Theme: Footprints

Our team of 8th Graders has spent the year studying persuasive speaking through Socratic inquiry (παιδεία) and Aristotle's appeals (λόγος, ήθος, και πάθος). After careful consideration, their largest question has been "How do we affect the world around us?", and they have curated a day of invited presentations from leaders in many walks of life. Each has left behind an impression to remember.

Hellenic Classical Charter School
646 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, New York, 11215
United States

Allison Bernett

Ecological Designer

Allison Bernett is the founder of Vireo Design & Strategy, where she develops climate-positive solutions through innovative design that integrates natural and built environments. She is currently a Senior Sustainability Specialist at HLW and part of the BEYOND team, continuing her work to reverse climate change and improve quality of life through sustainable architecture. Her diverse expertise spans regenerative design, building performance simulation, and health and wellness strategies, reflecting her belief that effective solutions to the climate crisis emerge from cross-disciplinary approaches. Allison holds degrees in architecture and biology from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.Arch from Cornell University, credentials that inform her commitment to transforming the built environment to support ecosystems and foster thriving communities.

Cameron Boyland

Fashion Model

Cameron Boyland, known affectionately as "Big Cam," is an internationally recognized Big & Tall Model and Influencer whose work has been featured by major brands including Savage X Fenty, SKIMS, Nike, and JCPenney. As founder of The Bigger Picture, a creative agency championing size diversity and inclusion in fashion, he leverages his platform of over 38 million social media views to reshape public perceptions of beauty, confidence, and masculinity. Cameron holds a Master of Science in Marketing from Webster University, bringing both academic understanding and lived experience to his advocacy work. His commitment to helping people embrace their authentic selves while encouraging the fashion industry to accommodate all body types has made him a powerful voice for inclusivity.

David S. Rose

Angel Investor

David S. Rose is a serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, and NYT bestselling author who has been described as "New York's Archangel" by Forbes and "patriarch of Silicon Alley" by Red Herring. As Founder & Executive Chairman of Gust and Founder & Chairman Emeritus of New York Angels, he has funded over 120 early-stage companies, with notable exits to industry leaders including Facebook, Google, Intel, and Amazon. His extensive career spans technology, finance, and government, including founding wireless Internet pioneer AirMedia in 1988 and serving as Deputy Director of the New York office of US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. David holds degrees from Yale and Columbia Business School, bringing decades of experience in identifying and supporting transformative technologies that shape our collective future.

Eliza Orlins

Public Defender

Eliza Orlins has served as a career public defender in Manhattan for 15 years, passionately representing over 5,000 New Yorkers who couldn't afford legal counsel. Her unwavering advocacy for the city's most vulnerable populations led her to run for Manhattan District Attorney in 2021, campaigning on a platform designed to transform criminal justice and enhance public safety. Through her extensive experience in the justice system, Eliza has gained firsthand insight into the challenges facing marginalized communities and the critical importance of protecting constitutional rights in the digital age.

Magda Love

Painter

Magda Love is an accomplished artist and social activist whose vibrant murals and paintings aim to inspire emotional connectivity and shared personal experience across communities. Based between New York and Miami, her unique artistic perspective was shaped by her upbringing in Argentina with a schoolteacher mother and sculptor father, instilling in her the powerful interplay between education and creative expression. Since 2015, she has worked on socially impactful art projects worldwide, supporting survivors of human trafficking, Native American communities, and residents of Flint, Michigan, demonstrating art's ability to transcend language and cultural barriers. Magda continues to expand her artistic influence, having demonstrated mural painting at TEDxFultonStreet and currently working on what will become the largest mural in NYC history.

Samirah Horton

Author, Activist

Samirah Horton is a 16-year-old author and award-winning DJ from Brooklyn, New York who is the CEO and Founder of "You Are Never Too Young To Make a Change." In 2022, she was nominated as one of the Top Five Honorees for Time Kid of the Year and is the recipient of the Joe Biden President's Award. Her books "The Bully Stop" & "Passion Purpose Change" are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and she's created a curriculum that combines anti-bullying infused with music that she brings to underserved youth nationwide. She's done extensive work with the NBA, particularly The Brooklyn Nets, as well as Nike, Jordan, Spotify, Apple Music, and The New York Philharmonic, while being featured on Access Hollywood, The Nick Cannon Show, and the New York Living Show.

Shyanne Matthews

Urban Agriculturalist

Shyanne Matthews is a high school student in Brooklyn who has gained valuable experience as a hydroponic farmer at Farm.One, The Neighborhood Farm. As a young entrepreneur, she founded In the Pink Produce LLC, an initiative establishing hydroponic indoor farms in neighborhoods that would otherwise be considered food deserts. Her innovative approach to urban agriculture demonstrates how sustainable farming methods can address issues of food access and nutrition in underserved communities.