Schaumburg teen advocates for environment, developing nations

Priya Sharma is a teenager on a mission — spreading the messages of social justice and environmentalism as far and as wide as possible.

For Priya, a junior at Schaumburg High School, this is no mere passing fad, but something she feels deeply, and shapes her goals for the rest of her life.

“The thing I am most passionate about is water and air pollution,” she says. “I see people walking down the street and throwing things, and it hurts. I really care about the Earth.”

These days Priya is raising funds for a summer community service trip to Peru, where she will work with local schools and organizations to teach children and women about environmental sustainability, green housing and healthy living, she said.

It would be Priya's second trip abroad through San Diego-based Global Leadership Adventure, after three weeks in Tanzania this past summer. There, she taught math and reading to kids in schools and orphanages, and worked with nongovernmental organizations that focus on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation.

The most surprising aspect of her experience in Tanzania was how deeply she connected with her students, she said.

“There is no greater feeling I have received,” she said. “They were crying when I left, they wanted me there. It really made a difference.”

When she came back to the U.S., she made it a point to spread what she learned, her English teacher Katelyn Ksiazek said.

“She's just an extremely passionate and knowledgeable young woman,” Ksiazek said. “She has traveled and helped more people in her limited number of years than I think most people are going to do in their lifetime.”

Hearing from one of their own really drives the message home for Priya's classmates, Ksiazek added.

“I think it's one thing when an adult tries to talk at kids, but it's another thing when hearing from their peers,” she said. “I think a lot of them feel helpless at times to make a change in the world around them, so seeing someone their own age being able to travel and make a difference is far more inspirational than anything else we could teach in the classrooms.”

Priya's commitment to do good was evident even in junior high school, where she started an anti-bullying campaign.

“I have never been bullied, but I just can't tolerate it,” she said. “I have seen bullying and I still see bullying. No one is above anyone. I think that if I don't stop (others from) bullying, I'm just as bad as someone who is bullying.”

At Schaumburg High, she is the co-president and director of student relations for the school chapter of Amnesty International, and is a member of the speech team, French club, diversity club and the principal's advisory board.

Global Leadership Adventures is part of Terra Education, a certified B-corporation, or a type of corporation which uses business to solve social and environmental problems, according to its website.

The planned trip to Peru will cost $4,729, including tuition, lodging, travel medical insurance and more; airfare will be an additional $1,300 or so. Priya received a $1,000 scholarship from GLA, so she needs to raise about $5,000 more.

If she were to raise more money than needed, she said she'll donate the difference to the school and organizations she'll be working with in Peru.

Priya's parents say they support their daughter unconditionally, but it's difficult to provide all the financial support she needs.

Her father, Surinder, suffers from liver failure, so her mother Saroj, a private schoolteacher, supports the family. Her sister Asta, 23, wants to go to law school.

Traveling to her parents' native India as a little girl opened Priya's eyes to the tremendous disparities in the world.

“I have had a very privileged life being from the United States,” she said. “I always had fresh air and water. Going to India and just seeing the disparity and how it really goes back to economics, it really inspired me to make a change.”

Priya's environmentalism shows not just in her international efforts, but at home. She's transformed many of her family's habits, pointing out when lights and faucets should be turned off and insisting on recycling, buying organic foods and eco-friendly products, Saroj Sharma said.

“I say, ‘Priya, let me breathe,'” she says, smiling affectionately at her daughter. “But she really believes in action.”

Priya was among three students, out of 28, who were named ambassadors for the engagement and leadership skills they showed in Tanzania.

“Priya is hands down one of the most memorable students I've ever interacted with, just because she has an amazing head on her shoulders,” said Maria McCain, GLA senior enrollment adviser.

“A lot of these students have 100 other things going on in their life, so it really takes that extra motivation,” she said.

Priya plans to pursue her passions in college, where she'll study international sustainability or environmental politics, she said.

She is well aware that there are plenty of skeptics about environmentalism.

“It's really all of our Earth. We all share it, and problems don't see boundaries the way we do. When it comes to our future generations, this will be a problem they have to face,” she said

If you want to help fund Priya's trip, you can use PayPal to recipient sharmapriya.1517@gmail.com, you can visit youcaring.com/sendpriya2peru, send money via Chase QuickPay to recipient sharmapriya.1517@gmail.com. Donations are tax deductible.

Priya Sharma

<b>Age: </b> 17

<b>Hometown: </b> Schaumburg

<b>School: </b> Schaumburg High School

<b>Who inspires you?</b> My older sister, Asta. She's a really hard worker, she's very organized and very goal-oriented. She aspires to be the best.

<b>What book are you reading?</b> “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

<b>What music are you listening to? </b> I'm really into rap.

<b>The three words that best describe you?</b> Creative. Philosophical. Empathetic.