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CHASE HARTMAN

Co-Founder, CEO

Chase Hartman of Tampa, Florida, is a community changemaker and youth leader dedicated to finding solutions to some of the country's toughest challenges.

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Eighteen-year-old Chase co-founded a non-profit called Eco Brothers and an award-winning book distribution project called “read.repeat.”.  Focusing his efforts on improving literacy rates, he’s collected and distributed more than 220,000 books and impacted the lives of more than 65,000 students in Hillsborough County, Florida.  Chase champions the need for more books-with-diversity and dual language books in local Title-1 schools and has worked to raise more than $150,000 to improve literacy and run environmental projects in his state. 

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Chase enjoys the challenges of leadership opportunities and served as Senior Patrol Leader in Boy Scout Troop 46, where he also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.  For the service project required for this respected rank, he designed and planted a butterfly garden at his former elementary school and purchased butterfly habitats for each classroom to learn more about the importance of the declining monarch butterfly.  He’s attended leadership workshops through Boy Scouts with the National Youth Leadership Training and also at American University with the National Student Leadership Conference. 

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An honor student, Chase attended the American Legion Boys State Conference and received the Samsung Scholarship. Additionally, he has been regoanized as a 2024 Coca Cola Scholar, Beta Club Scholar, and National Honor Society Scholarship National Finalist. He is a member of the National Honor Society and National Society of High School Scholars and is Co-President of Student Government at his high school.  Chase’s academic and community service efforts have been recognized by the Dr. Ben Carson Scholar Fund, which has awarded him the position of Carson Scholar.  Chase is a Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Team Community Hero of Tomorrow recipient, Florida’s Prudential Spirit of the Community Honoree, Points of Light Youth Advisory Council member, and was also recognized by the EPA as a President’s Environmental Youth Award winner.  

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Meet our Youth Board

As mentors to all volunteers and council members of Eco Brothers, our Youth Board is essential to ensuring our organization can grow and challenge our leaders!  

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Lauren Hill

Tampa, FL

Youth Board member since 2021

Currently majoring in Data Science at the University of Florida. She earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Award twice for serving over 250 hours in her community. Also received the 3E Academic Foundation Education Grant. Lauren plans to stay involved in helping her community through advocacy for children’s literacy.

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Sophie Farnan

Tampa, FL

Youth Board member since 2021

Hi! I’m Sophie Farnan, a longtime Junior Board Member for Eco Brothers, Inc! My current goal with Eco Brothers is to develop an initiative aimed at providing formal wear and accessories to low-income high school students for homecoming and prom. I am also the director of internal affairs for my student government’s executive board, and the vice president of membership for the National Beta Club. I love spending time outdoors, including running on the cross country and track teams at my school, and I am a writer for the local magazine in my area, the Westchase WOW!

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Evan Farnan

Tampa, FL

Youth Board member since 2021

Hi everyone! My name is Evan, and I am a longtime Junior Board Member who will double major in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Florida as an honors student. My leadership experience includes being the Calculus Team Leader for Mu Alpha Theta as well as President of the Sickles High School Orchestra Program, where I was awarded the Fred Gebhardt Leadership Award and Scholarship. I was also an NHS officer and organized a 5K run for my school which raised $3,000 in less than 30 days. Running is a passion of mine, as I have run varsity track and cross country for four years. I have been named a National Merit Scholar, Benaquisto Scholar, Florida Academic Scholar, Florida Merit Scholarship Award Winner, 2024 Tribune Scholar and a URSP Honors Research Award Winner from the University of Florida. My volunteer experience led to me receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award and I look forward to continuing my volunteer work with Eco Brothers!

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Anushka Sashidhar

West Bloomfield, MI

Youth Board member since 2024

Anushka is a freshman at the University of Michigan pursuing a double degree in Neuroscience and Philosophy on premed track. She was president of her school's Key Club, is an Eagle Scout, received the PVSA Gold Award three times, and was recognised in Michigan with the Youth Governor Award for excellent service. Anushka continues to be dedicated to solving issues related to healthcare and education disparities in her local community. She is currently working on a project to create therapeutic art boxes for pediatric patients at local hospitals. Anushka loves to travel and read and will continue to compete on a collegiate equestrian team!

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Claire Kelly

Tampa, FL

Youth Board member since 2024

Claire Kelly is an Honors Data Science and Economics student at the University of Florida. In High School, she was the Vice President of Student Government, Historian of Rho Kappa, and Statistics Team Leader of Mu Alpha Theta. Claire was also a member of the Varsity Softball team, where she received the HCPS Scholar-Athlete award. She will continue to play as part of the UF Club Team. Baseball is her passion, and she aims to pursue a job in the industry.

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Mia Vanessa Prom

Tampa, FL

Youth Board member since 2024

Mia Vanessa, also known as Mia Fly Girl, is a Filipina-Cambodian-American model, international titleholder, author, coder, PPAC dancer, and flow artist. She is the founder of BeYOUtiful, Be Fly, and Tiara Tea Time, as well as the President of the Kind Mouse Organization. As the author of *Finding Yourself* and a survivor of bullying, Mia is dedicated to encouraging others to love themselves, embrace their differences, and spread kindness. Inspired by her late grandfather, her mission is to give hope to the hopeless and uplift those around her.

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Aashritha Sayyaparaju

Eastvale, CA

Youth Board member since 2024

Aashritha is a highly dedicated student with a passion for alleviating global issues, particularly in education, through the integration of cognitive science, technology, and policy. As a strong advocate for educational access, she has designed and published workbooks for underprivileged students in countries such as Cambodia, Tanzania, Afghanistan, and Malaysia through SimplySkilled Workbooks. Her work with this initiative has raised over $1,000 to provide essential learning materials to underprivileged communities. Additionally, she serves on the Keep California Beautiful Youth Eastvale Board, combining her love for environmental stewardship with a desire to create a positive impact. Her future aspirations include majoring in cognitive science and continuing to merge her academic interests with her philanthropic efforts to address pressing global challenges. Beyond education, Aashritha is committed to promoting literacy and environmental sustainability through her role on the Eco Brothers Youth Board, where she hopes to help drive initiatives supporting both environmental causes and literacy!

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Robbie Nguyen

Lancaster, PA

Youth Board member since 2024

Robbie Nguyen is a tech enthusiast from South Central Pennsylvania. Through social entrepreneurship and community outreach ventures, Nguyen gravitates toward work that positively impacts those around him facing societal challenges. Leading initiatives that intersect between business, technology, and society. His love for helping others, allows him to lean into the unknown- what he doesn’t know.

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Aman Shah Kabiri

Kabul, Afghanistan

Youth Board member since 2024

I’m Aman Shah Kabiri, a dedicated student pursuing studies at both the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) and Kabul University. With a fervent passion for driving positive change and advocating for environmental causes, I actively engage as an environmental activist. As the Founder and CEO of Afghan Girls Success Gate (AGSG), a nonprofit organization committed to empowering Afghan girls through education, I am deeply invested in creating opportunities for growth and development. Additionally, serving as the Founder and President of the AUAF Speakers Club, I foster a platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas within the university community. My dedication extends to championing the empowerment of Afghan women, a cause close to my heart. I am committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and communities, striving for a brighter and more equitable future.

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Kevin Jose Lopez Cruz

Lanham, MD

Youth Board member since 2024

Kevin Lopez Cruz is an aspiring professor of English interested in the arts, humanities, teaching, advocacy, and research. He aims to tackle educational disparities in communities by actively engaging with local residents and offering pertinent data.

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Kuzivakwashe Fungai Kahari

Johannesburg, South Africa

Youth Board member since 2024

Kuzivakwashe Fungai Kahari is a passionate Youth Advocate who has been working hand in hand with various SDG-Focused Youth Organisation. He is mostly passionate about advocating for climate change, youth empowerment, educational equity and reduced in inequalities. Kuzivakwashe served on various youth advisory boards both in the US and beyond to ensure proper representation of dissenting and marginalized voices.One of his most notable achievements is that of coordinating and overseeing volunteer programs which has evidently led to increased community engagement.During spare time Kuzivakwashe enjoys horse riding and hiking.

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Kylie Montigney

Scranton, PA

Youth Board member since 2024

Kylie is the founder of Empower Girls which is designed to end gender bias & inclusion in the media, also she is the host of Talk of Fame podcast where she interviews actors, founders, athletes, etc to inspire people that they can do anything they dream of!

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Mohamed Wesam

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Youth Board member since 2024

A dedicated youth leader actively involved in initiatives at ANS, where I serve as President of the Student Government and Captain of the Debate Team. Passionate about addressing social issues such as mental health advocacy, environmental sustainability, and educational equity, I've excelled on global platforms, including receiving the Best Delegate award at many Model United Nations conferences and securing first place at the UAE National Hackathon. As a Youth Council member, I aim to drive impactful community initiatives and inspire peers to contribute to meaningful change in society.

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Tariq Lawal

Lagos, Nigeria

Youth Board member since 2024

Tariq Lawal (he/they) is a writer, poet, creative, entrepreneur and change-maker from Lagos, Nigeria. He passionately advocates for social and environmental justice. He is a World Literacy Foundation Youth Ambassador, The Climate Interactive Ambassador, an Orius Fellow, a UNICEF Nigeria Young Influencer, a Civics Unplugged Fellow and a UNESCO’s LearningPlanet Alliance Youth Fellow and a member of their youth council. He is also the creative designer of Girl Up Nigeria and Black Girl’s Dream Initiative and the lead of Catcalls of Lagos, a chapter of the global youth-led Chalk Back Movement that aims to put an end to street-based harassment. He is the first and only African, and youngest contributor for FEMINIST, the global hub for intersectional feminism with an audience of more than six million. He also volunteers as a graphic designer for a lot of youth-led non-profits.

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Oshioke Imuekemhe

Benin, Nigeria

Youth Board member since 2024

My name is Oshioke Imuekemhe, I'm a writer,poet and activist,founder and CEO of 23 History Club in Benin City, Edo State. I am committed to promoting youth participation in government and advocating for change in Africa's governance. Passionate about environmental sustainability and active citizenship, I’ve written articles and attended conferences on electoral reforms and good governance. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, photography, and spending time with friends.

Meet our Youth Council Members

As of December 2024, we have welcomed 100+ Youth Council members from 18 U.S. states and 13 countries around the globe! These youth, ages 13-23, are dedicated to expanding our efforts in their local areas. Interested in joining? Click the button below to access our application! 

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