The world is full of problems, both big and small, that haunt our everyday lives. Crime, inflation, and racism take over everyday society, leaving many desiring change. Climate change and global warming are among these world problems that people of all ages want to fix, though many find themselves feeling helpless in the face of such a vast issue. The first step is to take action, which is what two East alumni, Crystal Yeh (‘24) and Ellie Noh (‘24) did in their creation of LEAP for Climate.
LEAP for Climate is a non-profit organization centered in New Jersey, that focuses on environmental issues, aiming to increase sustainability and provide solutions to climate change. Founded by Crystal and Ellie in 2020, it has jumpstarted countless projects and movements, with a goal in mind to educate the community on environmental problems across the globe.
“Crystal and I first met through [Junior Model United Nations Club] at Rosa International Middle School,” Ellie said. “From this, we worked on [a] position paper and we found out a lot about climate change. We realized education is one of the biggest issues, [and we needed to] to make everyone aware, especially the youth.”
Though originally starting small, Crystal and Ellie began to branch out, eventually expanding internationally, with members from countries across the globe. Together, they aimed to provide a platform that would allow students to make a difference.
“Especially during Covid, we found that it was a really good opportunity to mobilize youth who were seeing all of these things happen online, but didn’t have the avenue to actually pursue change,” Crystal elaborated. “So we wanted to be that vehicle for them.”
Along with education and outreach efforts, LEAP also aims to provide other initiatives. Some of these previous projects include reading Crystal’s climate change awareness picture book—Matcha Ice Cream—to children at M&T Bank Literacy Center, trash-clean ups in Philadelphia, and The Climate Chronicles—a publication written by youth to spread messages about the environment. All of these efforts aim to reach the organization’s goal: promoting sustainability. Even small actions have a large impact, so Crystal and Ellie, as well as the rest of the staff, work hard to make every act count.
As former East students, their contribution to the school has always been strong. While in high school, they got involved not only with LEAP, but through other clubs and activities, such as SGA. Throughout their time at East and working with LEAP, they grew their passions for helping the environment. Currently, Crystal attends UPenn, where she studies Economics and Environmental, Social, Governance. Ellie is studying Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning at UC Davis.
“I think LEAP has also inspired me to just keep going and bring my environmental interest [into] major[ing] in something environmentally-related in college,” Ellie said.
With both girls’ majors connecting to their work with LEAP, broadening their impact despite taking on the workloads of college is still imperative to them.
“For me, LEAP has still remained a really big priority,” Crystal noted. “I think a really good way for us to stay grounded, even through this change, is just [through] keeping everybody accountable and… working together.”
A way for Crystal and Ellie to maintain their connection and continue to direct their impact towards East, despite their new pathways, is through maintaining the relationships that they have created, both in the school itself and the community. One of these critical bonds is one that they share with Dan Chen (‘26).
Dan became involved in working with LEAP while he was only a middle schooler, yet he quickly became more engaged in the events and efforts as he transitioned into East. Previously, he has been appointed a Director of Design, a position which focuses on social media presence, and now he assists the board as a Director of Advocacy, Education, and Curriculum.
“With me and the other board members still being… high school-aged kids, I feel like we can continue to create and expand in-person events, [even though] this year we’re making a shift to virtual,” Dan said. “That’s something that [we], as the underclassmen,… will continue to explore.”
Working with LEAP has positively impacted Dan, allowing him to gain confidence, improved social skills, and an increased knowledge of the environmental issues surrounding him. These experiences have broadened his appreciation for small, seemingly insignificant courses of action in the large intent of increased change.
“The climate movement is very versatile,” Dan said. “It’s truly admirable, in my opinion, to see applicable action, especially [at] East.”
Dan continues to work with Crystal and Ellie as they plan future events, including expanding their literacy outreach program, continuing upcycling events, and more. Among these opportunities is LEAP’s new incubator fellowship. Currently, they are working to develop the program, in which they will increase their agenda of education on environmental issues.
“We want a lot of youth to be able to gain mentorship and… have more educational resources, without a barrier, throughout the world,” Ellie said, hinting at the future program, the details of which will be released at a later date.
Despite the hard work that running a non-profit involves, Crystal, Ellie, and Dan all agree that the benefits are immeasurable.
“We can’t have a sustainable future without everyone working together,” Ellie said. “And, with that in mind, I would definitely say the creation of LEAP so many years ago, [and] seeing the growth from just an idea to where we are now was definitely… inspiring to me.”
Clearly, small actions can make a difference. Even an idea that appears to be insignificant can inflict immense change and allow a goal to be achieved. After all, what once began as a position paper written by two middle-school girls at Rosa has blossomed into a non-profit that continues to impact the world on a day-to-day basis. LEAP for Climate has grown immensely, and will continue to thrive, reaching the minds of youth, educating the world on environmental issues, and inspiring young generations to take action, transforming their ideas into reality and, therefore, transforming the future of the planet.