Bill Levitt Fellow's

Lucas is a recent graduate of the University of Utah, where he studied Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Geography. Growing up in San Diego, California, he developed a love for the outdoors through mountain biking and family road trips to snowboard. After discovering the Wasatch Range through snowboarding, he knew it was where he wanted to build his life and career. That initial connection has since turned into a deep appreciation for the region’s beauty and ecological value. Passionate about environmental communication, especially the relationships between people and natural systems, Lucas hopes to use his time as a Bill Levitt Fellow to help others connect to and understand the ecological importance of Alta and Little Cottonwood Canyon through outreach and education. He’s excited for the opportunity to give back to a place that has shaped so much of his personal and academic journey.

Gracie is a recent graduate from the University of Utah in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with a minor in Human Biology. She is passionate about environmental justice and is eager to engage diverse populations in our community through the Friends of Alta Bill Levitt Fellowship. Being from Boulder, Colorado, Gracie has been fortunate enough to spend much of her life in the Great Outdoors. She especially enjoys skiing and mountain biking and is hopeful to share those experiences with community members from all parts of the Salt Lake valley. Gracie is excited for this opportunity to work with Friends of Alta and serve as a steward of environmental conservation and education.

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Dylanger is an aspiring anthropologist and environmental changemaker who is devoted to participating in collaborative and non-combative ways to get people involved in environmentalism and solving climate change. He left high school after the ninth grade so that he could begin his career earlier and pursue a degree in an environmental related field. He graduated in May 2024 at the age of 18 with a Bachelors of Arts in General Studies with a concentration in Environmental Studies from Southern New Hampshire University after studying history, economics, anthropology, and environmental science at both SNHU and Salt Lake Community College.

During his college education he worked as a custodial assistant at a middle school for three years to support his education. In this role he learned how to work with the public and children on a daily basis as well as what goes into keeping a public building and institution functioning from a mechanical and maintenance perspective. He takes the lessons he learned as a student and educational employee into his future endeavors as an environmental changemaker, aspiring biological anthropologist, and substitute teacher for the 2024-2025 school year.

Dylanger has lived in Salt Lake City for over three years but grew up all across America, having lived in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Washington state, New Mexico, and Utah, in that order. This diverse geographical experience taught him as a child about the unique but anthropogenic environmental issues facing different corners of the US, from the invasive pythons in the Everglades to the human barriers blocking the salmon runs in the Salish Sea area. Now a young adult, he takes these realities and how they impacted him into his work and goals as well.

Eliza was born and raised in Golden, Colorado. Enjoying the natural world has been a passion of hers since an early age. While new to the great state of Utah, she has loved exploring the variety of landscapes that make Utah so unique. After spending a winter skiing at Alta, she fell in love with the vibrant community that calls Little Cottonwood Canyon home. As a recent college graduate from Whitman College, Eliza is eager to put her Environmental Studies/ Geology degree to use. Eliza will be working for Friends of Alta this summer as the Bill Levitt Fellow. She is excited and enthusiastic for this op

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Shayna grew up at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon where she has appreciated and explored its natural beauty since she was young. She is currently studying Environmental Studies at Utah State University and plans to graduate next December. Her studies have helped her find a passion for protecting natural resources and studying the human dimensions of these issues. As someone who has lived near Alta her whole life, she is excited to become more involved with the culture and environmental preservation of the area

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