Our 2020-2021 Planet Forward Correspondents

We are pleased to announce our 2020-2021 team of Planet Forward Correspondents! More information will be shared soon about the exceptional team of students selected. Get to know them below:

  • Maddie Arthur – University of Wisconsin-Madison. Maddie is a senior studying life sciences communication and conservation biology.
  • Arielle Bader – George Washington University. Arielle is a senior studying photojournalism.
  • Elly Beckerman – Bates College. Elly is a junior majoring in environmental studies, with a global environmental politics concentration, and minors in Chinese and history.
  • Francesca Edralin – George Washington University. Francesca is a junior international affairs major, with a concentration in environmental studies, and minors in journalism and sustainability. She was a 2020 Storyfest finalist.
  • Greta Hardy-Mittell – Carleton College. Greta is a sophomore and a reporter for The Carletonian. She was a 2020 Storyfest winner.
  • Anthony Karambelas – University of Chicago. Anthony is a graduate student in an interdisciplinary program prepping for Ph.D. studies in political science/sociology. He was a 2020 Storyfest finalist.
  • Eva Legge – Dartmouth College. Eva is a double-major in biology and earth sciences, and is minoring in creative writing.
  • Mary Magnuson – University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mary is a senior studying life sciences communication and conservation biology, with a minor in environmental studies.
  • Alex Mangold – Florida State University. Alex is a graduate student studying public interest media and communication. She graduated from Oklahoma State University in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in strategic communications and a minor in marketing.
  • Donnie Monk – SUNY-ESF. Donnie is a senior studying environmental studies focused on policy, planning, and law.
  • Paulina Oswald – Eckerd College. Paulina is a senior studying psychology, with an interest in marine life and photography. She was also a 2020 Storyfest finalist.
  • Maggie Scholle – University of San Diego. Maggie is a senior studying environmental and ocean sciences.
  • Lizzie Stricklin – George Washington University. Lizzie is a senior studying journalism and mass communication and minoring in sustainability. She was a 2020 Storyfest finalist.
  • Marisa Umeh – University of California-Berkeley. Marisa is a junior studying business administration and media studies.
  • Ali Wilt – Northwestern University. Ali is a junior studying communication and media studies.

2020-2021 Senior Correspondents:

  • Max Sano – Franklin & Marshall College. Max is a junior majoring in government and environmental studies, with a minor in Arabic.
  • Cate Twining-Ward – George Washington University. Cate is a junior majoring in environmental studies and minoring in sustainability. She was a 2020 Storyfest winner.

All Correspondent work will be featured here. Check back frequently!

How do you move the Planet Forward? Tweet us @planet_forward or contribute to the conversation with your own story.

Hub Content

Color The Water: Black surfers healing through the water
Marisa Sinclair Umeh
University of California, Berkeley
"Color The Water" centers on a recently graduated University of Southern California student who is part of the organization, Color The Water, a nonprofit that gives people of color free surfing lessons as a means of healing.
Climate change is affecting Wisconsinites’ health, new UW study finds

(Hush Naidoo/Unsplash)

Mary Magnuson
Planet Forward Correspondent | University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin’s future may be warm, wet and insect-ridden, a new climate change study released by University of Wisconsin researchers finds.
The salamanders at the end of the world
Salamander embryo development (Credit: Dee Ann Chamberlain)
Salamander embryo development (Credit: Dee Ann Chamberlain)
Eva Legge
Planet Forward Correspondent | Dartmouth College
In the heart of Austin, Texas, lies a salamander sanctuary that exists as a backup, in case the wild population were to be wiped out — but is it enough to save the species?
Think big, think green. Think Green Bronx Machine.

The Green Bronx Machine teaches students how to garden and produce their own nutritious food. (Photo courtesy of Green Bronx Machine)

Francesca Edralin
George Washington University
The Bronx is home to many things — Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, the birth of hip-hop — and most recently, an idea powerful enough to change the world.
Finding my place in the swamp

Barry Forbes and his grandson hunting in the Cornwall Swamp. (Photos by Oscar Psychas/Middlebury College)

Oscar Eilitta Psychas
Middlebury College
A student new to Vermont visits Cornwall Swamp while tracing his own family's ancestral connection to these mysterious places that reveal deeper truths about our relationship to the natural world.
Every day is Earth Day: Scenes from the climate justice movement
2019 climate strike D.C.

Thousands of people protest at the Global Climate Strike, demanding the government take action against the climate crisis on Sept. 20, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Arielle Bader/George Washington University)

Arielle Bader
Planet Forward Correspondent | George Washington University
Our house is on fire and environmental activists are determined to put the fire out. Scroll through this photo essay for a look at those fighting to save our planet.
Mythical creatures made real: San Diego's grunion run
Maggie Scholle
Planet Forward Correspondent | University of San Diego
Correspondent Maggie Scholle observes a grunion run, a seasonal phenomenon of fish spawning that lines the Southern California coast.
On the verge of vanishment

Many species of reef-building corals, which are vital to the health of ocean ecosystems, face risk of extinction. (Joe Hoyt/NOAA)

Ali Wilt
Planet Forward Correspondent | Northwestern University
Each year, the International Union of Conservation of Nature is finding more and more plant, animal and fungus species threatened with extinction across the globe. What could be causing it?
Ways to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle

Fidan Karimova's reusable products are seen on her cloth napkin. (Arielle Bader/George Washington University)

Arielle Bader
Planet Forward Correspondent | George Washington University
Who says that individuals can’t make a positive change right in their own communities? Three women share their journeys to living a more sustainable lifestyle. 
Beyond oceans and beneath our skin — a pandemic of plastics
Cate Twining-Ward
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent
The invention of plastic has transformed human life. Plastics are incredibly convenient, and far more affordable than alternative materials. However, the downsides are overwhelming.

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