This summer, CuriOdyssey welcomed two local high school students to collect and organize camp CuriOdyssey observation data, collaborate with the wildlife team to lead otter talks, and create content for the blog. Read on to learn more about Ava Litz and Ben Salama!

Ava grew up going to CuriOdyssey and has now come back as a JCFS intern. Ava goes to Terra Nova High School and is a rising Junior. Ava is a Girl Scout and has received her Bronze and Silver Award and is currently working to receive her Gold Award. She is the youth board president for Pacifica 4-H and leads the ceramics and leadership projects. She enjoys going to her town’s Climate Action Plan meetings and working to make her town a more sustainable place for her generation and those to come. She has previously worked at the Lawrence Hall of Science in the Teen Climate Ambassador program in which, along with her fellow ambassadors, she designed a research project investigating how different native and non-native plants attract biodiversity. A part of this project was creating a citizen science activity to collect data which sparked her interest in science education and better understanding how youth learn. At CuriOdyssey she hopes to work with like-minded peers, expand her knowledge of science education, and grow her communication skills. In her free time, Ava enjoys open water swimming, listening to music, especially Zach Bryan and going to the movies with her friends. 

Ben is a former CuriOdyssey camper who has returned through a JFCS internship. He is a rising senior at Menlo School. Ben has a passion for instruction and education, as he’s been a coach for many years and a math tutor as a part of the Peninsula Bridge organization. At Menlo, he is a member of the Jewish affinity group, the investment club, the commissioner of a lunchtime basketball organization, and a member of varsity baseball and football teams. During his free time, you can catch Ben playing board games with his family, golfing with friends, or spending many hours playing video games. This summer, he looks forward to learning more about the intersection between wildlife and education at CuriOdyssey, while seeing more of the country when he’s away from work.