Founder/CEO Ashley Chon
I am currently a rising sophomore at Thomas Jefferson High School. Ever since I was young, my father and I went hiking all across the country. From the Appalachian to the Rockies, I have enjoyed every trail. But with more hiking experience, I started to recognize flaws in the sceneries I trekked past--trash, littered to the point where it was practically embedded into the mountains and streams.
It hurt to see how much trash was littered--the environment gave nothing but beautiful scenes and hiking trails but what we give in return is plastic bottles, crush styrofoam plates, and tin cans. From these observations bloomed Hiking Heroes. Originally solely a hiking club, as my passion for protecting the environment grew, Hiking Heroes started taking environmental action as well. Now, we not only go on hikes, but also pick up trash while hiking.