Sara Barbour

Hi! My name is Sara Barbour and this September I'm headed into my senior year of High School at Laguna Blanca School, Santa Barbara. I first heard about the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation through my school's Amnesty International Club, of which I am now co-president, and as I've always been passionate about the issue of nuclear weapons I decided that volunteering at the Foundation would be the perfect way to get involved! This summer I'll be working on getting the word out to High School students like myself, the goal being to establish a network of Peace Leadership Clubs in High Schools throughout Santa Barbara as well as promote the Think Outside the Bomb Conference. There is so much about nuclear weapons that I never knew before I got involved, and I believe that it's crucial to the success of a peaceful world that students around the country are informed and active when it comes to issues that are as important in our lives as nuclear non-proliferation is. I'm incredibly excited about my opportunity this summer and hope that I will be joined by other High School students equally committed to making a difference!

 
Andrew Culp

Hi, I’m Andrew!  In May '06 I graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a BA in Philosophy and Economics.  I am a summer intern for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.  Nuclear weapons and the nuclear fuel cycle have been in the forefront of my mind ever since reading two books: Valerie Kuletz’s Tainted Desert and Joel Kovel’s The State of Nuclear Terror.  Having served on a gaggle of student government committees, and been an officer in a few dozen more organizations, I’ve gotten a taste of campus activism.  Additionally, I was a policy debater for seven years where I focused on framing, activism, and political theory.

The ongoing war waged with nuclear weapons is what really motivates me to make a difference.  For too long indigenous lands have been used as a zone of sacrifice for the nuclear fuel cycle  while the United States holds its polis hostage with the threat of all out annihilation.  I hope my work at NAPF helps set us all on a way out of this nuclear state of terror.

 
Alexandra Forbes

 
Nams Gidwani

Hi, my name is Nams Gidwani. I am currently a senior at UCSB majoring in Global Studies and Dramatic Art. I was born and raised in India. I spent my junior year of high school in the Philippines. When I was 16, I moved to San Diego, and subsequently to Santa Barbara for college. I have recently returned from the United Kingdom, where I spent a year studying abroad at the University of Kent in Canterbury. I enjoy traveling the world, hanging out with my friends, reading, swimming, partying and acting.

Studying in the UK has definitely been a very enriching experience. After moving to the UK, I realized how ignorant I had been regarding world affairs. This past year has provided me with the opportunity to work with a variety of people and professors with different interests and opinions. I spent my free time traveling around Europe where I got the chance to interact with diverse groups of people. I found that I was very drawn to the different cultures and realized that I wished to learn more about the people and their views on the world.

In my sophomore year, I took a class entitled “War and Peace in the Modern World” where I was first introduced to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the threat of nuclear weapons in today’s almost borderless world. I believe that the world we live in is one where this threat is very imminent. It has therefore become very important that we take notice of this and take the necessary steps to work towards a more peaceful world.

My experiences in the United Kingdom, traveling the world and the class I took at UCSB created within me an urge to make a difference in the world. In researching the work of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and its campaigns, I found that the abolition of nuclear weapons is a very important issue in the future of our country and in world today. I am very excited to become part of the team and make a difference in the world.
 

 
Nicole Rangel

Hello fellow PEACERS!! My name is Nicole Rangel and I am from San Diego, CA. I am currently a senior at UCSB studying political science and global peace and security. I am passionate about both peace and politics and driven to expand the role of diplomacy and international law within international relations. In my free time I enjoy being and activist… but when I am not wearing a black hood, protesting as a torture victim, or trying to explain to the CHP that one cannot have “a capacity” on an open discussion, I love to party, chill, follow current events, and as all peacers leave just enough room for “revolution room” activities (Inside Joke 1).

I really became active here in Santa Barbara at UCSB; my global peace and security classes enlightened me to the power of nonviolence and positive peace as well as the horror of another nuclear attack. The anti-Bush walkout we held at UCSB in January 2005 inspired me and proved there are LOTS of people here that WANT PEACE and recognize it has to start here at home. After that experience I kept up with the events on campus encouraging human rights, women’s rights, and social justice.

My work at NAPF started after I was lucky enough to be a student guest at the Evening for Peace event. That event and my contact with NAPF inspired me to get more active on my own campus and within my own life. I began coordinating Solidarity Against War development and events. (The world’s tallest peace activist always encouraged me to do as much as possible - Inside Joke 2.) We had a lot of success at UCSB this year with Beers for Peace, the IV Peace Fest, several teach ins, rallies and of course, fun!! The people I have met through my activism are some of the best friends I have and they all inspire me to continue our campaigns and spread awareness about all injustices.

This opportunity has taught me about what it takes to be effective and that spreading awareness is the most important tool in stopping “the machine”. I will be continuing my work with UCSB for another year especially through various classes like the UC, Militarization and Social Change class I am coordinating with Will G. right now. It has been amazing to connect with other passionate students and really explore the connections between the UC system and militarization. Did you know that every nuclear weapon is in the U.S. arsenal was designed by a UC employee? Well 2 years ago neither did I. GET ACTIVE. BE PEACEFUL. AND GET PEACE.