Student Team Make Waves in Maryland's Fight Against Chesapeake Bay Destruction

The Climate Leaders Fellowship guides high school students in researching climate change effects within their own communities and finding solutions they can implement locally. Students partner with local organizations to launch their projects and collaborate with other students around the world to achieve their goals.

The fellowship is offered as a collaboration between the Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab and the Rustic Pathways Foundation.

Read April’s experience below!

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April Cheng
Age 16
Rockville, Maryland
Thomas Wootton High School

Tell us about yourself!

My name is April Cheng, a current high school junior living in Maryland. I’m 16 years old, and in my free time, I love to paint with acrylics and watch soccer. I don’t play soccer, but got into watching it after my dad streamed the 2014 World Cup nonstop at home. Despite their currently atrocious form, my favorite soccer team is FC Barcelona and my favorite player on that squad is either Gavi or Frenkie.

What specific problem were you addressing in your community? 

I live in Maryland, which borders the Chesapeake Bay. However, due to fertilizer from farms and gardens running off into the bay area, there has been an influx of nutrients in the water. This in turn, leads to algae overgrowth.

When the algae die, they use up all the oxygen in the water, causing eutrophication and leading to a deadzone. The deadzone means that all of the marine life in that area dies off, leading to massive losses of wildlife. Additionally, communities around the Chesapeake Bay are impacted as well from higher energy costs, severe weather and flooding, air pollution, as well as disproportional damage on low-income and communities of color.

What did you do for your project?

My project aimed to raise funds to combat Chesapeake Bay area destruction. I worked in a group of 4 other high school students, 3 of which attended my school.

What type of contributions did you collect?

Our group collected monetary donations, either in the form of hard cash or GoFundMe contributions.

How did you do it?

The short answer? Trial and error. At first, our group decided to fundraise by hosting a bake sale. After obtaining permission from the Dawson’s Supermarket to set up shop in front of their store, our group was able to make $70 from the first bake sale we did.

Unfortunately, the bake sale only lasted 3 hours, and we were not able to renew permission to host our fundraiser outside of Dawsons a second time. This resulted in us contacting various organizations, including local Chinese schools, other stores, as well as the Washingtonian Rio. No organization allowed us to sell food on their properties, so we were forced to get creative.

Eventually, we decided to go door to door, selling small packaged and baked goods.

Where did you do the project?

The entirety of this project took place in our local communities and neighborhoods.

Which groups of people did you try to get to engage with your project?

Since we were collecting monetary donations, we did not have a specific target audience. We did, however, find that parents with children were more inclined to purchase snacks from us.

Why did you join the Climate Leaders Fellowship? 

I did it in order to do my part in making a positive impact on my local community. I feel that it is important to be proactive and try to improve existing problems. I wanted to start small and hopefully someday, I will be able to make an even greater impact on my community.

What were the results?

We were able to raise $212 total, and we donated all of the proceeds. We plan on continuing this project long term, even after this fellowship has ended. We hope to continue raising money and fighting Chesapeake Bay Area destruction.

What partner organizations did you work with?

We partnered with the American Red Cross Association as well as our school’s Red Cross club.

How did participating in the Climate Leaders Fellowship make you feel? 

Engaging in this fellowship brought me a lot of joy as I was able to actively contribute to addressing a persistent issue in my community. I am proud of my results so far, and hope to continue raising more money in the future.