Sam Schimmel is an Indigenous youth advocate and a senior at Stanford University. A St. Lawrence Island Siberian Yupik and Kenaitze Indian from Kenai, Alaska, he has experienced firsthand how climate change impacts food security in Arctic communities. In 2021, Schimmel launched Operation Fish Drop, a program that has helped secure over 18,000 pounds of salmon for over 700 Alaska Native families experiencing food insecurity. In 2018, Alaska’s governor appointed him to the Climate Action for Alaska Leadership Team, where he helped craft the state’s policy on climate change. Schimmel continues to support climate awareness and education as an advisory board member for the Center for Native American Youth and co-chairs the Arctic Youth Network’s board of directors.
