Stephanie Velea

Stephanie has been fascinated by animals and the environment from a young age. Some of her earliest memories are those of sitting by a nearby pond and watching the ducks wade through the water. She is passionate about enacting change both at and beyond the local level. She was drawn to join Sustainability Ambassadors after seeing how special, inspiring, and truly passionate the members of the organization are – qualities she hasn’t encountered in many other places. She enjoys surrounding herself with people who are equally driven to make a positive difference in the world. In the past, Stephanie has been involved in discussions surrounding human-wildlife conflict and habitat preservation with the Sammamish City Council. She also enjoys bird photography as an outlet for appreciating nature and spreading a message of conservation. As a current senior, she aspires to chase a career in environmental protection in college, largely through policy. She hopes that every day until then, she can join her fellow Ambassadors in creating a world where communities and the environment flourish together.

Before becoming an official Sustainability Ambassador, Stephanie completed several impact projects, including “LED-ing the Way to a Brighter Future,” where she replaced 12 incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs inside her home. She also designed her own impact project, in which she converted 50 pieces of litter into trash art representing seabirds and wildlife affected by plastic pollution. Additionally, she has led sustainability campaigns at her high school, including litter pick-ups and a Carpool 2 School activity during Earth Week 2024.