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OUR MISSION
We hope to engage and educate young students on how the environment affects human life. In addition we aspire to undertake projects that promote healthier environments locally and globally.
OUR Vision
Our vision is to innovate environmental health education and improve public health by protecting and preserving our environment. Inform, Preserve, Prosper!
Arman Lateef is a freshman at Harvard College, where he is majoring in the History of Science with a focus on Medicine and Public Health. His passion for environmental health, cultivated during his high school years, continues to drive his academic and extracurricular pursuits. Arman’s keen awareness of the environment’s impact on human health, particularly through his own experiences with asthma, inspired him to take action by creating an organization dedicated to addressing environmental health issues. Additionally, he developed a problem-based learning curriculum focused on implementing outdoor recycling programs, aiming to empower younger students to take active roles in environmental stewardship.
Arman’s prior research has included using NASA satellite data to map out particulate pollution and link it with biologic outcomes in vulnerable populations. Currently, he is working with scientists at the NIH's Climate Change Initiative, further deepening his commitment to addressing environmental challenges through scientific inquiry.
At Harvard, Arman’s focus on Medicine and Public Health allows him to explore the historical and social contexts of medical practices and public health initiatives, particularly as they relate to environmental factors. He is also actively involved with The Crimson Business Board , where he is expanding his understanding of business principles and their applications in creating sustainable, impactful solutions.
Our Founder and President
Arman Lateef
Tony Bright is a junior at Charles J. Colgan High School in Manassas, Virginia. Tony is very excited in his role as Vice President, Science and Technology. In this position Tony’s goal is to bridge the gap between K-8th environmental education through technology and being able to inform and provide ways not only to help clean the Earth but with emphasis on what each student and adult can do to keep it that way.
Tony’s prior technology experience includes being the lead programmer for his school’s robotics team that earned the title of Virginia State Champions of 2020. He also actively participates in school science fairs including the Virginia Junior Academy of Science (VJAS). In 7th grade, Tony and Arman Lateef decided to develop a possible alternate power source using non-renewable resources which was also a sustainable source of energy/creek mud. More recently, along with partners, Arman Lateef, and Gabriel Ralston, and he focused on human health and the use of flies as models, showing the adverse effects of pollution on human health in the first and second generations. In the future, Tony plans to pursue a career in engineering.
Our Vice President, Technology
Tony Bright
Our Vice President, Public Health and Communications
Sophia Qamari
Sophia is a second-year student at the University of Virginia pursuing a major in Global Public Health with a pre-med focus. Passionate about the intersection between health and community, Sophia is involved in public health research within the UVA School of Medicine. Her current work involves researching and supporting patients with brain metastases, aiming to contribute to advancements in medical care and patient quality of life. Beyond academics, Sophia is deeply involved in community outreach, particularly in supporting Afghan refugee women within Charlottesville. In her volunteer work, she hopes to reflect the power of community engagement and cultural understanding to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who have been displaced.
Sophia is concerned about global environmental issues, specifically the severe effects of air and water pollution in her parents’ home country Afghanistan. She is worried about the health effects of environmental pollution in underprivileged areas of the world and plans to help them through this organization. This drives her interest in environmental health and fuels a broader ambition to address the intersection of environmental and public health on a global scale. In her free time, you can find Sophia playing tennis with her friends or spending quality time with family.
Our Vice President, Finance
Gabriel Ralston
Gabriel Ralston is a 11th grade student at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School. As an avid researcher, he has done multiple studies of pollution-based health effects with Drosophila melanogaster. Additionally, he participates in the Vex robotics program and has helped lead his team to 2 Virginia state championships.
Gabriel enjoys engineering, physics, and all aspects of STEM-related research and activities. His passion for learning and desire to help others is what led him to work with this organization to educate students about the environment and the potential dangers that pollution poses.
Outside of academics, Gabriel is a two sport athlete and is a member of the Colgan football and lacrosse teams.
Our Vice President, Education and Outreach
Rhea Zahir
Rhea is a third year student at the University of Virginia where she is pursuing a degree in Anthropology with a minor in American Sign Language on the pre-med track. She is a budding research scientist with an interest in disease processes and the impact of a changing environment on global health. Water contamination with microplastics are causing an increasing prevalence of diseases worldwide. Rhea feels that her generation needs to be on the forefront to curtail and prevent this. Microplastics can slip into lungs, the bloodstream and even cells causing an increase in preterm births, breast cancer risk, and chronic illnesses.
Rhea is an active member of the Third Year Class Council where she uses her voice to educate and spread awareness to limit plastic use. She is on the executive board for the event planning committees at UVA (Lighting of the Lawn and Dinner Series) which attracts several thousand students and helps to limit the impact on the environment. She sits on the Judicial Review Board for Student Government and was selected for the Algenon Award Committee. On weekends you can find Rhea on the volleyball courts with her team or in the kitchen baking well deserved brownies.