Panelists
Julianna Corleto
A sophomore Nursing major with minors in Psychology and Pre-Professional Health at SUNY Brockport. Around campus, she stays involved as a BSG At-Large Senator, a Resident Assistant, and the Vice President of Campus One80. Over spring break in 2025, she was able to go to Puerto Rico with the Joey Jackson Intercultural Center to perform community service and learn about the culture of the US territory. Outside of school, she volunteers at her hometown church and public library to support her local community!
Jacob Knerr
A second year Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety major at RIT. This year, he will be leading RIT’s AB trip to Punta Gorda, Florida to work with the Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity after participating in an American Hiking Society trip to Cloudland Canyon, GA last year. Outside of his academics and participation in AB, Jacob demonstrates his leadership skills as President of the Student Environmental Action League and member of the RIT Honors Program.
Emma Manley
A senior speech and hearing sciences major at Nazareth University. After attending her first Alt Break in Washington, DC focusing on food distribution and power, she has co-led ABs to Chicago focused on poverty, housing insecurity, and criminal justice, New York City focused on drug use and harm reduction with OnPoint NYC, and Philadelphia focused on criminal justice. She will be leading one more AB to Colorado Springs focused on LGBTQ+ youth this spring with Inside Out Youth Services. Emma also serves on the Nazareth Bonner Leadership Team, supporting students who are a part of the Bonner Leadership program - a four-year service and community engaged learning undergraduate scholarship program.
Anna Tavernier
A junior studying Biomedical Sciences on a pre-med path at Nazareth University. She attended her first Alt Break experience in San Diego with Via International to learn about immigration during her freshman year. Last year, she co-led an experience to New York City with OnPoint NYC to learn about harm reduction and this year she will be co-leading an experience to Louisiana with Further Along to learn about environmental justice. Anna is the Undergraduate Representative for the University Core Curriculum Committee, and is a Site Coordinator for the Partners for Serving-Partners for Health community engagement student employment program on campus.
Palak Wadhwa
A recent MBA graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology, originally from India, who has lived in the United States for the past six years. Some of her most meaningful experiences came through Alternative Break–focused community engagement, where she worked closely with local organizations and communities across the U.S. These experiences shaped her passion for service, cross‑cultural collaboration, and leading with empathy to create positive, people‑centered impact.
Moderator
Cadence Lopez
A senior at SUNY Brockport double major in English (Creative Writing) and Women & Gender Studies. She currently serves as Chapter President of Delta Phi Epsilon. In addition to her role in Delta Phi Epsilon, Cadence serves on the Presidential Search Committee, and also works as a Union Manager with the Student Union Leadership & Activities (SULA) team. Previously, Cadence worked with the Center for Gender & Sexual Diversity (CGSD). Across all of her roles, she brings a strong commitment to leadership, storytelling, and social justice, with academic and professional interests in writing, publishing, and feminist scholarship. She hopes to pursue a career in publishing or professional writing, where she can continue amplifying meaningful stories and building inclusive spaces.