Youth Leadership ’24 Cohort

My name is Sophia Haakman and I'm a 9th grade student at Pine View School in Osprey. I have a deep interest in nature and the environment; I'm especially interested in bird ecology and behavior. I'm excited to be part of the Youth Leadership Program. I'm hoping to expand our focus to coastal bird conservation. I'm excited to participate in the Bird Monitoring Project which measures our impact over time. I'm a bird naturalist for the Sarasota Audubon Society and I play the cello with the Sarasota Youth Orchestra Philharmonic.

I’m Ashley! I am a senior at Riverview High School. I love meeting new people and making new friends. My hobbies include longboarding, going to the beach, watching the sunset, and hanging out with friends. I have always grown up near the water and have developed such a love for the ocean and all the cool things about it. In the future, I want to major in biology and follow the pre-dental track.

My name is Samantha Ramme, I am a Junior at Riverview High school. I love Marine science and have been involved in the club at school for 3 years now, however, this will be my 2nd year in the Sarasota Bay Watch Youth Leadership Program. I love to take initiative and lead as I am currently the Principal Dancer of the Highland Dance team at school and aspire to be a doctor in the future!

My name is Adele Lomastro and I am 15 years old. I am part of the leadership board for my school bay watch club and am apart of the youth leadership program as of this year. I am in the AICE program at my school and attend honor level classes. In addition to academics I volunteer at clean ups and figure skate regularly.

My name is Sam Romine. I am a senior at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High school. Between fishing, kayaking, and being the captain of Mooney’s swim team I am happy to find myself spending tons of time in and around the waters of Sarasota. I plan to attend Florida State University in July where I will pursue environmental law. I am a second-generation Floridian, and I love doing what I can through Baywatch to give back to this beautiful state!

I’m Katerina I’m 15 years old and this is my first year in Sarasota Bay Watch Youth Leadership and I’m super exited to see what this year holds. I play soccer and I do Latin and Ballroom dancing. I enjoy traveling and seeing all the different oceans of the world because I love marine life and hope to do lots more traveling in my future. I love the outdoors and I’m looking forward to more clean ups and helping our environment be its best!

My name is Amanda Pizarro I am 16 years old at Sarasota High School. I am part of the Sarasota High School Sailor Bay Watch Club and play for the school soccer team. I really enjoy learning about marine life and being part of clean-ups that preserve our bay. I love all animals and aspire to be a veterinarian. This is my first year in Sarasota Bay Watch’s Youth Leadership Program, and I am so excited to be a part of it.

I’m Miguel Rodriguez-Diaz and I’m a senior at Sarasota High School. I am the Media Director for my school’s Bay Watch Club, and I joined the Youth Leadership Program in 2023. My hobbies include music production and playing the guitar, but I’m also interested in marine conservation and getting directly involved with the environment.

My name is Lexi Sanchez. I am a co-leader for Sarasota High School's Sailor Baywatch Club. I enjoy playing golf, soccer, flag football, and beach volleyball. I love all animals, especially sharks, turtles, and dolphins. I am very excited to be in Sarasota Baywatch's Youth Leadership Program and I can't wait to contribute to the protection and restoration of Sarasota's Bay. I am very interested in anything that involves the ocean and hope to have a career somewhere in marine biology.

My name is Alexander Pizarro but people call me AJ. I am a senior at Sarasota High School and aspire to become a neuroradiologist. Some of my favorite hobbies are golf, fishing, and basketball. Growing up by the ocean, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for our environment, especially marine life. My goal is to help conserve and restore our local community with the help of the Sailor Bay Watch Youth Leadership Program.

My name is Broc Hudson, I am a senior at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High school. I have grown up in Florida and I am a 3rd generation Floridian. I’ve spent time on the water since I was a baby and have invested many hours to fishing our intracoastal. I plan on heading up to Florida State in the fall of 2024.

My name is Else Weinstein, I am a senior in high school at Sarasota High School. I was born and raised in Sarasota and spent a lot of my time on the bay, enjoying the water and marine life. I plan on majoring in political science/international relations and continuing my education at college. I work as a Hebrew teacher and a summer camp counselor. In my free time, I love to travel, go to the beach, hang out with friends and go swimming.

Hello, I'm Addisen Pennella, a senior at Riverview High School enrolled in the IB Career Path studying Marine Science. I'm excited to join Florida State University’s Honors College for Biological Sciences. As the President of Sarasota Bay Watch's Youth Leadership Program, I lead the Jim Neville restoration project and teach marine science at Phillippi Elementary. I'm passionate about marine ecosystem health and enjoy volunteering at the Sarasota County Humane Society, as well as participating in beach clean-ups.