Writing a research paper about the link between deforestation and natural disasters in Haiti convinced Palmetto High School rising senior Anjuli Sharpley that she should do something to help the people of Haiti.
“I found even now they are still suffering from natural disasters,” she says. “They are still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.”
The research indicated that not only is Haiti susceptible to flooding from storms, but because there are few trees, the island nation is also more susceptible to droughts as well.
“Since there are less trees, the sun can evaporate the water more quickly,” she says.
When it does rain enough to cause floods, it not only adversely affects agriculture, it can also contaminate clean water supply.
Sharpley plans to work with Hollywood Unites for Haiti to conduct a supply drive in hopes of sending clothes, art, and medical supplies to Haiti.
“I was going to set up a collection box at my house,” she says. “And set up a collection through social media. I know teachers that will be able keep boxes in their classrooms. I want to get it to be ongoing and still be involved in college.”
Sharpley will search for a student to take it over when she goes off to college. At Palmetto, Sharpley is a member of the Women’s Union, the Capstone Club and president of the Ecology Club.
“We do a lot of projects. Recently, for Earth Day, we painted rocks and handed them out to teachers,” she says. “We do clean ups for the Audubon Society and we talk about environmental issues. We wrote letters to legislators giving our opinion on environmental issues.”
Sharpley says she’s involved because she loves nature. She’s lived in two wildly different environments that celebrate nature – Miami and Alaska.
“When I was really little, about six, I spent six months in Alaska,” she says. “Because my grandparents had a store in Alaska.”
Then her mom opened a jewelry store in Juneau that is open seasonally. So Sharpley spends summers in Alaska and school seasons in Florida.
She’s also a member of the Literary Society and the English Honor Society. Writing is her passion. She’s had a poem and a non-fiction piece published by Creative Communication.
“I like writing poetry the best,” she says.
Sharpley says she hopes to go out of state for college. Her list includes Dartmouth, NYU and Berkeley. Her instate list includes the University of Florida or the University of Miami, where both of her parents attended.
“If I go to the University of Miami I could dual major in English and biology,” she says. “I really love science. And nature.”
She volunteers each March at Relay for Life.
“We make a lot of activities and a lot of food. This year I was team captain,” she says.
This year, the theme was TV shows so her team chose Parks and Recreation for their booth.
“We tried to do a lot of different things,” she says. “We wanted to try and raise as much possible.”
The first year she and her friends had a booth, they offered Henna tattoos, ice tea and cupcakes. This year they sold Henna tattoos, bubble tea and cupcakes.
They populated their booth a blankets and pillows so people could sit and eat while they waited for their Henna tattoos.
She became involved with Relay for Life because she knew how hard cancer affects families.
“My grandfather, he had cancer and he almost died and it played a big role in my family,” she says.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
