Seabury student selected to represent Kahului at prestigious environmental summit

Seabury Hall junior Dean Tapler has been selected to represent Kahului as a National Youth Delegate to the 2023 Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University in Washington, D.C.

The student is one of two Hawai’i pupils selected for the summit, a student leadership conference designed to develop and encourage future leaders in the field of environmental studies and conservation in the 21st century, according to Seabury.

Maureen Madden, Seabury head of school, praised the selection.

“The Seabury Hall community is incredibly proud of Dean and his passion to protect both our local and global environments,” she said in a statement. “We know he will make a wonderful addition to this conference and look forward to learning from him when he returns to school.”

Hosted in Washington, D.C., from June 25 to June 30 at George Mason University, the weeklong conference will offer attendees an inside look at environmental science, policy and conservation issues, and exploring careers in the industry. 

The university said Tapler was chosen based on “academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in leadership in the sciences and conservation studies.”

He will join a select group of 100 students from across the country to participate in an intensive, week-long study of leadership in environmental science and conservation,” the university said in the announcement.

The summit is hosted by George Mason University and its partner, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. The Advisory Board is chaired by Mark Bauman, President of Virtual Wonders and former Executive Vice President of National Geographic Television. Additional members include world-renowned scholars, distinguished scientists and award-winning university faculty, the news release said.