National Leadership Council - Class of 2012

Welcome!  We are excited to share with you more about our National Leadership Council (NLC) class.  See the class bios below for leader and student profiles.

If you have an interest in following our events and discussions, visit the Blog, Calendar, and Media pages. These online resources are still under construction, so please check back as we will be posting more details.

Thank you for your interest!  

NLC - 2012: Meet Our Class!

2012 Class Leaders

Elizabeth Schelle

Hi! I am Elizabeth, co-leader for the NLC 2012 class (with that fun guy, Kevin!) and am so grateful to be with such an amazing group of young Christian Scientists. I moved to Colorado from Juneau, Alaska, in the fall of 2007 to become the manager of the NLC program and have loved seeing new teens, parents, mentors, and group leaders join the NLC family.

I was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Whittier. I studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Davis, and got my Master’s degree in intercultural communication from the University of Oregon. I studied in Sweden for a year during college and met my Swedish relatives (fantastisk!). My husband, Kurt, and I have one daughter who is studying design at Cal. State Univ. Long Beach. I enjoy everything Denver has to offer and keep active with our pound-puppy, Koko. I love being able to go to the A/U Ranches and explore the land of the Rockies. I enjoy drawing/painting, traveling, and meeting people from different countries and cultures. I feel very privileged to work with A/U and DiscoveryBound and all the wonderful people who believe as much as I do that together we can bless the world!

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Kevin Watters

My name is Kevin, and I’m one of the co-leaders for the class of 2012. As a wee lad, I lived in Holland, Japan, and Australia, but I spent most of my childhood in Northern California. I headed back east to attend Duke University, picked up a Public Policy degree, and then returned to Silicon Valley to work for Procter & Gamble. In 1995, I started a web site for college students called The Main Quad (think Facebook, only 10 years too early). I was involved with several other startups before I decided to become a Christian Science Practitioner in 2007. 

For the past 8 years, I’ve been bi-coastal--splitting my time between California and New Hampshire. I recently returned to New Hampshire to be the First Reader at my church. In my spare time, I serve on the board of the Albert Baker Fund, do ballroom dancing, and play basketball. My sidekick is a basset hound named Lucy.

I got involved with A/U and DiscoveryBound in high school, and it has had a huge impact on my life. I have worked at the Ranches, served as President of the National Alumni Board, and chaperoned many events. I’m thrilled to be part of the NLC Program…not only does it have a huge impact, but the class leaders seem to have as much fun as the teens.

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2012 Class Members

Abby

My name is Abby, and I love playing the piano, playing tennis, writing, and being with friends. I had the opportunity to play with a major symphony orchestra at age 12.  This experience was the reward for taking second place in SummerArts, a competition sponsored by a local university. I have competed at the state fair and in the local symphony’s youth guild. 

In addition to piano, I love to play on my high school tennis team and ski with my friends. I also love to write poetry. I have volunteered at an animal sanctuary for 5 years. This is my second year in the NLC program and I have learned so much! I have attained the Bronze Certificate and hope to earn the Silver Certificate by 2010.

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Akayla

My name is Akayla, and I live in Southern California. When I'm not at school I am usually hanging out with friends, drawing, reading, listening to music, or horseback riding. I also do stage tech and set designs at a local community theatre. After I graduate from High School, I plan to continue my academics into college.

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Andrew

Hi, my name is Andrew, and I am, to sum myself up into one word, a geek. I’m homeschooled and read avidly, both for school and fun, and work with computers and the internet a lot. My favorite subjects in school are history, physics and writing. I live in Connecticut with my parents and two sisters, where I build monstrosities from LEGOs for recreation, as well as play an online game called RuneScape, and build crossbows. I hope to get into a technology school such as MIT, and move on to work with the internet, computers, or in political science. Also, I am a deep thinker with a rampant sense of humor.

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Angelica

My name is Angelica. As with many children, my years growing up passed with ease.  As a child I always enjoyed going to church, along with school.  Both gave me a chance to meet new people and have a good time. The loving environments in both helped me progress in all classes. I have always loved learning new things, and weather it be over one hour or seven, I have always embraced knowledge.

I developed a liking for history and English, but have gotten better grades in English than any other subject.  Outside of school, I enjoy playing music, cooking, and thinking of new arts and crafts projects to do. In church, I love learning Bible stories, and studying Bible characters.  I think I would enjoy being a Bible scholar, because it would enable me to study the Bible in depth, and learn more about people.

Since the second grade, I have had a dream to become a Marine Biologist.  I would go to the school library and read every shark book they had.  As a marine biologist I would like to be the first to discover this mysterious creature’s habits.  I enjoy studying sharks most, but lions, killer whales, and the zebra also hold great interest for me.  Another dream of mine is to move to Africa for a while and study big cats. In addition to being these things, I would also like to play the stand up bass in a professional orchestra.

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Annika

Hi, my name is Annika.  I am half Swedish. Technically, I live in Texas (the best state) but I go to school in Missouri. In school I love studying French, History, and Algebra 2. I sing in a choir too. I like playing soccer, volleyball, weight lifting, taking voice lessons, and playing the piano. I LOVE spending time with my friends, going to the mall, ice skating, biking, going to the beach, snow, and horseback riding. This year in NLC I really enjoyed working on the Congressional Award, making District Choir, and reading Science and Health. We got to travel to NYC and also go to the Adventure Unlimited ranches in Colorado over the summer. It has been a lot of fun meeting all the really cool people in my class!

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Camille

My name is Camille, and I am a First Soprano who started singing before I started speaking. I am in 9thth grade this year, and I attend the same high school my mom went to.  During the year, I have a busy after school life.  I have done three operas in both New York and Rome.  I love theater and acting.  I have performed in many musicals starting in 4th grade. I am a member of a choir that represented the USA in the Choir Olympics last summer; it tours very frequently. These activities keep me very busy with rehearsals, but I absolutely love being in a show. A couple of months ago I was able to be cast as an extra in a documentary film of a man who was trying to break the record of 48 days to run across across the country.

School itself keeps me very busy.  I served on Student Council in my previous school. Last year was very busy with applying to high schools, tests, and auditions, but thanks to God, everything went well.  I love science and math and took taking Regents classes in these 2 subjects, so it was good preparation for the tests. 
I have a sister who is now in her sophomore year of college and she is always willing to help me with ideas for my papers.  My mom is training to be a Christian Science Nurse.  My dad lives in France. I don’t have a dog. 
We now live in a neighborhood that is closer to my school.  Before that I lived way on the other side of the city, near the beach.  Two years ago I lived in St Louis from 3rd – 6th grade, and lived in Paris, France for a year when I was very small, but I am originally from New York. I love to travel and have been able to visit a few foreign countries.

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Colby

My name is Colby and I’m 15 years old. I am an avid Boston Red Sox fan, and I love to watch their games on TV and sometimes go to Fenway Park to see them play. Some of the sports I play for school are lacrosse and cross country, and I also like to play basketball and golf with my friends too.  If I’m not playing sports after school, you might find me playing my acoustic guitar. I also love listening to music. Some of my favorite rock bands are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Coldplay, and a few of my favorite rappers are Kanye West and Lil Wayne. I usually have a lot of homework, but when I have free time, my favorite TV shows are Pysch, Family Guy, and Lost.

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David

My name is David and I live in Portland, Oregon. I was born in Redwood Shores, California, and l lived In Sacramento from 1994-1996 before heading up north.  I have a mom named Sarah, a dad named Carl, and a brother named Skyler. I also have a dog named Zelda, who is half Dalmatian and half German shepherd.

I have been playing piano for eight years and enjoy playing on a regular basis. I am involved with a local rowing club and am active with the Boy Scouts. Over the past couple years, I have worked for a local theater company as a technical intern and have enjoyed it immensely. I am a member of my local Christian Science church where I serve on the Lecture and Usher committees.

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Geoffrey

Hi, my name is Geoffrey. I am in 9th grade. I love playing sports, hanging with my friends, playing outside. I like the outdoors, whether it’s exploring or running or fishing. One of my favorite things to do is go to Michigan. While there I get to water ski, tube, go fishing, hiking, and (my favorite) go swimming.

My favorite sport is definitely ice hockey. I play on a competitive team, and I enjoy it tremendously. Some of the other sports I play are football, basketball, and track. For me just playing a sport, not really mattering if I am good or not, is one of the best things in the world.

I am an outgoing person, who loves to talk, make jokes (no matter if they are funny or not) and just have a good time. Meeting new people is always fun, and I am really excited about the NLC experience.

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George

My name is George. I’m a 15-year-old freshman in high school in St. Louis who’s always up for a spiritual chat. My hobbies are model railroading, writing, singing, playing the guitar, violin and acting. The NLC program helps me to focus on the tasks laid before me and also helps me to realize that God is always on my side. I really appreciate all the hard work being out into this program and hope that it stays around for years to come!

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Hanne

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Jesse

Hi, my name is Jesse. For the past seven years I have been home schooled, but I started public school this year. My interests include playing the violin, running, reading, and mountain biking. My hope is that through NLC I will grow more spiritually, and that I meet some great new friends. I don’t know how many of you have been there, but my favorite Christian Science camp is Camp Bow-Isle located on Bowen Island, Vancouver, B.C. if you haven’t been there then I highly suggest that you give it a try some time.

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Kristen

My name is Kristen, and I’m a freshman in high school in St. Louis. I was born in Pennsylvania, but my parents lived in New Jersey right on the border. I really enjoy drawing and doing other creative stuff with my hands. These things include sewing (I’m taking a class this term) and making stuff out of duct tape. I also do normal stuff like surfing the Internet and watching TV.  I love to shop and read books about action.

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Lakiera

My name is Lakiera and I am in 9th grade.  My favorite subject in school is English because I love to write and I like theatre. The things that I like to do are arts and crafts, shopping, reading, and watching movies.  When I finish high school, I look forward to going to college. I may want to become a fashion designer.  When people describe me, they think of me as sophisticated.  Also, I am an athletic person and I love track. 

I like New York and I might want to live in New York City one day, once I get to know more about it. I live with my mom and dad, and I also have one younger brother.  My family travels a lot and so far I have been to 28 states.  It was a great experience seeing how states are different as far as climate, cultures, and so much change!  I have also attended the A/U Ranches 3 times. That was also very different from any thing I have ever done before. I never dreamed of swinging on a rope and releasing myself into a lake.

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Liam

My name is Liam, and I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve lived here my whole life except for 5.5 months when my family and I lived in southern Spain. One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to go snowboarding. I also just like to chill with friends.  After high school, I plan on going to college and hopefully be involved with community and international development, which is pretty much global aid stuff. I think the most popular way that people characterize me is goofy, because I like to have fun and joke around a lot.  But I can still work hard.

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Liza Jean

My name is Liza and I am currently a 9th grader. I enjoy school as well as sports and the fine arts. I play softball, golf and I am a cheerleader. This year I played on the varsity golf team and am currently coaching the middle school team in my community. I also play the violin in a local symphony. I have been doing all of these activities for 9 consecutive years now and love them all.

Away from all of my sports and studies, I enjoy spending time with my friends, going to the beach, and being active outside.  I am a strong believer in Christian Science and am very grateful for it. I have used it many times in situations that have changed my life. I am also really grateful to be in the NLC. I have not only made many friends that I know I will have for a lifetime, as well as enriched my understanding of Christian Science and leadership. I am said to be spunky, spontaneous, and have a sunny disposition.

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Makenna

My name is Makenna.

My favorite subjects in school are science and history.
Outside of school I am a full-on dancer. I dance 6 days a week, about 4 hours a day. Besides dance, I love to hang out with friends, listen to music, and play Guitar Hero. I also enjoy many other activities including skiing, boogie boarding, rock climbing, volleyball, bike riding, camping, kayaking, rafting, sailing, waterskiing, and more.
 
I’ve traveled to Switzerland (where I have many cousins and hiked in the Alps), Key West (where I’ve snorkeled, fished, and driven mini motor boats), across the U.S. in a VW camper with my family, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico (where I’ve ridden horses on the beach), and Cape Cod (where I’ve gone clamming.) 
 
Every Sunday I go to church for Sunday school and each summer I go to a Christian Science camp! After high school I hope to become a dancer, as well as a camp counselor.

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Tori

My name is Tori and I go to high school in Virginia. We have lived in Virginia for 7 years but I am a Californian at heart. I am 5’4” with blonde hair and blue eyes. My favorite thing to do is ride my retired racehorse Windy. I ride him every day and hope to someday be an Olympic level dressage rider like my aunt. I also have an Australian Cattle Dog named Pearl. I love to shop, have fun, and hang out with my friends. I like school and my favorite subject right now is technical drawing. My favorite color is turquoise because it reminds me of the ocean. I like all kinds of music, but my favorite kind is country. I have enjoyed my first year of NLC and encourage others to do it, too.

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