Animals, nature, playing by the creek, and eating from their family's garden are all things that Neela loves. While playing and enjoying their childhood are all Neela should worry about, they’re concerned that climate change will harm their family, pets, and local plants and wildlife. Neela advocates for the environment, using their birthday as an opportunity to educate their friends about climate change each year.

Neela’s environmental activism began locally in their hometown. They started by speaking at City Council meetings and creating environmental health PSAs. Recently, in collaboration with other residents and environmental organizations, Neela helped convince the City Council to unanimously pass an innovative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy. The new IPM policy will keep wild lands more fire-safe, increase soil fertility, and naturally support native plant and animal ecosystems.

Neela doesn’t recall a year without smoke-filled skies. As wildfires increase year after year, so do the health impacts they experience like stomachaches and headaches so severe, that they’ve had to be picked up early from school on multiple occasions. Additionally, extreme temperatures in the summer make it difficult for Neela to play soccer and heavy precipitation throughout the year has threatened to flood their home on numerous occasions.