Four Moravian Academy students will travel to the Swiss Alps in June to participate in a symposium centered on building a more climate-resilient, sustainable future.
The students are the first participants in a partnership that connects Moravian Academy with the Villars Institute and aims to create a class of fellows who will become leaders in reaching solutions to the challenges of climate change.
Moravian Academy Head of School Adrianne Finley Odell attended the Villars Symposium last summer and said she was “just blown away by the opportunity that it presents.”
The Villars Institute focuses on “systems leadership,” emphasizing how coalition building can achieve systemic change. That focus aligns with Moravian Academy’s ongoing efforts to create a center for civic leadership and innovation, Finley Odell said.
It is “such an honor” to be among the five U.S. schools designated as learning partners of the Villars Institute, Finley Odell said.
The four Moravian Academy students traveling to Switzerland will be joined by 146 other student fellows who will gain a chance to network with nonprofit leaders, business executives and government leaders.
“Our hope is that it will really inspire the students who attend to think more broadly about what they can do in their leadership to create a better world and to live lives of meaning and purpose,” Finley Odell said.
Here’s a look at the first class of fellows:
Maddie Yang
Leader of Moravian Academy’s Green Team, junior Maddie Yang has founded an organization to tackle local food insecurity, promoted seed libraries and researched indigenous agricultural practices.
Her organization, Food to Flourish, has worked to turn food waste into charitable donations as part of its sustainable approach to improving families’ access to healthy food.
It’s also learned how to leverage grant money to support seed libraries that help maintain biodiversity in the food supply, donating roughly 9 million seeds to collections in more than 30 U.S. states and three locations in Canada.
Moravian Academy student Madeline Yang stands at the school Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Bethlehem. Yang and three other students have been named to the inaugural class of the Villars Institute Fellowship Program, and will travel to Switzerland this summer to participate in an international symposium focused on climate change and sustainability solutions. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
As part of her research into indigenous agricultural practices, she helped create a Lenape Story Walk in the Northampton Community College public gardens to showcase how food was used for clothing, shelter and art.
Yang called Switzerland a “dream destination,” saying she’s “not the kind of person to take a relaxing vacation” but rather the “go, go, go type.” She’s interested in global affairs and hopes the interdisciplinary nature of the symposium will help her as she pursues a “people-first” approach to sustainability work.
Lily Razavi
Junior Lily Razavi works with Yang on the school’s Green Team and the Food to Flourish initiative. Her research on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, one of the largest industrial disasters in history, has grown her interest in exploring how human rights connect to environmental protection.
Razavi is pursuing a career in environmental law. She’s interested in refining how policy can both protect the environment and safeguard communities that are the most vulnerable to climate change.
Moravian Academy student Lily Razavi stands at the school Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Bethlehem. Razavi and three other students have been named to the inaugural class of the Villars Institute Fellowship Program, and will travel to Switzerland this summer to participate in an international symposium focused on climate change and sustainability solutions. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
After she “sort of fell in love with the whole idea” of the fellowship, Razavi is looking forward to meeting many different people and building a network of intergenerational, interdisciplinary contacts.
The United States is a large stakeholder in the economic and political issues surrounding climate change and sustainability, Razavi noted.
“I want to contribute honestly to the conversation, but I want to be a learner,” Razavi said.
Kathryn Carolan
This won’t be the first international academic experience for sophomore Kathryn Carolan. She spent last summer at the Oxford Summer Program, studying international relations and environmental politics.
Carolan’s research at Moravian Academy focuses on neocolonialism in sub-Saharan Africa, exploring how French postcolonial influence in western Africa has affected the region socially and environmentally.
“I want to know how we can be more sustainable both in our smaller community at school in the Lehigh Valley, and also just kind of how climate and climate politics is being dealt with on an international scale right now,” Carolan said.
Moravian Academy student Kathryn Carolan stands at the school Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Bethlehem. Carolan and three other students have been named to the inaugural class of the Villars Institute Fellowship Program, and will travel to Switzerland this summer to participate in an international symposium focused on climate change and sustainability solutions. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
She participates in the Green Team’s efforts to nurture a community garden and restart a student-led magazine focused on sustainability issues.
Carolan’s favorite trip so far has been to Banff National Park in Canada. She says she enjoys a good hike but is “not exactly the camping type.”
Ayush Jain
An interest in understanding how technology functions led sophomore Ayush Jain to research how people are exposed to microplastics in their home environments.
Jain would like to build a device to help people assess their exposure to microplastics and learn how to reduce exposure vectors such as waterproof carpets and nonstick pans.
He’s not sure yet what kind of scientific work he’d like to pursue in the future, but he’s interested in engineering and innovation.
Moravian Academy student Ayush Jain stands at the school Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, in Bethlehem. Jain and three other students have been named to the inaugural class of the Villars Institute Fellowship Program, and will travel to Switzerland this summer to participate in an international symposium focused on climate change and sustainability solutions. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
At this summer’s symposium, he aims to connect with others from around the world and build a network capable of solving big problems.
“I’m very curious to see what goes on in this specific world of sustainability and how we can make the world better,” Jain said.