Juniper Ward is an Oregon high school student who is passionate about books, civics, and nature, and enjoys participating in her school’s soccer, track, and speech and debate teams.
Juniper has spent her entire life a short walk away from a major river and has grown up immersed in the nature surrounding it. This has fueled Juniper’s passion for the environment and creating healthy river ecosystems free from pollution. The more Juniper has learned about problems that plague her local river and rivers around the world, the more motivated she is to consider innovative solutions to this issue, which would include working with youth and the community through cleanup days and education, as well as working with local legislators to create infrastructure that would help the river for years to come. These solutions would build resilient communities through creating a river environment where both people and the natural ecosystems can live happily and healthily.