Southern California where he can spend all his free time surfing the Pacific. Fernando lives with his parents in a house overlooking Copacabana, Ipanema and the other beaches of the Rio de Janeiro cityscape.

You can contact Fernando at fer@rionet.com.br and you can see more pictures of Fernando and his family here

Sao Paolo, Brazil

Diego attends a constructivist school in Sao Paolo where he is active in a group working to improve education in public schools. During the online forum, you may remember him for his encouragement of corporate boycotts. When we met him at his grandmother’s house
in Sao Paolo, he was in between trips – on his way to a New Year’s family vacation on Long Island, (near Rio de Janeiro) where another 45 family members were awaiting their arrival, and, having just returned from 5 months in Ireland. (Diego thoroughly amused his North American guests by speaking English with a Brazilian-Irish accent.) While he loved his time in Ireland and hopes to travel more, Diego is very much committed to living and working in Brazil.

You can find Diego at diego.moscou@bol.com.br and you can see more pictures of Diego and his family here

Florianopolis, Brazil

Renan lives in the beautful beach town of Florianopolis, where he is also enrolled in a University program for graphic design. After returning from the Junior Summit, Renan became obsessed with digital photography and started taking photographs of his favorite heavy metal bands. Now something of a local cameraman, Renan gets into all heavy metal concerts for free and has a well-known website that provides reviews and picture of local shows. The rest of Renan’s time is divided between practicing for a heavy metal career of his own one day (playing guitar) LAN parties and Kendo, a Japanese martial art. All of hobbies were apparent with a quick glance around his room.

You can contact Renan at blah@yatech.net and you can find more pictures of Renan and his family here

Porto Alegre, Brazil

You may remember Camila because she was one of the youngest members of the Junior Summit Now 15 and at the Colegio Israelita Brasiliero in Porto Alegre, Camila lives with her parents and two younger brothers. In addition to spending time with her family, Camila likes studying foreign languages and chemistry and maths and is thinking of a career related to the sciences. After the Junior Summit, Camila wrote several articles for the Junior Journal and is involved with multiple youth groups, one of which took her to Israel this past summer for an educational trip. Camila also enjoys dancing, and is involved in a dance troop in Porto Alegre.

You can email Camila at mbondar@terra.com.br and you can find more pictures of her and her family here

Buenos Aires, Argentina

We met Veronica in her home outside Buenos Aires where she lives with her sister and mother. Veronica is 19 now, and attends a college near home where she is studying liberal arts. In her free time now, Veronica is very busy with a variety of community activities in which she has leadership positions. After the Junior Summit, Veronica began working more with children, eventually starting a peer support group to keep kids away from drugs. More recently she has been working with another NGO that gives hot meals to the many homeless children who live on the streets of Buenos Aires. Our interview with Veronica was helped enormously by a long-time friend of the Junior Summit, Monica Reggini , who popped in with Spanish and English translation when our limited understanding of Spanish failed us.

You can contact Veronica at lenegessle@hotmail.com and you can find more pictures of her and her family here

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bruno’s early start in journalism has paid off. After writing articles about reforms needed in Argentina’s schools that were published in local newspapers, Bruno started working with a video camera. On a vacation to Rio de Janeiro one year, Bruno noticed that many youths were wearing Che Guevara t-shirts and he started asking them who they thought the was and recording their responses. With answers ranging from rock star to soccer player to Latin American freedom fighter (the truth), Bruno created a funny documentary that he showed to a TV station in Buenos Aires. They loved it and now, at 19, Bruno is working as a television and radio producer in addition to his studies. His dream is to make a movie about a road trip through Latin America.

You can email Bruno at brunogerondi@hotmail.com
You can find more pictures of Bruno here

Buenos Aires, Argentina

It was much easier to get to Buenos Aires than it was getting to Gabriela’s house in a suburb just outside Buenos Aires. Summer in Argentina usually means sunny skies, but that morning we got caught in a legitimate flood ! When we did make it to Gabriela’s house, we were greeted by her mother, father, sister (a newly-accredited doctor) and her boyfriend who were home enjoying the summer holidays together.
Gabriela herself is hard at work studying economics at a college near her home. She likes writing and made a lot of friends in the online forum, a few of whom she is still in touch with today.
You can contact Gabriela at gaba2112@hotmail.com and you can find more pictures of Gabriela and her family here

Cuernevaca, Mexico

Meeting with Uriel gave us an excuse to travel to the stunningly beautiful city of Cuernevaca, an hour and a half outside of Mexico City. Uriel is still his calm, reflective self, now focused on studying medicine and making a difference in the world by caring for people who don’t normally have access to proper health care. We also met Uriel’s girlfriend, a computer whiz, who is studying information design and his parents Uriel is still in contact with a number of other Junior Summit participants from around the world and was eager to reconnect with others.

You can contact Uriel at uripanda27@hotmail.com and find more pictures of Uriel and his family here

Mexico City, Mexico

During this year in between high school and University, Felipe spent five months traveling in Europe and visiting with his brother in Barcelona. The trip, however, only served to broaden Felipe’s horizons, and he is currently undecided about what exactly he wants to study – maybe economics or business? For Felipe, the Junior Summit served to switch his focus from studying computers to wanting to use computers to study something else. We met Felipe and his mother in their house, which overlooks the crater of Mexico City.

You can contact Felipe at felipegarcia1@hotmail.com
You can find more pictures of Felipe and his family here

Kathmandu, Nepal

When we found her at her parents home in the Dili Bazar neighborhood of Kathmandu, Arpita Nepal was all modesty about the difficulty of her business studies, and her future goals. It wasn't until the rest of the family came home that we found out about her new radio show on the local FM station (and the hundreds of fans who write and call in each week), the article she published in the Kathmandu Post about the Nepali government and the congratulatory letter she received in reply from the chief of police . . . So, Arpita is doing tons of university work, but is also continuing to work for her community, and to have fun (playing rock on the radio).

You can contact Arpita at amolika@wlink.com.np
You can find more pictures of Arpita and her family here

Bhaktapur, Nepal

Prabesh Poudyal had about as many questions for us as we had for him, so after we finished hearing about his engineering studies (by this point in the trip, we felt like saying "engineering? No, really?"!) in Kathmandu and his friendships -- some maintained face-to-face, others electronically, Prabesh took us up to the terrace on top of his house where he grilled us about any planned follow-ups to the Junior Summit (the answer is "we don't know. If there is one, you all will be the first to know"). In the background was a gorgeous view of the Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan mountains. While he is considering studying in the United States for some period of time, Prabesh is adamant about returning to Nepal and making it a better place for the next generation.

You can contact Prabesh at prabeshpoudyal173@hotmail.com
You can find more pictures of Prabesh and his family here

Pune, India

Pooja had plans for us. After a warm welcome by her parents and sister and grandmother, and a leisurely interview where we learned about Pooja's life and interests since the Junior Summit, Pooja took us to a disadvantaged neighborhood half an hour from her house to see a slum school for children. As soon as Pooja finishes her engineering exams in January, she plans to start helping the teachers and working with the children. Pooja is very focused on India and on local projects, and though she may spend a lot of time writing exams now, she is most excited about starting programs and working with children and education. It was exciting for us to see the energy and enthusiasm with which Pooja is attacking problems of literacy in her local community.

You can reach Pooja at pooja_mesa@yahoo.com
You can find more pictures of Pooja and her family and the schools she works in here

Pune, India

Jasbinder met us at her former highschool in Pune, a very special school in Nigdi that aims to build good citizens of the world along with good learners. Jasbinder graduated from high school a year ago and is now studying engineering. Jasbinder already knows what she wants to focus on -- the speciality of nanotechnology. She spoke about her interests within that subspeciality passionately, learnedly and impressively. She hopes to do graduate work abroad and then return to India.

You can reach Jasbinder at harjinder-pabla@vsnl.net
You can find more pictures of Jasbinder here

Pune, India

Having finished high school, Maitreyi is now enrolled in the Indira Gandhi Open University, a distance learning school that allows her to complete her studies by correspondence, and thus focus more time on the activism projects she is involved with locally, among others, I*EARN and Taking It Global. Maitreyi hopes to pursue graduate work in International Relations, and to increasingly work on activism at the global level. Maitreyi lives with her parents and grandparents in her home in Nidgi Pradhikaran.

You can contact Maitreyi at mgdoshi@vsnl.net
You can find more pictures of Maitreyi and her family here

Pune, India

Sonali has three sisters, and all four girls are talented performers (do any of the delegates remember Sonali in her traditional Indian dance costume?). Our evening with the Unkule family included, to our delight, a performance of sitar, dance and singing. But even though the Unkule family practices every evening, and gives frequent recitals, Sonali is nevertheless studying engineering full-time at a university in Pune. And she intends to one day run her own computer engineering company in India. In her "free time," Sonali works in an orphanage, taking care of children who once lived on the streets in nearby areas.

You can email Sonali at sonali_unkule@yahoo.com
You can find more pictures of Sonali and her family here

New Delhi, India

Preeti is in the middle of the grueling Indian final year of highschool exams. However, Preeti seems to manage to keep perspective on the hard work. We think that it is because in addition to schoolwork, Preeti has incorporated dance and music into her regular schedule. She is also an avid emailer, and keeps up with friends locally and internationally by email. All of this socializing and dancing has hardly hindered Preeti's academic aspirations: she is hoping to study computer engineering in the United States and then run a technology company in India.

You can reach Preeti at praju@vsnl.net
You can find more pictures of Preeti in her home here

New Delhi, India

We remember Vidroha as an idea man - always telling the other participants in his group to get down to work. When Vidroha showed up to meet us in business attire, we thought he had taken that seriousness even further. However, the only thing serious in our conversation was the clothes! Vidroha kept us entertained with descriptions of his creative writing (on the topic of bubblegum), of his interests (ranging from comic books to movies), and to his future plans (get through this year of exams, and then mellow out). Still a fan of computers, Vidroha thinks he is headed for a career in that area. While in India we were unable to meet with Vidroha's older brother Nishanka, who was also a Junior Summit participant and delegate, because he is studying at the University of Arkansas in the United States.

You can find Vidroha at vidrohadebroy@hotmail.com

You can find more pictures of Vidroha here

New Delhi, India

Manas skipped a meal at the dormitories of his university in order to come home to his parents' house and share one with us. Having graduated from high school two years ago, Manas is now studying engineering in Delhi. But engineering alone is not sufficient for Manas. Always a big reader, Manas finds that in order to maintain interest in a subject he has to keep reading on his own, without the pressure of pending assignments. So on his shelf there are books ranging from computer science and business management to Chekhov, as he continues his personal education outside of class.

You can email Manas at manas@mail.jrsummit.org

You can find more pictures of Manas and his family here

New Delhi, India

Those who remember Siddharth from the in- person Summit might have a hard time pointing him out of a crowd today. Four years later, Siddarth is now roughly 6 feet tall (1.8 meters), and towers over the rest of his family! Siddarth has continued to think about the kinds of issues that led to his work on the Kids' Bank, and is still interested in debate, in economics, and in technology. Given these interests, it was no surprise when Siddharth showed us his application to study at MIT.

You can find Siddharth at siddhu2@softhome.net
You can find more pictures of Siddarth and his family here

With winter threatening the United States and Europe, the Indian subcontinent called, and we set off to hear about the stories and lives of Junior Summit kids from India and Nepal. In three cities -- New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kathmandu -- and thirteen days, we caught up with ten inspirational JS participants. With one free day to see India, Justine explored the beautiful handicrafts of Delhi and Dona found herself at the Taj Mahal with an Elvis impersonator. Dona and Elvis at the Taj.

Articlave, Northern Ireland

We found Leon playing guitar at his farm house in the countryside several hours north of Belfast. Leon has just started a rock band with friends, and was excited about his first gig coming up later this month.

Leon lives with mom and grandma in the house he grew up in, on conservancy lands in a small village north of Belfast. He's thinking about a career in journalism or photo journalism (war correspondent?) but first wants to do a gap year and spend some time in the US. WIth three more years left in high school, Leon is our first self-declared stress-free JRS participant!

Leon can be reached at leon_1471@hotmail.com

You can find more pictures of Leon and his family (and the beautiful moody landscape) here

Clacton-on-sea, England

Our induction into local customs started with a scrumptcious lunch of Thomas' favorite, pork pie and sausage rolls. We interrupted preparations for Thomas' 18th birthday, and at the end of the day, we left him and two friends playing a newly unwrapped copy of the "Mafia" videogame. Tom's mom told us that the "Action Pack Tenring" -- no, that's not another video game; it's Tom's contribution to his 1998 JRS plan -- a booklet that gathers information about recycling in the Tenring region where he lives -- has had lasting effects. Next year Thomas sees himself studying mechanical engineering and perhaps fixing ship engines for the Navy. In the photo, note the picture of "little Tom" (in 1998) in the background . . .

You can reach Tom at family@middleditch.u-net.com

You can find more pictures of Tom here

Windhoek, Namibia

Dorothy has moved from Bostwana to Windhoek, Namibia to attend University. Still sporting her trademark waist-length tightly-braided plaits, Dorothy met us the morning after having led the University of Namibia varsity basketball team to national champion status. She's in her third year of a social work degree and is hoping to concentrate on refugee welfare, perhaps even working for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. It was impossible to interview Dorothy without noticing the Junior Summit paraphernelia adorning her walls... which Dorothy assured us had not been put up just for us (the scotch tape did look old).

You can reach Dorothy at dadot@webmail.co.za
You can find more pictures of Dorothy in her dorm room here

Johannesburg, South Africa

Wendy Beaumont has one more year at Rodean High School before she starts University, which she hopes to attend in Stellenbosch, South Africa (and that choice undoubtedly has nothing to do with the fact that Stellenbosch is in the middle of South Africa's famous wine vineyards, and conveniently located near the beach). Wendy continues to be engaged in charity work, as well as in sports, and shows an acute awareness of the intricacies of South African politics. She was surprised, when we showed her the posts she sent to Junior Summit, how much time she must have spent on participating, and how mature her posts seemed! We think she was probably also surprised at how much time she spent with us -- Dona was feeling particularly camera-happy that day and so we made Wendy give us the full tour of her home.

You can contact Wendy at beaumont@intekom.co.za
You can find more pictures of Wendy in her home here

Johannesburg, South Africa

Bonolo had no problem posing for our endless photographs. In fact, she's used to it, having just finished a starring role in a local theater piece that won a major prize. Bonolo doesn't know what she wants to do when she finishes high school, but she certainly seems to be keeping busy now: not only is she studying for exams, but still finds time for major charity work, work with orphaned children.

You can contact Bonolo at molefe@cccsa.org.za
You can find more pictures of Bonolo and her mother here

Johannesburg, South Africa

Mary Carman makes the Junior Summit top ten list of "most posts over the longest time period". Mary was in the "War & Peace" topic group, continued with the "Respecting Differences" Super-topic, and now writes for the Junior Journal (http://journal.jrsummit.net). Mary told us that debating has been a major part of her school experience over the last couple of years, and we wondered whether she had gotten her taste for debating on the Junior Summit! As she finishes up matric (final year of highschool), Mary imagines she will go to the University of the Witwatersand (Wits for short, pronounced "Vits") and study something in the humanities where she can use her writing skills. Vits is near where Mary's family lives, and if you saw Mary's lovely home, you wouldn't be surprised that she wants to continue living there!

You can email Mary at write2mec@hotmail.com
You can find more pictures of Mary in her home here

Johannesburg, South Africa

Susan lives in the most lovely house high on the top of a hill, and open to the outdoors on every side (although the property, like many in Johannesburg, is surrounded by high barbed wire fences). Susan has not lost her love of animals, as evidenced by the creatures everywhere, nor her thirst for understanding others, as we were able to witness when Susan told us about the international youth programs she's been participating in (and where she has met up with several other Junior Summit participants), and the kinds of debates about politics and culture that she has with her friends at school. Dona, Susan and Justine got to look at Susan's scrapbook of the Junior Summit, where we were able to relive the days of the terrible trio: Susan, Izzy, and Mariana! Susan was hoping we'd be able to arrange a reunion . . .

You can reach Susan at hillhwh@freemail.absa.co.za
You can find more pictures of Susan in her home here

Johannesburg, South Africa

We met with Tamara during perhaps the most stressful week of her life: matric (highschool) final exams, preparation for university in January, AND the count-down to Tamara's matric dance (prom)! So, we were lucky enough to see Tamara in her self-designed tailor-made matric dance (prom) dress of pink and purple chiffon, with a daring bare midriff, and she looked stunning! In addition to seeing her pose for photographs, we also heard about Tamara's recent academic and cycling successes, and of her desire to attend Stellenbosch University next year, which is near Cape Town, a several hour flight from her family's home in Johannesburg. Tamara was in the "Document Your Life" Super-Topic and has continued the project she started then of findings ways to tell her story of overcoming the challenges that cerebral palsy has thrown her way in such a way as to inspire change in the lives of other people. Her story has inspired many, and Tamara has been featured several times in the press, and has travelled to several international venues to tell her story. And, not surprisingly, during her travels, Tamara has met up with some of the other exceptional Junior Summit participants.

You can email Tamara at mader@global.co.za
You can find more pictures of Tamara at home here

Cape Town, South Africa

Michelle Crommelin, like Karabo Morule, is studying at the University of Cape Town, though Michelle is in the department of Nuclear Medicine. We met Michelle at her parents' home after she had returned from her work in radiology. During the course of the afternoon, Michelle's brother, mother, father, grandfather, and grandmother dropped by to say hello. We suspected that they all wanted to take a look at us, but Michelle claims they are just a close-knit family! Michelle went straight to University after completing matric, but is hoping to spend some time abroad -- either in the United Kingdom or the United States -- after finishing her studies. We left Michelle's house after having devoured a South African speciality: milk tart! Yummy.

You can email Michelle at gwdmc@mweb.co.za
You can find more pictures of Michelle and her family here

Johannesburg, South Africa

Our first interview of the Africa and UK trip..... Karabo Morule! After growing up in Soweto and Emmerentia, (both near Johannesburg), Karabo is now in her third year at the University of Cape Town where she is studying actuarial science (the toughest, most demanding major that exists, we were told by others). Karabo also loves languages, and grew up speaking four African languages -- Sepedi, Tsutu, Tswana and Zulu -- in addition to the Afrikaans and English she learned in school. When we met Karabo at "The Coffee Bean", her favorite on-campus cafe, Karabo had the same poise and warm smile as she did when she arrived in Cambridge as a delegate four years ago. Since Karabo was our first interviewee, she had to put up with our awkwardness with the equipment and the interview technique. Karabo was gracious to a fault as we tripped over our words, dropped things, and crawled under tables to plug in equipment (to the shock of the cafe employees). Despite this performance, Karabo still brought us back to show us her dorm room, where we were in awe of the lovely old buildings of the dorm, and Karabo's neat room (which she promises was not for our benefit).

You can find Karabo at karabomorule@hotmail.com
You can find more pictures of Karabo here

Cape Town, South Africa We got it all -- sun, wind and rain; the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Table Mountain -- all of this and more in two days in Cape Town, South Africa, kick off spot for the African and United Kingdom segment of the Junior Summit Follow-up interviewing tour.

San Jose, Costa Rica

Mariana Cavazos was part two of the three participants of Oxegyn, and the one who represented the group at the in-person Summit. For the Junior Summit, they started a garden in the lower yard of their school and encouraged a seed distribution system so that other schools could also plant trees and grow gardens. Now Mariana is hard at work in her third year studying industrial engineering at the University of Costa Rica, and thinking of adding on a masters degree in systems engineering. She was active in Nation1 and is still in touch with a number of Junior Summit participants, like Vincent from France, Nick from Australia, Susan from South Africa and Steven from New Zealand and Tom from England. Mariana has also spent more time in the United States since the Junior Summit, with internships at banks in New Jersey.

You can find Mariana at cavazosmari@hotmail.com

San Jose, Costa Rica
Lincoln School
Talk about dedication and organization! During the Junior Summit, this group of five also known as Los Exploradores Ciberneticos de la Paz, used to gather every afternoon at one of their houses to divide up all of the messages and reply individually to each response. They developed a peace-building proposal based on a book that had been published in Costa Rica just before the Junior Summit, and they even managed to meet with the authors.
Alexandra Echeverria, Steve Music, Monica Hernandez, Alejandra Guevara, Kimberly Morsink are now all seniors at the Lincoln School in San Jose, Costa Rica where they are making plans for next year. Steve Music is looking at MIT, where he would like to study engineering. Kim Morsink is interested in electrical engineering but she wants to do it in Costa Rica and then pursue a degree in business administration. Alexandra Echeverria is interested in something involving more human contact, most probably public relations. Alejandra Guevara wants to finish her “generales” (general studies) in Costa Rica and then do child psychology in the United States. And, Monica Hernandez is caught between the US and the UK and international economics and business.

You can reach Steve at stevejmm@hotmail.com

Liberia, Costa Rica

It was a long hot six-hour drive from San Jose to Liberia, a small town on the northern coast of Costa Rica, where Mariangela Tedesco Vergara lives with her parents and younger brother and sister. Mariangela came to the door wearing her Swatch watch and carrying albums full of papers and pictures about the Junior Summit. After cooling off and chatting for a while, Mariangela took me on a tour of her town and high school, which is located right next to the local technical University. Mariangela is excited about studying engineering next year, probably at the University of Costa Rica, and eventually returning to her hometown of Liberia to promote industry and perhaps head her own corporation. As in her activity with the Junior Summit, Mariangela is still concerned about the education of young people and how technology can help.

You can email Mariangela at tedesco@racsa.co.cr

San Jose, Costa Rica
Manrique Quiros and Alberto Teran have since graduated from the Pan American School in Costa Rica, but they agreed to meet me at their alma mater to rehash their experiences with the Junior Summit and tell me what is going on in their lives now. There were warm hugs from teachers all around. Teran (Alberto, to his mother, Teran to all his friends) thought he wanted to study computers but has turned more to studying business at a private college and playing in a band now. He also manages a day job. Manrique is busy studying law at the University of Costa Rica and used to be part of the group “Sustainable Development”. Special thank yous to Sabrina Loria and Marissa Durman who returned to help photograph their beautiful campus on Saturday, and to their devoted college counselor Paola Arechebala who helped organize everything!

You can email Teran at teran@almabohemia.com and Manrique at claumadi@racsa.co.cr

San Jose, Costa Rica
Kristel Heinrich is having a hard time deciding between starting Costa Rica’s space program or heading to the United States to work for NASA. A strong-willed person who has held tight to her dream of being an astronaut, Kristel is now studying engineering at the University of Costa Rica. This choice of major came at the suggestion of the president of the University who was also invested in Kristel’s success in space. Junior Summit participants may better remember Kristel as one of the three-member team, Oxegyn, who were working on ways to sell oxegyn and save trees in Costa Rica out of concern for global warming. Kristel has since taken courses in atmospheric problems and is still active in environmental activities. She lives with her family in a suburb of San Jose.

You can email Kristel at detlef@racsa.co.cr

San Jose, Costa Rica
Pan American High School
Adriana Monge, Marissa Durman, Alfredo Volio, Sabrina Loria, Julianne Baker are all seventeen and in high school at the beautiful Pan American School in a suburb of San Jose. They may be better known on the online forum by their group names, Ecological Architecture, Global Heating and Golden Toad. Because it was the rainy season, when our talk started it was a beautiful bright sunny day, but by the time conversation got underway, so did the thunder and rain and I got my introduction to Costa Rican rain. Fortunately, Sabrina could call someone to pick her up.
Their projects for the Junior Summit ranged from educating indigenous people in Costa Rica to taking care of the environment, areas that they are all still active in in different ways. This group had a lot to say about technology – pros an cons --Julianne and Adrianna for two, were no strangers to ICQ and used the Internet to communicate with friends near and far but they all had concerns about the content of the information available on the Internet. Personal connection is very important in Costa Rica, and it is one of the few countries where students address teachers by their first names -- Here is Marissa and her teacher Paola.

You can reach Marissa at mdurman85@hotmail.com, Sabrina at sabrinaloria@hotmail.com, Julianne at ingasan@hotmail.com and Alfredo at volio@macadamiacr.com

With so many Junior Summit participants, Costa Rica was the official kick off country for the Junior Summit follow-up. And with technology and globalization such hot topics in Costa Rica now, interesting conversations with participants and teachers occured everywhere, just like the rain and sun and beautiful countryside.