How Young Leaders Are Driving Transformative Change
Every year, out of hundreds of local applicants, Groundwork Hudson Valley selects thirty Yonkers public high school students to work over the summer on a variety of climate resilience projects. This is part of Groundwork’s Green Team, a robust youth leadership program.
The Green Team works on a range of projects from invasive species removal to trail maintenance to larger green infrastructure projects such as building bioswales and rain gardens. Our Youth Crew Leaders, many of whom are former Green Team members, mentor and support the Green Team, fostering leadership development and teamwork. These leaders help cultivate the next generation of environmental justice advocates in our community, guiding them through their challenges and triumphs.
In this two-part series, we spotlight our extraordinary Youth Crew Leaders and their inspiring work with Groundwork Hudson Valley this summer. Today, we’re excited to share our interview with three remarkable individuals: Jessy Zhang, Ulizes Altixqueno, and Nasim Sarder, as they share a little about themselves, discuss their experiences, and the transformative projects they are leading this season.
Q: What is your current school, year, and major?
Jessy Zhang: I am an upcoming sophomore at Stony Brook University majoring in Biochemistry with the expectation to graduate in 2027.
Ulizes Altixqueno: I am a rising sophomore at the University of Rochester studying Mechanical Engineering, Electrical, and Computer Engineering.
Nasim Sarder: I’m currently enrolled in The City College of New York. I am entering my junior year and have been pursuing Civil Engineering, focusing on drainage systems and irrigation.
Q: For how many years have you been a part of the Green Team?
Jessy Zhang: This will be my fourth year working with Groundwork. Two as a Green Team member, one as a Green Team leader, and now a Youth Crew Leader!
Ulizes Altixqueno: I have been with the Green Team since 2021 and have spent three summers as a Green Team Leader.
Nasim: I’ve been on the Green Team for a total of four years — two years as a Green Team member and two years as a Youth Crew Leader.
Q: How and why did you initially get involved with Groundwork Hudson Valley?
Jessy Zhang: I was introduced to Groundwork Hudson Valley from my AP Chemistry teacher during COVID virtual school. I was just a kid so sick of being caged up in their house, and I was drawn to nature. It was an exciting opportunity to not only escape from my 17-person household but to get paid!
Ulizes Altixqueno: I initially joined the Green Team after my Chemistry teacher advertised summer opportunities. I applied because I was interested in an environmentally-focused job through manual labor.
Nasim Sarder: I got involved with Groundwork Hudson Valley through a friend who knew I had a passion for building, constructing, and making a difference in my community. He recommended Groundwork to me since the program’s goals aligned with mine. I also wanted to figure out the type of engineering I wanted to pursue and found Groundwork to be a great introduction to environmental or hydraulic engineering.
Q: What drew you to becoming a Youth Crew Leader?
Jessy Zhang: My first year at Groundwork is a core memory for me. It is why I return to Groundwork every year. Every new summer — the camping trips, the interactions with the community, the building of new friendships — expands upon my first-year memories. These core experiences have been memorialized in my mind, creating who I am, and one of my unique personality islands, like in Inside Out.
Ulizes Altixqueno: I was drawn to the Youth Crew Leader position because I was eager to give back positive experiences to high school youth of my community.
Nasim Sarder: I wanted to be a Youth Crew Leader because I was eager to have leadership experience, especially because I want to move into project management in the future. I had a desire to utilize the knowledge I built over two years of working with the Green Team, and to guide the next generation of Green Teamers. This would not only aid in my goal to build and do things for my community, but it would also help me get there faster from the experience I gained.
Q: How has Groundwork Hudson Valley expanded your knowledge of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies?
Jessy Zhang: An environmental issue that Groundwork has expanded my knowledge of is extreme heat. Given the location of Yonkers and our demographic being composed of lower-income families, we are the most vulnerable. In urban areas, the lack of green spaces directly correlates with increasing temperatures and the amount of concrete and asphalt we have creates heat islands. I have personally witnessed the effects of extreme heat while working on the Green Team. I have worked to implement Green Infrastructure projects in Palisade Park, Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers sites, and more to help mitigate high temperatures. Through my hands-on experience, I have realized how important these projects are — the trees provide shade for residents, kids explore the plants and trails, and they are overall fun and beautiful places for the community to enjoy.
Ulizes Altixqueno: Groundwork Hudson Valley has expanded my knowledge of extreme heat by demonstrating how it impacts people and the resources needed to alleviate the danger of extreme heat.
Nasim Sarder: Groundwork Hudson Valley has taught me numerous things, but flood mitigation sticks out to me. With Groundwork, I learned a lot about how to prevent flooding by transforming impermeable surfaces into permeable surfaces, planting trees with vast root systems, building rain gardens, and creating irrigation systems.
Q: How do you define environmental justice?
Jessy Zhang: I define environmental justice as a strong sense of stewardship to nature, one’s community, and oneself.
Ulizes Altixqueno: I define environmental justice to be the work of people addressing and solving the issues of human interference with the natural environment, which have created destructive effects for society.
Nasim Sarder: Environmental justice’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable. It works to build a society that doesn’t rely on finite resources and byproducts that destroy the environment.
Q: Do you have a favorite memory of working with Groundwork Hudson Valley?
Jessy Zhang: During my second year at Groundwork Hudson Valley, I had the opportunity to go to Yellowstone National Park. Waking up every day to the screech of a deer was nothing short of what I expected. The week there felt like a retreat. I fondly recall my jump into the cold lake, the stench of rotten eggs from geysers, the whistle of the wind, and our cooking failures. When I visit a new national park, I reminisce about my first trip to Yellowstone.
Ulizes Altixqueno: My favorite memory of working with Groundwork Hudson Valley is interviewing professionals from various water-related industries as part of a film documenting water usage in New York City for UN Water Week.
Nasim Sarder: My favorite memory with Groundwork was working with winches, which are metal cables that work on a pulley that allows you to move rocks weighing up to a couple of tons through tension. We moved the rocks to build a dam to stop high tides from ruining a hiking trail. I love this memory because it was a new machine that piqued my interest and it was used to make a huge difference in our work, even if it was a smaller task.
Q: What are some words about Groundwork Hudson Valley that you would like to leave the people with?
Jessy Zhang: Green Team was my first job, but this year is filled with new unexpected roads my first year did not have. I’m glad to experience all the good, challenging, and funny days. I will always be glad to be here with Groundwork, exploring every summer with a fresh perspective.
Ulizes Altixqueno: The Green Team has helped me to become a version of myself ready to pursue challenges and able to adapt on the spot. Groundwork Hudson Valley has helped me set goals beyond what I thought was possible.
Nasim Sarder: Groundwork Hudson Valley can either be your typical first job or a pivotal moment in your life, allowing you to choose what your purpose will be for the rest of your career. The opportunities through Groundwork are tailored so heavily towards the strengths of each of the youth to broaden each individual’s path. The Green Team changed my way of thinking and I realized that there are many ways to help a community. Finding how you can contribute is all a part of the experience of Groundwork.
The Green Team changed my way of thinking and I realized that there are many ways to help a community. Finding how you can contribute is all a part of the experience of Groundwork. — Nasim Sarder, Groundwork Hudson Valley Youth Crew Leader
Through their dedication and hard work, our Youth Crew Leaders have made a significant impact on both the environment and their peers. The Green Team program not only equips young individuals with practical skills in environmental stewardship but also fosters personal growth and leadership. Seeing these emerging leaders passionately work towards creating a positive impact in our community is an inspiration and example to many.
If you are interested in learning more about the Youth Leadership Program at Groundwork Hudson Valley, visit us at groundworkhv.org.
