Riley Millward was born in Glendale, and has attended Glendale High School all four years. Now a senior, Riley is part of the varsity soccer team, president of Save the Seas Club, vice president of WE Club, treasurer of Body Positivity Club, club member of Letters for Rose, member of the National Honors Society, and part of the Student Voice Panel Committee.
Riley created their own jewelry business and dabbles in all types of musical instruments. This includes the ukulele, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass, piano and kalimba. They also enjoy watching and analyzing cartoons, reading, and consuming media.
Riley likes how GHS offers so much and has a wide range of activities. “We have like 50+ clubs. We have all these sports. We have so many academies. We have digital arts, performing arts,” they said. “And I think that’s really cool!”
Riley was interested in joining Save the Seas Club during their freshman year, since it connected to their interest in marine science. “I love the ocean and I love talking about it and what’s in it,” they said. “It’s almost like letting people see into my world and potentially inspire people.”
Riley thinks that this club is needed on campus because of the many unique opportunities it has to offer, like beach cleanups and engagement with nature. “We’re the only ocean-based club on campus. It’s very much ocean environmentalism,” they commented.
Riley expressed how the purpose of this club is to talk about that things they are passionate about and to educate the community on things that interest them. They describe how the club reached out to our school’s science department and created short teaching materials about the ocean.
Riley has also held lectures, where everyone was welcome to learn cool information about the ocean and the not-so-great effect that humans have had on it. They do this in order to encourage students to help preserve the ocean, even after they graduate from high school. Save the Seas Club members take part in a variety of community service opportunities and other activities, including beach cleanups, river cleanups, and field trips to local aquariums.
Club members raise money throughout the year, through recycling drives, fundraisers, and Round Up. Then, they make donations at the end of the year to preservation organizations, like the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida and Friends of the LA River.
Riley wants GHS students to know that the Save the Seas Club also provides services for the school, like recycling on the football field. “It’s something for the community, made by the community,” they confirmed.
Riley urges other students to join the club for the fun community of people involved and the interactive community service opportunities, where people can go out and do actual field work. “This is what bigger organizations do. This is why we try so hard to affiliate with them and show people what it’s like to be involved,” they explained.
Riley is hopeful about the future of Save the Seas Club. They think that it will expand in the future, because every new school year brings in a new group of people who are interested in ecology. “I feel like I’m leaving behind something that won’t be hard to take over,” they concluded.
For now, Riley’s future looks bright, especially after they committed to UC Santa Barbara for their College of Creative Studies program. They will work towards earning a Marine Science degree, by doing research and studying kelp, microbiology, and the preservation of the ocean environment. Additionally, Riley would like to work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the government while studying.
If you are interested in joining the Save the Seas Club, please contact Ms. Keefer at [email protected]. For more information, you can also follow them on Instagram: @stsc_ghs. And please take a look at Riley’s jewelry business: @glass_door_jewelers.
