Avery Hazell

Future Interior Designer

Avery is a senior at MV Regional High

School. She shares her time between sports,

work and opportunities that help guide me to my future plans. She is involved with

several volunteer work and community

service. Since the island is very strongly

community based Avery believes that it’s important to get involved. Avery plans to

attend a four-year college, major in interior

design and minor in business. Avery served as a delegate to the 2013 & 2014 Youth

Leadership Summit for Sustainable

Development. She is a member of MVYLI’s College Prep & Field Trip Program with Ed

Merkel. She participated in MVYLI’s

Beach Clean-Up Project. Avery was born

on Bequia, a small island in the Caribbean. She moved to the Vineyard when she was 4

years old. Traveling and seeing the world is

very important to Avery. There are so many places to visit and a wide range of cultures

she hopes to embrace.

Beka El-Deiry

Island Window Design

Beka El-Deiry is an interior designer and

successful small business owner. Founded in 2000, Island Window Design has over

1,000 Island homes in its 14 years. Featured

in Vineyard Style magazine (Fall 2014). The unique "Mobile Design Van" allows Beka to

arrive at her clients home with all the tools

needed to dress their windows and interiors.

Beka is a champion for the environment, using green design and energy solutions

and encouraging her clients to create

Vineyard lawns. Born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, Beka was Pat Gregory’s

student at West Tisbury School. Upon

graduation from MV Regional High School, she attended the New England School of

Photography. Travel and sailing brought her

to the Caribbean during the 90’s. Returning

to the Vineyard, she worked with a local interior designer for three years, then started

her own business. Beka is mother to Luke

and Isabella, wife of Joe El-Deiry and aunt to Avery, who she nominated to MVYLI.

Benjamin Nadelstein

Ben is a sophomore at MVRHS where he is his class

representative. Ben has big dreams for becoming an

entertainer. He sings with the Minnesingers and

plays instruments: violin, piano, baritone horn and

trumpet. Ben loves comedy and acting. Last summer

he attended the Long Lake Camp for the Arts in

upstate New York where he learned more about

acting, improvisation and writing. He landed the lead

part in MVRHS’s play, In the Woods. Ben has a red

belt in karate and plays tennis.

Ben plans to attend a four-college and major in

television production, acting, performing. Ben loves

his friends, family and his island. Ben is Jewish and

has been through Hebrew School, had a Bar Mitzvah;

and helps teach at the Hebrew School. His dream for

the world is to spread happiness and melodies

everywhere.

Ben served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2014

Youth Leadership Summit. He loved it and learned

so much about leadership and island sustainability.

He enjoyed visiting the hydroponic farms at Thimble

Farm during MVYLI’s Sustainable Vineyard Tour.

A highlight for Ben was meeting youth from cultures

around the world. Ben is a member of MVYLI’s

Mentor Program. He is producing a video on the

youth and their mentors with footage from MVYLI’s

Job Shadow Day Reception on January 30, 2015.

Kevin McGrath

Librarian

Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School

Kevin McGrath is the Librarian for the MV Regional

High School. For the last 18 years, he has been

running school libraries and transforming them to

library learning commons, with a focus on project-

based learning. Kevin recently helped create an

"innovation lab" in the MVRHS library that is used to

film and edit video. Kevin runs a web design

company: NoWallsWeb.com.

As the co-founder the educational design studio the

Office of Ingenuity, Kevin has led workshops at

national conferences and consulted for school

districts throughout New England. In 1999, Kevin

co-created PrimaryResearch.org, through which he

continues to support local history teaching and

learning in schools, libraries, and historical

societies. He enjoys painting and has published

several children’s books and calendars featuring his

illustrations: http://mvzoo.com ]mvzoo.com.

Kevin grew up on the North Shore of Boston, and has

a BA from University of Vermont and a MS from

Simmons College.

“We are in the midst of transforming our high school

library into a Global Learning Center to support 21st

century learning,” says Kevin. “MVYLI’s programs

fit in well with our focus on collaborative problem-

solving and project-based learning.”

MVYLI’s Mentor Program Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative

www.mvyli.org

Elijah LaRue

Elijah LaRue is a junior at the Martha’s Vineyard

Regional High School. He was born in Elizabeth,

New Jersey to Tasha Harrison. He has never met his birth mom or birth brothers and sisters. One day he

hopes to meet them. Right after his birth Elijah was

adopted by Susan Wade and David LaRue. Since they live on Martha’s Vineyard, the Vineyard is

Elijah’s home. He lives with two siblings, one who

is adopted; the other one is his mother’s stepson.

After kindergarten Elijah was home schooled till the fourth grade. He then attended ________________

When he entered my freshman year at MVRHS, he

was chosen to become a part of Young Brothers to Men (YBTM), a group of young men who help out in

our community. They help younger boys with their

schoolwork and sports. Last spring Elijah helped coach a Babe Ruth Baseball team. Since his

sophomore year, Elijah has been a star track athlete

in discus. This year he also played football for the

first time in four years. As a team they did community service for the Island Food Pantry at

Thanksgiving. In 2013 Elijah was elected to serve on

Governor Patrick’s Statewide Youth Council. For the next two years he will represent Duke’s County.

Elijah was nominated by Jacob Lawrence to serve on

the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative.

Elijah’s dream for his life is to go to college to get

my degree in sports management or business

management. Some colleges and prep schools have approached him for discus.

Norman Hall

Hall International LLC

Norman Hall is a successful businessman, with 30

years experience in international investment banking,

pension fund consulting, and private equity experience. He has trusted relationships and

operational expertise in the music, film and television

production and distribution industries.

In 1998, Norman and his team launched an

entertainment company “StarRise Entertainment”

with casting agent/producer Reuben Cannon, co-producing “Dancing in September”, an HBO release.

He and Cannon negotiated and arranged the

distribution deal with Lions Gate under StarRise, which Cannon later utilized when he joined Tyler

Perry Movies as a co-producer. In 2013, Norman co-

founded MV Soul Concepts, LLC and is responsible

for handling On-Island logistics and operations for the MV Summer Madness Music Festival and

Conference. Norman founded Hall International

Partners BV (HIP) in The Netherlands in 1990 establishing the world’s first peer-to-peer trading

platform as a boutique investment-banking firm,

executing trades in international securities globally. Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in San

Francisco and Hong Kong, he oversaw monthly

securities trading volume of $250 million.

Norman and his family live in Vineyard Haven. As a

child his family spent their summers in Oak Bluffs.

Norman’s son Evan Hall was in MVYLI’s first Youth Leadership Summit in 2010. Evan graduates

from Berkelee College in May 2015. Norman serves

on MVYLI’s Advisory Council.

Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative

www.mvyli.org

Kelsey Moreis

Future Psychologist

Kelsey is a senior at MVRHS where she is a

member of the Environmental Club and

Engineering Club. She enjoys solving puzzles and that is basically engineering in a nutshell. Kelsey is

interested in pursuing a combination of advertising

and psychology, perhaps organizational psychology or organizational dynamics. She is currently taking

a portfolio course to learn about how to stage

presentations for customers with her art and jewelry. She attended the MECA Portfolio

Conference and was encouraged by the college

advisors from Maine College of Art (MECA) who

really liked her style. In the summer Kelsey works at Beadnicks where she creates her art jewelry: six

bracelets in silver with a nature theme. Kelsey has

lived on the island her whole life. Her father’s family is from the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah.

She has two older brothers and a big extended

family on the Vineyard. Kelsey first participated in

MVYLI’s Beach Clean Up Project where she enjoyed learning about creativity and leadership.

She joined MVYLI’s College Field Trip to Boston.

She is excited about college and her future.

MVYLI Mentor Program

Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative

www.mvyli.org

Grace Burton-Sundman Organizational Psychology

Future Executive-Career Coach

Grace grew up on Martha’s Vineyard where she attended MVRHS and received a scholarship for

her community service. At St. Lawrence University

she majored in industrial and organizational psychology. Grace first utilized her industrial and

organizational psychology background to help

restructure a local advertising agency in Rwanda.

She facilitated workshops, introduced effective forms of communication, and fostered creativity

among all departments. Grace was then named

Project Manager for Visa, with an international financial literacy campaign in Kenya, Rwanda and

South Africa and the launch of Visa’s mobile

money, mVisa in Rwanda. Grace then worked with local designers and partnered with a New York-

based company to produce Kigali Fashion Week in

November 2013. With the team she taught skills

from proper finishing techniques to tailoring and sourcing quality materials, then effective social

marketing, strong business plans and official “look

books.” Kigali Fashion Week became the largest privately held function in Kigali, hosting over 700

spectators and reporters from CNN, BBC and The

Guardian. While in Rwanda Grace her love for

industrial and organizational psychology and helping others discover their passions, their talents

and their ability to achieve their dreams. A

sentiment she credits to the encouraging, compassionate community she grew up on Martha’s

Vineyard. In the summer of 2014 Grace returned to

to the Island to prepare for grad school, where she plans to complete her MBA and continue on her

path to becoming an executive and career coach.

Kristine Hopkins

Future Designer

Kristine Hopkins is a senior at MV Regional High

School. She aspires to do well in school and wants

to help others. Kristine is exploring a career in interior design or working with a magazine.

Kristine is a photo editor for the High School View,

and works on the MVRHS Yearbook Committee.

Last summer Kristine attended a graphic design

program at Savannah College of Art and Design. Last fall she participated in MVYLI’s College Prep

& Field Trip Program, visiting colleges in the

Boston area. She realized she wanted to explore a career that incorporates design and business.

Kristine served as a youth delegate for MVYLI’s

2013 & 2014 Youth Leadership Summits for

Sustainable Development. She joined the Business

& Entrepreneurship Group with Kassandra Castillo Cruz. Kristine participated in the 4th Annual Walter

Cronkite Awards Ceremony. As a MVYLI year-

round program, Kristine was involved with the MVYLI Multicultural Project. Kristine’s team is

currently producing a video to share with Vineyard

middle school students. An excerpt of Kristine’s essay is below. MV Times: Why is Multiculturism

Important to You on Martha’s Vineyard?

MVYLI Mentor Program

www.mvyli.org

Leslie Hurd Tully

Hurd Publishing

Leslie Hurd Tully is a publisher of international

entertainment, hospitality, dining and wedding magazines for two decades. She launched her

career in the early 1990s with Dining Out on

Martha’s Vineyard, deemed the “bible” to dining

out on the island. Leslie then branched out with dining and entertainment guides for Nantucket and

Cape Cod. Next came destination wedding

magazines for Martha’s Vineyard, Bermuda, U.S. Virgin Islands. Leslie also worked with acclaimed

producer Earl Lestz, former President of the Studio

Group at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. Lestz is presently the Master Planning Director of

Plymouth Rock Studios, a new film and television

studio being developed in Plymouth, MA. Leslie

was hand selected to publish Plymouth Rock

Studios Magazine, which told the story of the idea

for the studio and detailed the plans for its future.

Leslie carves out time for causes near and dear to

her heart. A staunch advocate against bullying,

Leslie is an active volunteer and fundraiser for the non-profit The Dream Believe Know It Foundation,

a nationally recognized anti-bullying program. And,

a passionate animal lover, Leslie works tirelessly

with Pets With Wings, a charity that finds families for homeless cats and dogs.

Leslie makes her in home on Martha’s Vineyard where she is married to Steve Tully, a well-

seasoned and widely popular jazz/blues musician.

The couple is parents to four children.

!

Lila Norris

Lila is a freshman at MV Regional High School. She is an outstanding student and takes all honors

classes. Lila is an active member of MVYLI’s

Mentor Program. Her dream is to learn several languages and travel. During her sophomore year

Lila wants to learn German and travel to Austria to

visit her family’s foreign exchange student. She also wants to become fluent in Spanish and travel to

Spanish speaking countries.

Lila is on the MVRHS Cross Country team. She

absolutely loves running races and has greatly

enjoyed cross-country this year in high school. This winter she is running on the indoor track and

field. In the spring she is excited about outdoor

track. Lila is an accomplished horsewoman. Last summer she worked at the Pond View Farm

Summer Camp teaching young riders and loved it.

For three years Lila has been honorary member of

MVYLI (thanks to her elder sister Lucy). She was

inspired by how young people in MVYLI learned how to find their path in life. Lila’s dream for the

world is to be a part of securing peace in countries

all over the world.

MVYLI’s Mentor Program

www.mvyli.org

Maisie Jarrell

Maisie Jarrell likes to make a positive impact on

people’s lives. She especially loves children. She

has great respect for her mother who provides respite care for little babies in foster care families.

She has a wide range of interests – from medicine

to the Peace Corps. She is also curious about event planning. For her first MVYLI mentor experience

Maisie explored the world of event planning. Her

most memorable event was her father and Scarlett’s

wedding where she was a flower girl. It was very well organized event for 300 people. The level of

detail to the decorations created a memorable

atmosphere. Maisie wants to help people bring their ideas into special memories.

Maisie was a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2014

Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. A Junior at Martha’s Vineyard

Regional High School, Maisie takes all honors

classes and is consistently on the Honor Roll. She

has participated on the Cross Country and La Cross Teams and now plays tennis at the Youth Tennis

Center. She participated in the Peer Outreach – to

learn how to help people who are helping others. In the summer, Maisie worked at Suka’s in

Edgartown, and Art Cliff Diner. She likes the fast

paced environment. Maisie loves to travel, often to

New York City and New Jersey, and California and even Paris. She likes learning about other cultures,

outside of her comfort zone. Maisie is exploring

her options before applying to colleges next year.

Lucie Dougherty-Soares

Lucie likes to make an impact and help those in need,

and transform lives. She is exploring the idea of

becoming a sociologist. A MVRHS Junior, Lucie

takes all honors classes, and is consistently on the Honor Roll. Lucie has been a team player for

MVRHS Girl’s Lacrosse team; a member of MVRHS

Minnesingers and regular dance student since pre-K, where she competed in statewide dance competitions.

Lucie was elected by the West Tisbury faculty to

represent her school as an 8th grade service

ambassador with Governor Patrick’s Project 351, which opened her eyes to the idea of community

service, helping others, and making an impact on the

world. Lucie served as a youth delegate for MVYLI’s 2013 Youth Leadership Summit and as a

MVYLI Visioneer helped plan the 2014 Summit.

Lucie participated in the College Prep Program, hosted by Dr. James Wolff at Boston University’s

Department of International Health. For MVYLI’s

Job Shadow Day, she was matched with Barbara

MacDonald, Executive Director at the South East Neighborhood Housing in Boston where she saw her

work with pre-school, young adolescents and senior

citizens. Like Barbara Macdonald, Lucie is a renaissance young woman. Lucie plans to go to a 4-

year college and is open to new ideas and

opportunities. Lucie worked on the MVYLI’s Multicultural Sustainability Project, speaking with

MV middle school students. ““Like my mother, I’ve

lived on Martha’s Vineyard my whole life,” she says.

“Multiculturalism is especially meaningful and relevant to me as my father being an immigrant to

USA, (from another island, Santo Antão, Cape

Verde) I was exposed to my Cape Verdean cultural language, customs and family. It has always been

important and necessary to recognize and celebrate

that part of my own heritage. When I was 12, I was

fortunate to visit my father’s homeland.”

Jennifer Neary

CONNECT, MV Community Services

Jennifer E. Neary joined the Martha’s Vineyard

Community Services agency, specifically as a

Domestic Violence/Rape Crisis Counselor for CONNECT to end violence in July of 2011. Jennifer

re-located from Virginia to the Island at that time,

looking forward to being closer to family on the Island and in Rhode Island. Jennifer became

CONNECT’s Program Director in July of 2013.

Jennifer has been working in the human services field

for the past 9 years. Jennifer’s last employer was Cornerstone Youth Services, Inc. where she worked

as an Intake Supervisor, Intensive In-Home

Counselor and Mental Health Support Counselor. Jennifer was also working as a volunteer

for Safe Harbor and the Virginia Sexual and

Domestic Violence Action Alliance providing court advocacy, hospital accompaniment and hotline

services to victims/survivors of sexual assault and

domestic violence. Jennifer graduated with a

Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice from

James Madison University. Jennifer is certified in

domestic violence training (25hours) and sexual violence training (35 hours) as required by M.G.L. c

233 s 20J and 20K.

MVYLI Mentor Program

www.mvyli.org

Maisie Jarrell

Maisie Jarrell likes to make a positive impact on people’s lives. She especially loves children. She has

great respect for her mother who provides respite

care for little babies in foster care families. Maisie has a wide range of interests – from medicine to the

Peace Corps. She is also curious about event

planning. For her first MVYLI mentorship

experience Maisie wants to explore the world of event planning. Her most memorable event was her

father and Scarlett’s wedding where she was a flower

girl. It was very well organized event for 300 people. The level of detail to the decorations created a

memorable atmosphere. Maisie wants to help people

bring their ideas into special memories.

Maisie was a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2014 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable

Development. A Junior at Martha’s Vineyard

Regional High School, Maisie takes all honors classes and is consistently on the Honor Roll. She

has participated on the Cross Country and La Cross

Teams and now plays tennis at the Youth Tennis Center. She is looking forward to attending the Peer

Outreach – to learn how to help people who are

helping others. During the summer, Maisie has

worked at Suka’s retail store in Edgartown, and the Art Cliff Diner. She likes the fast paced

environment. Maisie loves to travel, often to New

York City and New Jersey, as well as to colleges in California and even Paris. She likes learning about

other cultures, outside of her comfort zone. Maisie is

exploring her options before applying to colleges next year. At the Harbor View Hotel Maisie assisted

with the MVYLI Advisory Council’s meeting with

Island leaders. She also helped with Christmas in

Edgartown. Maisie is the assistant event planner for MVYLI’s Job Shadow Day Reception 2015.

Megan Honey

Special Events Manager

The Harbor View Hotel & Kelley House

Megan Honey is the Special Events Manager at The

Harbor View Hotel and Kelley House. As a 7th

generation Islander, Megan’s love for the Island joins perfectly with the world of event planning where she

works with visitors and locals alike to create once in

a lifetime memorable experience.

Megan is a graduate of the Martha’s Vineyard

Regional High School and the University of New Hampshire, where she majored in Business

Marketing and Hospitality Management. During her

college career, she served on her Philanthropic

Sorority executive board as President, which provided great experience into the aspects of

planning, managing and executing events and

fundraisers.

Megan participated in MVYLI’s 2013 Job Shadow

Day with Sivana Brown who is now a sophomore at

Lasell College. The Harbor View Hotel hosted the reception for MVYLI youth, their mentors, parents

and the community.

Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative

www.mvyli.org

Noah Kleinhenz

Future Environmental Engineer Noah is a senior at MV Regional High School where

he is on the National Honors Society and ranks in the

top 10 of his class. Noah served as Vice President of his sophomore class and President of the French

Club.

Upon graduation Noah will attend a four-year college and major in Environmental Engineering or

Architecture. He then plans to further his education

elsewhere for graduate school. Creating new things and helping the environment are passions he feels

strongly about. Last spring, Noah did an internship

with Breese Architects. He completed a Cisco course

in IT Essentials.

Noah enjoys reading books from Stephen Hawking,

and believes there is another meaning to life than “the number 42 (in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)”.

Noah is a four-year varsity soccer player and recently travelled to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. He

wants to study abroad so he can learn new languages.

He loves to connect with different people from all

over the world, and hopes to impact the world on a global scale.

Noah came to the Vineyard from Cleveland, Ohio, and spent some of his childhood in Nashville,

Tennessee.

Emma Green Beach

Marine Biologist

Emma Green Beach is the Special Projects &

Education Coordinator for the Martha’s Vineyard

Shellfish Group, Inc. The Shellfish Group produces juvenile bay scallops, oysters and quahogs

to augment the natural populations on the island. The

great deal of time, effort and love they put into those

millions of juvenile shellfish helps to continue the traditions of family and commercial shellfish harvest

and healthy pond ecosystems. Emma believes

strongly in the economic, ecological and cultural value of shellfish and enjoys every aspect of

aquaculture and restoration.

Emma is also the Internship Coordinator for

the Great Pond Foundation. She is a Martha’s

Vineyard Vision Fellowship Alumna and a current Fellowship mentor. Emma holds a Bachelor's of

Science from the University of Massachusetts,

Dartmouth and a Masters of Science from Rutgers University. At Rutgers she studied shellfish and

shellfish habitat restoration so she can work to restore

our coastal ponds to a healthy state to allow them to support shellfish populations at sustainable levels.

Emma has strong family ties to the ocean, fishing and

harvesting of different sorts, so she chose her path to

continue these traditions, as well as help others to do the same.

MVYLI Mentor Program

Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative

www.mvyli.org

Taynara Goncalves

Future Doctor Taynara Goncalves is a junior at Martha's

Vineyard Regional High School where she is on the

Honor Roll and soccer team. Taynara’s dream is to become a doctor. Born in Brazil, Taynara moved

with her family to the Island when she was four.

This summer Taynara visited her family in Brazil for the first time with her two siblings. They were

very proud to hear of her hard work to become a

doctor. Taynara speaks 3 languages: Portuguese,

English, Spanish. She helps translate for Brazilian people when they visit the Emergency Room at

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Every month Taynara

does community service at her church teaching children lessons from the Bible and other activities. For MVYLI’s College Prep Program, Dr. James

Wolff at Boston University’s Department of

International/Public Health hosted Taynara. For MVYLI’s Job Shadow Day Taynara was mentored

by Dr. John Lamb. Impressed by his personal care

for his patients, this confirmed her decision to be a doctor. For MVYLI’s Mentor Program Taynara

was matched with Susan Crampton to support her

college aspirations. Taynara served on the 1st

Brazilian delegation to MVYLI’s 2013 Youth

Leadership Summit; as a MVYLI Visioneer to

create the 2014 Summit; and at the Cronkite

Awards. For MVYLI’s Multicultural Project Taynara spoke to younger students to inspire them.

Coming to America was a big change for my family.

It was difficult at first but I can’t be more grateful

for living here. I love to get to know people who are

multicultural. Each person has a different story

and each one of them will impact you in a different

way. That is why the MVYLI Multicultural Project

is so important to me. I want to bring the Island

together and appreciate everyone’s culture. The

Island is filled with multi-cultured people. We are

all big community, a big family filled with amazing

stories to share with one another.

Julia Stunkel, MD Vineyard Family Medicine

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital

Dr. Julia Stunkel is a Family Practice physician at

Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She sees patients of all ages at the Vineyard Family Medicine office that

she shares with Dr. Henry Nieder. Dr. Stunkel has

worked at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital since 2005,

when she moved to Martha’s Vineyard after finishing her Family Medicine residency. She

attended the University of Pittsburgh School of

Medicine. Her Internship/Residency was at the

Albany Medical Center. Dr. Stunkel’s Board

Certification is Family Practice.

She truly enjoys working in a partnership with her

primary care patients to promote health and

wellbeing through all stages of life. She has many

families with three or four generations of patients in the practice (from great grandparent down to

newborn infants), and finds working closely with

patients and their families through different stages of health and disease to be extremely rewarding.

She lives year round on Martha’s Vineyard with her

husband and two sons, ages 3 and 6. She enjoys spending time with her family biking, hiking,

skiing, gardening, and travelling in her free time.

MVYLI Mentor Program

Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative

www.mvyli.org