Jake grew up in rural New Hampshire in a family of teachers, and learned to admire educators from an early age. In college, he did his best to reconcile his interests in climate science and storytelling, graduating from Harvard with a BA in Environmental Science & Public Policy and a minor in English literature. After leading outdoor education trips in Colorado and Alaska, Jake started as a science teacher, soccer coach, and director of sustainability at a high school in southwest Virginia. He began his time as a Doctoral student at Berkeley in 2019.
Amy Banas is a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Turiel. She is a former NCAA Division I student-athlete and holds master's degrees in Global Studies and the Intersection of Sport and Education. Her master's thesis explored the use of sport in global peace and development initiatives and involved fieldwork in Cambodia. She has worked as the Lead Research Consultant for No Bully’s “Power of Zero” anti-bullying campaign and has completed research on weapon-use in California high schools with Dr. Chunyan Yang.