Additional Collaborators

  • Liz Schad is a multidisciplinary artist in Los Angeles, CA who has worked in

    both film and theatre as a producer, writer, actor, stage manager, coordinator, and assistant director.

    Originally from Atlanta, Liz pursued a BFA in Theatre from Columbus State University before

    graduating Summa Cum Laude from Chapman University with her MFA in Television Writing and

    Producing. Her goal is to create impactful and innovative content that entertains, educates, and inspires.

  • Mingla Sherpa from Nepal, is a current freshman at Northwestern University.

    Mingla’s educational journey has taken her from primary school in Nepal to secondary school at the

    Tibetan Children’s Village School (TCV) in India. She completed her high school through United World

    College of Atlantic in the UK before traveling to Northwestern for college. Mingla was a part of the

    Lighthouse Project in the UK, where they pitched and won funding used for building a dining hall and

    kitchen space for a local school in Punakha Dzong, Bhutan under partnership with the Bhutan Youth

    Development Fund. Additionally, she has also dedicated her vacation time over three years to volunteer

    at a school in the northeastern Himalayas of Nepal, her hometown, where she taught Tibetan cultural

    dance and helped set up the school's library. This library was established to offer children access to

    quality education and to help preserve Buddhsit culture, the Tibetan and Sanskrit languages for the

    Buddhist community and for posterity. Mingla is excited for her journey ahead and to be a part of this

    project. She is very grateful to have found a community that provides a sense of familiarity in this

    country far from home.

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  • Kalina Pierga is a filmmaker, journalist and photographer based in the

    Chicago area. Kalina earned her B.S. from Northwestern University’s

    Medill School of Journalism, where she explored her interests in culture

    and social justice through documentary journalism. Kalina’s current work

    includes documentation of the experiences of Northwestern Prison

    Education Program participants and their loved ones for Northwestern

    University’s Epistemic Reparations Global Working Group. Kalina is also

    a video producer for the Here To Stay Community Land Trust, which works to provide

    affordable land ownership in Chicago’s rapidly-gentrifying neighborhoods. Kalina has recently

    provided production support and data management services for Sung Kang’s The Ride Life, as

    well as production assistance for Comcast NBCUniversal’s editorial content team in

    Philadelphia. In 2023, Kalina was selected for Netflix’s inaugural cohort of the Documentary

    Archival Research Training Program, through which she earned a certification in

    Documentary Archival Research and Production. She specializes in data management, archival

    production, camera operation and editing.

  • Ali Wilt is a 22 year old queer journalist, photographer and filmmaker from

    the small town of Martinsville, Indiana. She is a recent graduate (Magna Cum Laude) of the Medill

    School of Journalism, where she created her first film with three other students entitled “Let us

    Breathe”, an educational and inspirational documentary short telling a story of environmental injustice

    on Chicago’s southeast side. “Let us Breathe” was the recipient of a Chicago College Emmy Award, as

    well as a Social Impact Award from CineYouth Film Festival; additionally, the film has premiered at four

    film festivals across the United States.

    Ali finds creative inspiration from a myriad of sources and is still narrowing her creative focus. However,

    she knows that she enjoys telling human-centered stories with an emphasis on resiliency.

    Outside the realm of visual media. Ali enjoys all things outdoors, playing violin and cello, and being

    around her family and pets. In addition to making this documentary, she currently works as a Rehab

    Technician at a nursing home in Evanston, IL.

    You can find a link to “Let us Breathe” here.

  • Kyra has more than a decade of experience working in the nonprofit/philanthropy sector. Currently, she serves as a Manager at the Help at Home Community Foundation, which provides comprehensive support to home caregivers across the US. Previously, Kyra worked at the Centerbridge Foundation, where she fostered connections between Centerbridge employees and community-based nonprofits. She received a B.A., cum laude, from Colby College and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University.