Embracing Our Differences Appoints New Student Board Member

October 11, 2023 – Sarasota

Sarah Wertheimer, executive director of Embracing Our Differences (EOD), announced recently that the organization has appointed Chloe Niebuhr as a STAR student board member. Niebuhr, a 12^th-grade student at Pine View School, is a member of The Boys & Girls Club’s STAR (Students Take Active Roles) Leadership Training program. After completion of the program, students are eligible to give back to a cause they care about by serving as a voting board member for one of STAR’s 90 partner agencies.

Niebuhr, 17, was chosen to be a Pine View Unity Day leader for EOD’s Unity Day in 2022. She says this offered her “first opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the organization’s goals and its impact on my community.” In addition to her work with EOD, Niebuhr pursued independent study in art and attended Ringling’s Precollege Program and Sotheby’s Summer Institute of Art. With this experience, she was chosen as the STAR Student Representative on Sarasota’s Public Art Committee. “Art is something I’ve been passionate about my entire life. In addition to being an artist, I love how art connects people, how it influences thought processes, and how it can change people’s opinions and beliefs for the better,” she says.

Community service has been vital to Niebuhr since she was little. She has served as a teacher’s assistant at Visible Men Academy, helping direct math and science projects. She also served as a unit leader for Growing Strong Stem (GSS), an organization dedicated to helping middle and elementary school students at Laurel Civic Association. “My students at VMA and GSS come from different backgrounds and cultures than my own,” she says. “My experience with them has taught me how important initiatives such as Embracing Our Differences are for bringing us all together and teaching respect, inclusivity and kindness.”

At Pine View, Niebuhr was responsible for its largest fundraiser, with the proceeds funding the Speech and Debate team. Other accolades include being nominated for the Education Foundation STRIVE Award, receiving the 2023 Biology Honors Award, and being named AP Scholar with Honors.

“It is an honor and a privilege to welcome someone who has accomplished so much for her community throughout her young life,” says Wertheimer. “Her passion for helping others, promoting kindness and respect, and giving back is truly exceptional. We can’t wait to see how she energizes our team and puts our mission into action.”

Embracing Our Differences’ board of directors includes Judge Charles E. Williams, Chair; Linda Poteat-Brown, Vice-Chair; Kaitlin Yelle, Treasurer; Richard Bergman, Secretary; and Christina de Guia, M.D., John Weber, and Sarah Wertheimer.

STAR Leadership Training is a nationally recognized leadership program for high school students that encourages lifelong active citizenship. During this comprehensive 10-week program, teens learn how they can participate in creating the world in which they want to live through leadership skill development, meetings with our community’s elected government and school board officials, service projects and more. After completing the program, teens earn credit hours with Sarasota County Schools and volunteer hours for the Bright Futures Program. Graduates of STAR are also eligible to give back to a cause they care about by serving as a voting board member for one of STAR’s 90 partner agencies.

For more information about Embracing Our Differences, please call 941-404-5710 or visit www.embracingourdifferences.org.