Written November 9, 2009 by Ilya Brotzky.

This past weekend the members of the Fistula Free Climb team met at Phi Kappa Phi Fraternity, our unofficial head quarters on campus, for our weekly Saturday afternoon meetings. However, this Saturday was a little different because we were about to hold the -dramatic pause- first ever Fistula Free Climb Executive Board elections!

When we started the Fistula Free Climb, I thought it’d be best to have a “leadership by committee” type deal where we all took care of what we needed to do and contributed to the group. I quickly realized what that meant was everyone asking me everything and me having to organize it all. Although this was a lot of fun and really exciting for the first two months, it’s gotten to the point where we have people who can do things better than I can and it was time to delegate.

So without further ado, here they are:

Vice President: Kara Pellowe

Kara is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science. Her actual major is a really complicated and I’m not going to pretend to explain (or understand) it, but let’s just say she’s super smart. Where as I’m a big picture thinker and risk taker, Kara is very detail oriented and focused. She is involved in a ton of organizations on campus including the Sierra Club and Roots and Shoots. I’m proud to call her our VP!

Marketing Chair: Jennifer Brenner

JenniferJennifer is a freshman engineer from Florida who has literally traveled the world. She’s been to all the continents, including a research trip to  Antarctica in High School. She’s also a Mening Scholar and sang in a choir at the White House. Needless to say, Jen is a superstar …and she’s only a freshman.

Treasurer: Izzy Pines

IzzyHailing from Phoenix, Arizona this soon to be super doctor has got it all. She’s a member of the 2008 Ivy League Champion Cornell Woman’s Softball team and Human Development major. She’s super good with details and meticulous as it gets. Izzy helped bring together the team when we were just starting and will make sure that all our money will be in order.

Vice Treasurer: Raj Dave

RajOnly a freshman, Raj has already got plenty of experience dealing with money. He managed a number of his father’s Subway franchises and raised tons of cash for his high school prom. He showed great determination and drive when he wanted to be the treasurer even though he was only in his first year of university. Oh, and we decided to have a treasurer committee instead of just one person, you know, to keep everything in order.

Fundraising Chair: Amy Chin

AmyAmy ran for treasurer, but during her speech it was evident that she would be a great fit for the fundraising chair position. She’s on the prowl for more corporate sponsors as we speak. A fellow transfer, Amy is ready to help us reach $100,000.

Risk Manager: Nina Daoud

NinaA native of Ethiopia, Nina has been a committed member of the Fistula Free Climb from the start. She’s been to almost every meeting and always reminds me of something that needs to get done. She took the initiative to go to a risk management session with Dr. Allen Bova last week and is preparing all the release forms to keep us (me) out of trouble should anything happen. Oh, and she also works almost 35 hours a week and goes to school full time.

So there you have it. One of the most impressive groups of people I’ve ever met, and what do you know I get to boss them around! Haha, just kidding. I’m ever grateful and humble that such an amazing group of people have decided to join me in our adventure to Kilimanjaro.

As they were giving their election speeches, it was amazing to see how passionate they were to the cause and how much they wanted to help make the Fistula Free Climb a success.

With so many amazing people doing such great work, how could you not want to support us?