Introducing the Peace Boat US 2026 Fall Intern and ECOPs Team!

Arianna Lawrence – Intern

(she/her) is a recent graduate of Pomona College with a BA in Public Policy Analysis with a concentration in Environmental Analysis. A born and raised New Yorker, she is particularly interested in building sustainable cities and resilient urban communities. Her work in advocacy, policy, and community engagement spans several nonprofit, philanthropic, and governmental organizations, and has brought her to the Ecuadorian Amazon, Costa Rica, and Brazil.

Arianna is interested in leveraging city diplomacy and youth advocacy to foster a culture of responsible consumption and make progress on SDGs 11, 12, and 14.

Chengzhe Meng – Intern

is an undergraduate student at New York University pursuing an individualized degree in environmental anthropology and multispecies ethnography. Born and raised in Suzhou, China, he moved to the US for college education in environmental humanities and community advocacy. He believes in the power of the collective (therefore SDG #17 Partnership for The Goals), which once properly and creatively mobilized could bring ALL hands on the deck.

Through his ongoing project @Model United Nations at Suzhou No.1 High School, Chengzhe has facilitated the access of a total number of 320 high-school-age students to SDGs-related field excursions and mock negotiation tables. At Peace Boat US, Chengzhe brings stories of and lessons on Youth Engagement in climate action.

Mareeka Dookie – ECOP

is a Trinidad-born, Sint Maarten-raised operations professional, climate advocate, and documentary photographer with over 15 years of experience across sustainability, education, and human rights.

In 2019, she was selected as one of 100 young climate champions worldwide to represent the Caribbean at the inaugural UN Youth Climate Summit at UN Headquarters, and in the same year was one of seven scholars awarded Peace Boat’s “Youth for the SDGs” Scholarship, sailing the 100th Global Voyage through the Patagonia fjords to lead workshops and cross-cultural dialogue on the UN SDGs. As Secretary and Treasurer on the board of EPIC (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean), she helped drive a plastic-ban campaign to passage in the Sint Maarten parliament, championed Small Island Developing States (SIDS) climate resilience, and empowered the local community to advance tropical ecosystem conservation.

With a Master’s in Teaching and a background in Education for Sustainable Development, Mareeka has built her career on the belief that every child has a right to a healthy environment, from building UNICEF Nederland’s Sint Maarten field office from the ground up after Hurricane Irma, to coordinating a fully virtual, multi-stakeholder Child Rights Film Festival during COVID-19. She brings an agile approach to program management, adapting quickly across small teams, shifting priorities, and fully virtual environments to keep mission-driven programs moving.

Her creative practice carries the same commitment to sustainability: she founded Pretty Trashy, an eco-friendly carnival troupe upcycling waste materials into costume and fashion to promote sustainable lifestyles through cultural celebration, and works as a documentary photographer capturing climate advocacy, education, and humanitarian work with a commitment to dignity. Bringing climate credibility, program agility, education expertise, and visual storytelling to organizations, Mareeka hopes to build a more resilient, and sustainable future for all.

Melissa (Yiyan) He – Intern

is a recent Phi Beta Kappa graduate of NYU Gallatin, where she studied Animal and Environmental Justice Through Storytelling. Her work brings together conservation, environmental education, spatial research, and creative communication, with a particular interest in translating environmental knowledge into experiences that invite public participation.

At the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Melissa helped middle and high school students explore urban watersheds, wastewater treatment, climate adaptation, and ecology through place-based learning. She previously supported coral reef conservation research and science communication at The Ocean Foundation and received hands-on training in watershed ecology and outdoor education through the Watershed Forestry Institute for Teachers. At NYU, she initiated and coordinated a collaborative GIS project documenting trees and shade conditions around student residences, transforming field observations into a public-facing StoryMap. Her academic work has also included oyster monitoring, biomaterials, and multimedia environmental storytelling.

As she prepares to pursue graduate study in sustainability and environmental policy, Melissa is excited to learn from the Peace Boat US community and contribute her experience in environmental research, youth education, program coordination, and visual storytelling. She hopes to support more accessible environmental learning and connect local experiences of water, climate, and urban ecology with broader conversations about sustainability. Her work most closely aligns with SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Learn more about Melissa’s work and experience on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-yiyan-he

Stefanie Torres – ECOP

is a Peruvian marine biologist and the Hub Leader of Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) Peru. Over the past several years, she has worked with more than 500 young people across Peru and Latin America, leading initiatives focused on ocean education, youth leadership, and marine conservation. In recognition of her work in environmental education, she was named a 2025 EE 30 Under 30 honoree by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). She currently works to strengthen marine protected areas in Peru through youth engagement and ocean education, particularly through Guardians of the Reserve, a program supported by Mission Blue NGO.

Stefanie has brought youth and local perspectives to major international ocean, climate, and biodiversity forums, including UNOC 2022, Our Ocean Conferences 2023 and 2024, IMPAC5, the UN Ocean Decade Conference, UNFCCC COP27 and COP28, CBD COP16, and the ISA Assembly. After joining Peace Boat as a 2024 Youth for the SDGs Scholar and later returning as a guest speaker, Stefanie is excited to continue this journey by bringing her experience working with young people and coastal communities to Peace Boat’s global work, particularly around education, climate action, and ocean conservation (SDGs 4, 13, and 14).

Ximena Corrales Loustalot Laclette – ECOP

is an Industrial Engineering graduate from Mexico and a Peace Boat US intern whose life has been deeply shaped by the ocean. Raised in a family of divers, she developed an early connection to the sea and a strong interest in ocean protection, sustainability, and education. She has completed specialized courses in ocean studies, sustainability, and ocean literacy, speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French, and is preparing to begin a Master’s program in Sustainability. She has also participated in ocean-related events and initiatives where she seeks to share the importance of ocean protection and make ocean knowledge more accessible to others.

Through her personal project, @ximenascuba, she shares ocean literacy content in different languages, showing that language should not be a barrier to learning about the ocean or becoming part of its protection. As one of the participants in Peace Boat’s Youth for the SDGs program, Ximena hopes to keep learning from global ocean leaders while contributing her engineering background, communication skills, and international perspective to sustainable ocean action. The SDGs closest to her work are SDG 14, Life Below Water, and SDG 4, Quality Education, because she believes ocean protection and education must go hand in hand. Learn more about her ocean journey at @ximenascuba.