• Fulbright Scholar to Venezuela, "Sustainable Development Studies"
  
  
• Participant in the 1992 EPIIC International Symposium
  
  
• "The Environment and International Security", and the
  
  1990 Symposium, "The Militarization of the Third World"
  
  
• Graduate of Tufts University in "International Relations"
  
  
• Student at the School for International Training, Mexico, 1990, and at The University of Costa Rica, San José, 1991
  
  
• Teacher of Latin American Literature in Spanish at Leadership High School in San Francisco, and a San Francisco Unified School District high school teacher since 1993.
  
  
• Outdoor adventure and travel enthusiast
  
  

  Jeff's life has been characterized by a balance between living his own life to the fullest and doing what he can to help others do the same. A native of Idaho, Jeff went to college in Boston to study International Relations. He planned to go on to play an active role in addressing the terrible inequities and injustices between people in the so-called "developed" and "developing" countries.

  His experience in Venezuela as a Fulbright Scholar, however, began to lead him in a different direction. He began to see more clearly that working at the grassroots level, and focusing energy and resources on empowering people to make changes for themselves, was the only way for effective change to occur.

  His investigations there were focused on three areas. In the first he reviewed and evaluated nine of the most important environmental organizations in Venezuela.

  The second area of study involved working with several professors in women's studies and a family planning organization. They were focusing on the relationship between the status of women in Venezuelan society and Venezuelan fertility rates (and the resulting continuation of poverty, environmental degradation, and subjugation of women's rights).

  The third area involved his living and working in Petare. Petare is one of the poverty-stricken shantytowns outside of Caracas. He lived with a community leader there and observed and assisted in many of their admirable efforts at organizing themselves and confronting the problems they face, such as high rates of violence, drug use, teenage pregnancy and gang involvement.

  Having learned the importance of grassroots organizing and empowerment, Jeff returned to the United States and has dedicated the last four years of his life seeking to empower the most neglected and maligned sector in American society - urban youth. He primarily teaches "Literatura de La Raza". This is a bilingual Spanish class he developed that celebrates latino culture and empowers latino youth through a study of the literature of Latin America. After teaching for several years at Mission High School in San Francisco, he now teaches at Leadership High School, San Francisco's first start-up charter high school.

  Throughout all of this Jeff has been very active in enjoying his own life to the fullest. While in Venezuela he did a solo trek through the Grand Savannah and the Amazon to reach the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls. He also became a certified scuba diver, climbed Venezuelan's highest peak, and traveled to Aruba, Colombia, and Ecuador.

  He has also traveled to China and Hong Kong and speaks "something short of fluent" Chinese. He is currently studying Arabic.

  Back in the States Jeff plays ultimate frisbee, rock climbs, mountain bikes, backpacks and loves to country and salsa dance (and play chess with his grandmother!).

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• Graduate of University of Maryland, College Park in Environmental Chemistry
  
  
• National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellow Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii Summer, 1996
  
  
• Researched "The Carbonate Chemistry of Checker Reef"
  
  
• Student at School for International Training, Nepal Spring 1995
  
  
• Student Conservation Association Resource Assistant Volunteer, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire Summer 1994
  
  
• Maryland Public Interest Research Group Earth Day Coordinator, Spring 1993
  
  

  Kavitha Rao's studies and adventures in most of her adult life have concentrated on two main interests: travel and the outdoors. Her love for the outdoors lead her to pursue a degree in environmental science. Initially an environmental engineering major, she switched to chemistry to obtain more hands on experience. like her extensive research on the chemistry of freshwater and seawater in Hawaii and at her own university in Maryland.

  Kavitha's studies in the hard sciences, though rewarding, left her yearning for more. So she began taking anthropology courses and traveled to Nepal for a semester abroad. While in Nepal she focused on religious folktales and customs. She became fascinated by connections she saw between different peoples around the world, and gained a deep appreciation for the wealth of knowledge to be gained from interactions with different cultures.

  Throughout her studies, Kavitha has maintained a belief that cultural studies are essentially intertwined in environmental studies. Stories of peoples being displaced or killed off of their native lands for the sake of creating national parks or sanctuaries trouble her. She believes a solution must be found whereby humans can coexist with the land without damaging it or their heritage.

  Lately her focus has been on sustainable development and agriculture. She is currently working on an organic farm in Oregon and learning various gardening techniques and permaculture. She would like to research various indigenous farming techniques from around the world to see which methods would be the most sustainable for different parts of the world and different diets. She has also begun researching different solar alternatives in hopes that some of these technologies could help combat the deforestation that is plaguing many parts of the globe.

  In her free time, Kavitha enjoys hiking, camping, road-tripping, scuba-diving, seeing live music, hanging out with friends, and cooking.

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• Senior Art Director for iMC² - Concepted & produced websites for Fortune 100 companies, and was instrumental in the company's growth from 3 to 20 employees

• Member of team that produced the first independent Compact Disc-Interactive title

• Designer & producer of an interactive exhibit on healthy eating and the origins of common foods for the Children's Museum of Houston

• Adjunct faculty member, Southwest College in Houston, Texas, 1996

• Volunteer with organizations including the Road to Riches Adventure, Houston Area Women's Shelter, Hunt County Family Services, and Habitat for Humanity

• Graduate of East Texas State University with a BFA in Experimental Concepts, 1991.

• Insatiable traveler, avid learner, nonstop reader, and student of different cultures.

  Keleigh's life has largely been driven by her creativity. A keen imagination steered her to study art, photography and drama. She has received numerous awards for her work, both professionally and as a student, including 2nd place in The International Photography Competition, 1991. She enjoys painting, photography, sculpture, writing and poetry. Passionate about art and art history, she traveled through eight European countries to lurk in museums and photograph architecture and culture.

  Born in Hawaii to an Air Force (later commercial) pilot, Keleigh has traveled extensively throughout her life. She has spent time in almost all fifty states, as well as Canada, Mexico, and Europe. She has a great appreciation for the perspective and knowledge that learning about new cultures and people gives her own life. Keleigh's family also spent a great amount of time camping when she was young, and the joy of life on the road has stayed with her. She spent six weeks camping across the western US and Mexico upon her college graduation. She dreams of someday traveling across the US and composing a book about the people she meets along the way, each incredible in their own right, but often not appreciating how unique their lives truly are.

  Keleigh 's desire to work with youth arises from a belief that part of gang involvement and drug escapism that affect many youth stems directly from a limited world view and the hopelessness associated with poverty. When youth can't understand that there's more in the world than their corner, it becomes their entire focus and they'll protect it with their lives. She believes that youth need a personal world perspective to encourage their hopes and dreams.

  The child of divorced parents, Keleigh understands intimately the struggle of single mothers and feels very strongly about women's issues. Thanks to a strong and supportive mother, her family is extraordinarily important to her. One of her goals is thus to educate and empower women. To that end, she's been involved in outreach to women as well as men as a trainer for the Road to Riches Adventure, a personal growth seminar proven to heal lives.

  She's always been active in her community, including membership in the Dallas Society of Visual Communicators (DSVC), Dallas Internet Society, Webgrrls!, and Women in Communications, and has served as a Sunday School teacher. Having been active politically and educationally, Keleigh's impressive career has recently left her little time for the pursuits she loves (though she managed to skydive for the first time recently). Joining The Odyssey is part of a broad reevaluation of the path she's chosen for her life. She is very aware of how easily one can become misdirected into thinking that commerce is the focus of life rather than simply a means to live, and she is looking to move away from previous experiences that have helped encourage a consumer-driven society. She wants to fully experience life from other viewpoints and teach others along the way.

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• Edited and produced multimedia CD-ROM versions of braille music texts such as the New International Manual of Braille Music Notation for sighted and blind users with Opus Technologies (1996-)

• Learned basic apiculture and taught children how to milk goats, feed chickens, and collect garden greens on Slide Ranch, a small farm in the coastal wilderness of Marin County(1995)

• Triaged, coordinated, and assisted ambulatory-care patients as a community health worker at the Los Angeles Free Clinic (Jesuit Volunteer Corps, 1994)

• Traveled by ship and studied the diverse cultures of 10 port cities on Semester at Sea through the Institute for Shipboard Education, (Spring 1993 Voyage)

• B.S. in Environmental Systems Technology, Dept. of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Cornell University (1994)

• Cycled 583 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise support for people with AIDS in California AIDS Ride 4(1997)

  Monica has tried to live her life in the spirit of generosity. Through her experiences of childhood and young adulthood she's come to realize that our dreams, aspirations, and hopes can certainly be accomplished once we tap into the enormous potential the world offers, and thus, it is absolutely necessary for us to develop our talents and learn how to share them with others. We never know how we might touch another person's life by simply being who we are meant to be.

  Canadian-born of parents who immigrated from the Philippines, then moved to South Florida & southern California, Monica respects the unity that can be found in the beautiful variety of people around the world. She relishes learning about different families, customs, foods, and dress. She has a particular fondness for the social, cultural, physical, and emotional impact of different religions on the people who practice them. Monica hopes to teach about the rituals that varying societies use to welcome the birth of children, celebrate the passage through adolescence, solidify the bonds of marriage, and comfort the families of the dead.

  Monica professes a deep interest in the effect of communities on the individuals, particularly the children, who live in them. Monica also realizes that oftentimes, communication between people who cannot or do not try to understand one another can lead to misunderstanding and suffering. As a musician, she finds great joy in speaking to the hurt or sometimes inaccessible parts of the heart that cannot be touched by written or spoken words alone.

  Monica resonates with the idea that to whom much has been given, much is expected. Gifted with a compassionate heart and an attentive ear, she hopes that children around the world, including her two younger siblings, can join her in attempting to truly understand themselves, their families and friends, and their communities. From that understanding she champions the idea that we can gain an even stronger respect for the tremendous responsibility we as human beings have to ourselves, to each other, and to the planet.

  Monica likes chocolate-chip cookies, birds, grand art, blooming flowers, family gatherings, swimming in the ocean, the uniqueness of individuals (in all sizes and colors), smiling, crocheting, and reading stories.

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• Bilingual, bicultural Hispanic, daughter of Cuban and Spanish parents. Grew up spending summers in Alicante, Spain, and academic years in California, USA.
  
  
• START Award Recipient (Student Award for Research Training) as a Psychology major at UCLA
  
  
• Year abroad in Madrid, Spain, studying "Hispanic Studies" at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid
  
  
• Graduate student at The School for International Training (SIT) in the "Master's Program for International and Intercultural Management", with a concentration in Sustainable Development and Training of Trainers
  
  
• Participated as an intern with two local NGOs (nonprofit organizations) in Spain: la Cruz Roja Espaņola and La Iniciativa Betania
  
  
• Volunteered at the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana, Cuba during a three months trip to the island to meet her family for the first time.
  
  

  Silvia has always been intrigued with why people act the way they do, and believes that we are all undeniably influenced by our cultures and surroundings. Traveling can be an intensive immersion into exploring other lifestyles and values, and in the process, to discover more about oneself. When one's beliefs are contrasted with those different from our own, one realizes why they are held, and this strengthens one's sense of individuality, one's values, and personal code of ethics.

  Her Cuban father and Spanish mother immigrated to the United States when she was a year old. From them she learned to appreciate that the only thing no one can take away from anyone else is their knowledge. Since a young age, she has always liked to study. As an adult, she pursues a simple lifestyle of not accumulating unnecessary material objects. Instead, she likes to load her mind with images about her own and other cultures, gained through travel, reading stories, listening to music, watching movies. As well, she especially likes to hear people reveal stories about their lives.

  As an undergraduate she pursued the Psychology major at UCLA and became extremely interested in the fields of social psychology and mental health. Afterwards, she volunteered in community projects for psychiatric patients. She believes that the concept of what is normal and acceptable behavior are culture-bound, and there are many different ways for individuals to express themselves. She has also participated in nonprofit programs for youth, elderly, and people with AIDS. Being a Volunteer is an important part in her life for which she wants to always make time.

  Part of Silvia's inspiration for dedicating herself to The Odyssey World Trek is that she wants to explore what humans share, beyond our cultural, social, religious, and political differences that separate us across borders. Many times when we fear others, it is because of a lack of knowledge about the others' background. She wants anyone who participates with the Trek Team to ask questions so that, together, we may look for answers and learn about our world.

  Silvia hopes that those participating with the Trek Team will feel wonder at the differences and similarities people share around the world, be interested in understanding why another place is the way it is, explore other ways of living, and value the spirit of being a Volunteer to contribute to and shape our communities. One individual may provoke big changes. Drop a stone into water, and watch the beautiful ripples! One person can make many waves.

  Professionally, she aspires to work in local sustainable development programs around the world by helping with the design of projects and trainings for volunteers, and evaluating the results to know how to make the communities successfully reach the goals they set for themselves.

  Silvia likes to be outside and ride her bike, swim at the beach, play with her dog "Pipo", write letters to friends far away, spend time with her parents and sister, and listen to Nona's (her Spanish grandma) sayings and stories.

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• Network Engineer, Self-employed Publisher, Contract Technician, System Administrator, and Environmental and Social Justice organizer

  A devoted environmental and social justice activist, Shawn organizes and manages a number of grassroots campaigns. He has spent months living in rain-forests and mountain trekking, and is a skilled climber and wilderness guide.

  Growing up in the placid, scenic foothills of the Colorado Rockies and the frantic but also scenic city of New York, Shawn learned to love and explore nature, and at the same time gained exposure to culture. Challenging himself professionally and socially, he has contracted in both the computer and publishing industries, and pursued a number of social causes. Working diligently, he has organized grassroots environmental and social campaigns primarily for deforestation and indigenous land rights issues. This diversity has allowed him to fully develop and broaden his skills in everything from web design to mountaineering.

  Shawn is dedicated to using the Internet to stimulate social change, and loves learning and exploring different cultures. He believes that educating children is essential to achieving sustainability in the next century.

  A multifaceted musician who loves cooking, learning new things, and traveling, Shawn has studied a variety of subjects on his own initiative including philosophy, religion, literature, computers, and nutrition. He believes the Internet is clearly the best tool available for uniting the children of the world and giving them the information they will need to understand and solve the complex problems we face.

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• Andersen Consulting- Office of the "Financial Ideas Exchange" - Marketing of Financial Service Technologies to Fortune 100 CEOs - Internet Systems Administrator
  
  
• Chief Technology Officer of the Institute for New Leaders
  
  
• Supervisor of Technical Support and Training - Williams College
  
  
• Founding Board Member of Williams Students Online (WSO) and Internet Course Designer and Instructor, Williams College
  
  
• Computer Consultant of Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
  
  
• Chief Technology Advisor of Louis August Jonas Foundation
  
  

  Jonah is an Internet administrator at Andersen Consulting and a youth leader. He is the technology director of the Institute for New Leaders which aims to empower youth towards a positive vision of human rights activism. In college, he co-founded and developed a student Internet site that continues to receive numerous awards including one sponsored by Yahoo which named the site as the "Number One" student server on the net.

  For the past five years he has developed and managed the Internet resources for the alumni community of Camp Rising Sun, an international scholarship camp with a 70 year history of inspiring social entrepreneurship in young adults. Most recently he has become a youth leader within the I*EARN, the International Education And Resource Network, which is linking communities around the world together for the purpose of making a difference.

  Jonah wrote a computing advice column in his college newspaper in Williamstown, MA and did C++ programming for the Williams College Bird Song Analysis Lab.

  Jonah believes that the greatest tool for inspiring young people and motivating them towards positive action is to provide them with limitless opportunties of leadership and self imposed educational exploration.

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