DENVER/BAUCHI COMMUNITY

Through this project, we all hope to gain a sense of personal satisfaction for helping others. That is going to be the greatest reward by far for all of us. We also hope to improve ourselves in each of our weak aspects, such as procrastination. We hope not only to help the world, but also improve ourselves while pursuing this project.

THOMAS TARLER
My name is Thomas Tarler, and I'm a junior at George Washington High School. I'm doing the International Baccalaureate program. I have a 4.5-weighted GPA, and I'm very active. I have my own home business, called Memorable Memories by Thomas in which I make photo slideshows for individuals. I worked with the Democratic National Conventional and I'm a part time staffer for a local legislator. I also do Speech and Debate, as well as Tae-Kwon-Do and Swimming. My main interest is using several different subject areas in the world IE using Chemistry and Economics to promote international cooperation in battling global warming.

I joined Leadership Initiatives because I want to make a difference in the world. I feel that by simply sending money to countries we only perpetuate the problem, it is our duty to help integrate them into our global economy. I feel that leadership initiatives best understands this concept, and so I look forward to helping benefit the world.

ABBY GODEC
My name is Abby Godec and I am a junior at George Washington High School in the International Baccalaureate program. I enjoy multiple extra curricular activities and am highly involved in all, such as drama, swimming, soccer, math club and now Leadership Initiatives. I am interested in combining different areas of study to discover ways to benefit society. Those areas include: math, music, psychology and chemistry.

I joined Leadership Initiatives to be able to have a global impact from my community and bring a international perspective to my school. I believe the more we look out the more we can discover about our own communities and lives. I feel that Leadership Initiatives helps high school aged students find new avenues to exemplify their leadership skills and develop them.

BREANN PUGNETTI
My name is Breann Pugnetti and I am a sophomore in the International Baccalaureate (IB) at George Washington High School. For my school I am an active part of the Student Council program and have been voted Vice President of my class. I enjoy Student Council because I like working with my peers to solve problems and make my school a better place for everyone. I have also recently joined my school's dive team. For years before I was an accomplished gymnast and I was on the competitive team at DU. I had qualified and many times placed at the State Meet since I was eight years old. Because of a back injury I was forced to end my career early, but in place of it I looked into the dive team and have really been enjoying diving since. I am active in community service in my neighborhood. I have participated in several cleanups at GW and in the community-an Extreme Community Makeover, which benefited people who aren't able or have time to clean up and take care of their yard. In school I work and study hard and have big ambitions for my future in college and in the real world.

I am participating in Leadership Initiatives because it is a very good way to be more involved and get leadership experience. This year my goal was to become more involved in my school, and when I found out about this group and what it is for I was immediately interested. I strongly believe in non-profit organizations that help other countries and their people who don't have the same type of opportunities that we have. I also love to help people. After putting hard work, and tie into helping someone and then seeing the good that you have done is the best pay off. Leadership Initiatives does so much good, and helps so many people that I wanted to be a part of it. I know that after high school and college I want to be a leader and this is also a very good way to begin getting experience. As well as leadership opportunities, working with other people to solve problems, and to reach a goal is something I enjoy doing and am interested in getting more experience with it.

DAN MORGAN-RUSSEL
Dan Morgan-Russel:I joined this club because it is based on two things I really enjoy: money and philanthropy. I run a successful home business, and I am always seeking ways to give back to the community. This club seemed tailor-made for my interests. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus' ideas on micro-credit show that the giving we are undertaking in this club will go a long way toward creating economic prosperity in the poorest regions of the world, and I am proud to be a part of that effort.

I am entering my sophomore year at George Washington High School in the IB program, and I love to participate in extra-curricular activities. Aside from this club, I am also part of the Place Tutoring club, which tutors young children at a local public school; the GW chess club; and the GW math club. I am the leader of the extemporaneous speakers for the GW speech and debate team. I spend a lot of time working on speech and debate, and I qualified for the national tournament last year in Birmingham, Alabama, as a freshman.

EMMA THOMPSON
I love to learn. Imbibing new information fascinates me, and I love the feeling when you realize that you are able to put together knowledge from many fields and create a solution or a greater understanding. As such, I become almost completely immersed in new topics that interest me. For example, I have long been quite interested in math. I have spent my free time reading books about proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem and the physics of quantum mechanics. Sometime around fifth grade I realized that math could not get me everywhere. Pure math simply would not create equality, a goal I found particularly meaningful. This is when I became interested in politics. I proceeded to research different political parties and systems, trying to find one that seemed to work. Eventually I tried combining parts from many different systems into one that would fit the goals I had. So it has gone with many topics, and that is why I love school, it is a place where I can learn new information constantly. My goal now is to be able to use this knowledge to do something to help.

The summer after freshman year, I was given a chance to go on a 3 week work trip with my church to Uganda. Upon returning I knew I could not just move on. I have always been very concerned with an idea of fairness, especially in regards to an equal chance to be successful. So, when approached with the idea of a Leadership Initiatives club, I thought this could be the perfect opportunity to do something to help. My goal is that I can use this club as a starting point, and as I get older work on more ways to give everyone equal opportunities.

JACKSON ZEILER
My name is Jackson Zeiler. I'm a junior at George Washington High School in Denver, Colorado. In my free time I like doing anything that includes the outdoors, from skiing to hiking and backpacking. I have played the guitar for over three years and I would consider music (both listening and creating it) a hobby of mine. At school, I am a member of the Speech and Debate team, as well as the tennis and baseball teams. I enjoy every class that does not include numbers!

I joined Student Leadership Initiatives because helping legitimate causes is always in part of my agenda. This year, I have become very interested in helping the groups at my school that support similar causes to Student Leadership Initiatives, including an actual class that promotes a better environment. All in all, I am really excited to see the opportunities that Leadership Initiatives offers and ready to help out in the global community.

LEORAH MCGINNIS
I am motivated, enthusiastic, efficient and hard working, with a positive attitude. I am good at problem solving, planning, and open communication. I'm great with kids, including infants and have excellent people skills. I like helping people, and would like to make the world a better place. I am passionate about the environment and other global issues like hunger, war, animal rights.

I joined this group to be a more active part of a global community. The idea of assisting people who are not as fortunate as I am in becoming more self-sufficient was vey appealing. I was intrigued by some of the projects that this group had done in the past, and by the project that our chapter will be assisting with. I strongly appreciate the idea of helping Muslim women become self-sufficient and empowered and start their own businesses. I want to make a difference in the world.

LESLIE LUI
Hello, my name is Leslie Lui. I'm a sophomore at George Washington High School. I am part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at George. I enjoy many things including swimming, art, guitar, and hands-on projects. I've been swimming since I was a little girl, and I recently started learning guitar. At school, I participate in Student Leadership, also known as Student Council. Student Council is a great program for my classmates and I to get involved with our school and bring out the school spirit in everyone! Student Council also allows me to bring out my creative and artistic side. I also joined our school's photography/fashion club, which is great because i get to work with others but be creative as well. I took part in my school's Go Green and White Community Service day, which made a big difference to my school. I try my best to work hard in school and I love every project that gets thrown my way.

When I first heard of Student Initiatives I thought the whole idea was very interesting and this was a great way for me to get more involved not only in school but in other parts of the world. I liked the idea of giving others the opportunities to things they cannot receive by themselves. I enjoy knowing that my hard work has benefited someone else. Leadership Initiatives helps a lot of people and getting the chance to take part in that is more than I can ask for. I am very excited to be apart of this group and can't wait to have this experience.opportunities.

MARJIE RUBY
My name is Marjie Ruby, I'm currently a junior in the International Baccalaureate Program at George Washington High School. In my free time I'm a member of the staff on the school's newspaper, The Surveyor, a member of both the Mock Trial and Speech and Debate Teams. I'm also involved with Place Tutoring Club and Leadership Initiatives. I wanted to take part in Leadership Initiatives because it supported ideals that I believed in, that we are citizens of a global world and that all people should be given the same opportunities to succeed as anyone else, and Leadership Initiatives achieves this. Furthermore they allow students to determine their own efforts at their schools instead of just ordering one what to do, we're allowed the opportunity to lead and figure out our own methods of fundraising.

MEAGAN SWISHER
The central goal that I have set for myself is to make a difference in the world by helping people and changing lives for the better. In my future, I see myself working in either some area of Human Relations (possibly sociology or education) on an international level, or a math/chemistry profession, but ideally, a career that involves a combination of the two. I am also very passionate about the preservation of nature and would like to further this through work in environmental sciences. At this point, I am interested in Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, UCLA, UC San Diego, and many other schools in coastal cities. It is very important to me to play an active role in my school through clubs and committees, including Student Council and National Honor Society. In the vast majority of my time outside of school, I train at the Academy of Colorado Ballet, over 15 hours per week, in the Pre-Professional program. Regardless of whether or not I choose to pursue dance as a career, this training has taught me the discipline and good work ethic that helps me in every aspect of my life.

I am thrilled to be a part of the new branch of Leadership Initiatives at GW High School. This program is exactly what I am interested in; I love the philosophy of helping people to help themselves. In order to really improve the countries that cannot yet sustain themselves, we need to send more than food and money. I want to be a part of the pro-active movement to help these countries in the future by supporting education and the development of small businesses, not just the re-active movement as a result of international problems in the past. I know that I can bring a creative eye to the project and my passion for the cause.