The final team was selected from a group of applicants by Sumit and some other early members. We were sixteen strong, from many different countries and with varied backgrounds.
| Member |
Hometown | Birthdate | Reason for signing on for the trip |
| Amanda Bicofsky |
Teaneck, NJ | 4/02/86 | Amanda went to Sri Lanka prepared to give her all to individuals
who, in an instant, lost everything they possessed.She wound up
returning home far richer with the spirit of a people that no tsunami
could wash away. |
| Faatima Qureshi |
Athens, AL | 5/06/84 | Faatima: "The disbelief and helplessness felt around the
world in the face of the disaster wreaked by the tsunami left such
an impact that the tragedy will never be forgotten - and as so much
rebuilding and recuperation lies ahead, one can only hope the world's
compassion will not wane as time distances us from the devastation." |
| Fabian Lua |
Singapore | 7/17/82 | Fabian just wanted to help. |
| Ishreth Hassen |
Colombo, Sri Lanka | Ishreth hails from Colombo, and was understandably eager to help
out. |
|
| Jason Karsh |
Denver, CO | 1/31/86 | After seeing the catastrophe over Winter break, he returned to campus
driven to help out in any way possible; the rest, is history. |
| Jenny Pelaez |
Charlottesville, VA | 9/12/85 | On her trip application, Jenny wrote that, “if you think that
something small cannot make a difference, try going to sleep with
a mosquito in the room.” She and the rest of the group fully
learned both meanings of those words during this memorable and rewarding
trip. |
| Jessica Petrus |
|||
| Keith Timko |
Holmdel, NJ | 10/02/86 | Keith decided to go to Sri Lanka to learn about a different culture,
travel for his first time outside of America, and, most importantly,
to learn what he could do to help with the tsunami relief effort. |
| Morgan Seag |
Nyack, NY | 9/09/86 | Morgan hopes to work in international nonprofit administration in
the future, possibly continuing to help with disaster relief. For
her, this trip was challenging, inspiring, and honestly, the best
two weeks of her life. |
| Nellie Berkman |
Cleveland, OH | 3/24/86 | After the Tsunami occurred, Nellie became interested in volunteering
for Tsunami relief, and felt she would make the most tangible difference
through our trip. |
| Sejal Patel |
Houston, TX | 1/01/85 | Sejal joined hte tsunami relief effort because she felt that this
was the right time to do it: when you're young, energetic, and have
university resources at your disposal with which to make a difference. |
| Sumit Kadakia |
SC | ||
| Sweta Singh |
Bordentown, NJ | 11/26/85 | Shweta joined the group wanting to do more than send a check for
aid to tsunami victims. She wanted to witness firsthand the devastation
and be able to help those in need face-to-face. |
| Thomas Radford |
Johannesburg, South Africa | 2/27/85 | Tom has long been interested in development work, and decided this
would be the opportunity of a lifetime. |
| Venus Chan |
Freemont, CA | 10/24/84 | Venus joined trip because she recognized the devastation that the tsunami left on the physical and emotional state of Sri Lanka, and aimed to contribute first-hand to the restoration of land and the building of new relationships. |
| Zohra Omar |
Karachi, Pakistan | 6/08/85 | Zohra decided to dedicate her summer ot the tsunami effected region
the day after the disaster. This trip took her there |
