Sophia Segesta is an intern for Heirs To Our Ocean, working with H2OO to illustrate stories
created by the 4th and 5th cohorts of the U.S. Youth Action Council. Born in California, Sophia
graduated in 2025 from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and a minor in
Creative Writing.
As an artist, writer, and lifelong athlete inspired by her environment, Sophia has a deep
appreciation for nature and believes in the importance of preserving it. She wants to work with a
wide variety of people to create and uplift stories that not only portray the world as it is, but
re-imagine what it could be. Sophia believes that storytelling is the ultimate act of empathy, and
that imagination is the perfect tool to encourage people to act and enable them to envision the
future they want to live in.
Sophia aims to work in the entertainment industry as a writer, animator, and filmmaker, hoping
to collaborate with other skilled visionaries and create projects that draw strength from their
connections to the world.
Madyson Miller earned her B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of West Florida and she later completed her M.S. in Marine and Environmental Science at the University of the Virgin Islands, focusing on the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea and contributing to a published study on coral disease.
After graduation, she was selected as a Knauss Fellow with NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, where she co-chaired the Communications Working Group of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. She later worked for NOAA Research’s International Activities Office, focusing on international research collaboration and managing the UN Ocean Decade portfolio.
Beyond NOAA, she serves as Ambassador Program Manager for Women in Ocean Science and sits on the U.S. ECOP Node Steering Committee.
Lin Tong began volunteering with Heirs To Our Ocean after connecting with our team at the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
She brings with her more than a decade of international business and management experience, including leadership roles in global sales, supply chain management, and contract negotiations with multinational corporations.
Lin holds a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology with honors and a minor in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
Fluent in Mandarin and English, she is passionate about applying her professional expertise to advancing H2OO’s mission of empowering youth to lead for ocean and climate justice.
With a passion to create a fair and sustainable future for all, Tihtena joined Heirs To Our Ocean (H2OO) in 2025 as a Development Manager. She has more than 12 years of experience in programming that strengthens communities and enables the active participation of underserved populations.
Prior to joining H2OO, Tihtena worked for the U.S. Government, the United Nations, and non-profit organizations in various capacities ranging from program management to resource development. She has extensive experience working with refugees and other displaced communities in places like Nigeria, Haiti, and Jordan.
Tihtena holds degrees in International Studies and French.
Supporting the H2OO mission since its inception, Brad has leveraged his experiences as a technologist, public speaker and content creator to empower youth around the world.
His work in augmented and virtual reality allowed him to work with youth to create an award winning 360 video experience and to produce a stereoscopic 360 experience in less than a week with youth participants at SEAL 2018.
Brad is passionate about education and has frequently held presentation and public speaking sessions for H2OO youth leaders. He also assists the organization with some media production and various IT requirements. Brad is a Director at Apple.
Witnessing the devastating effects of environmental degradation inspired Gavin to take action in environmental advocacy.
He served as a member of the 5th Cohort of the U.S. Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade—a program of Heirs To Our Ocean (H2OO)—from September 2024 to May 2025.
Gavin is committed to a future in environmental reform, with a focus on policymaking.
Gavin is currently engaged with H2OO as an intern over summer 2025, to support creative design and illustration on a series of ocean literacy focused children’s book with short-stories written by U.S. Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade members. The book is designed to educate young readers about environmental issues—and provide a meaningful opportunity to merge creativity with impact and help raise early awareness about ocean issues and solutions.
Since joining the H2OO team in 2019, Emily has supported hundreds of young leaders as they navigate their unique advocacy journeys and connect deeper with themselves, others, and our Blue Planet.
Emily has furthered H2OO’s mission by coordinating its global programs that allow youth advocates to reach their full potential. In 2020, she helped to develop and launch the U.S. Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade and has coordinated several of H2OO’s global leadership summits. Emily additionally coordinates H2OO’s communications and mentors youth in best social media practices.
Prior to H2OO, Emily worked with the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales, Australia, to stop degradation of Kosciusko National Park’s water resources, and thereafter she worked as a leader with AmeriCorps, Montana Conservation Corps, and the U.S. Forest Service conserving Custer Gallatin National Forest bordering Yellowstone National Park.
Emily graduated from UCSB majoring in economics and environmental science.
In 2016, after having left her law practice to ensure her children received a meaningful education wherein real-world problems were addressed, April supported her children in starting Heirs To Our Ocean (H2OO) along with 11 other tweens who were concerned about what they are inheriting. She applied the project-based, interdisciplinary, real-world-theme focused learning model she had developed in 2010 to H2OO’s programming.
April has worked tirelessly to ensure all H2OO programs have an empathetic leadership foundation, are holistic and comprehensive, connect youth across barriers, and provide open-access opportunity to youth who are most vulnerably situated and traditionally marginalized. She has actively elevated youth in their development and skill building with hands-on, real-world leadership opportunities and supported them as they move from programming to organization leadership. At present, April continues to direct programming, and she advises our new young Executive Director.
April believes that the survivability of humanity is dependent upon education—all youth should have an opportunity to understand the value of intact life sources on our planet and human impacts on those life sources today, as well as opportunities to develop essential empowering skills to effectively advocate for themselves and others and solve problems together.