Mallory Gitt is a recent college grad from Seattle University, receiving a bachelor's degree in Political Science.  She is super excited to be a Summer Fellow and spend the summer getting Washington youth involved in our state's political microcosm.  In her spare (yeah, right) time, she enjoys running, reading (for fun!), eating hummus and pita bread, and listening to old-school soul music.

Ben Han Ben Han spent half his life in suburban (eww!) New Jersey, and the other half in Seoul, Korea. He is coming to the Bus as a 2009 Summer Fellow and a recent  UW graduate (class of '09 represent!). Ben's passions are Urban Planning and local neighborhood development, and he hopes to apply this political and organizing experience to those fields, all while grabbing bubble tea in between. Ben thrives on coffee and sustainable urban design!

Jeremiah Horton is the most active person on the planet .He grew up in Washington, right at the corner of Yesler Street and Boren Avenue. He just started working at the Bus as a Summer Fellow. He like to krump (which is dancing for all of those you don’t know), he plays basketball, runs track, listen to most music and has a cool grand mom. He enjoys the Bus because of the staff and his fellow Summer Fellows. He feel like he can make a difference with these people, and wants to help the cause. Politics is new to him, but don’t count him out! 

Hanna King is a superhero. More specifically, a sock-knitting, politically-powered one. By day, a Garfield High School student, queer organizer, Summer Fellow and Rachel Maddow devotee. By night, a force to be reckoned with as she clothes the feet of progressive politics, one stitch for Democracy at a time.  She hopes to give you a nickname, learn your favorite ice cream flavor, incessantly pester you to vote on August 18th, and dance the Macarena with you.

Tarek Kutay grew up traveling the world with his parents who own an eco-tourism travel company. His favorite childhood memories are riding elephants in Thailand. going hunting with the Maasai in Kenya, and traveling to Turkey with his grandfather. When Tarek is not at his college in Switzerland, he is surfing tsunamis with his wicked cool father, grooving out to dem reggae vibes by Marley, or watching his favorite movie Into the Wild. Tarek joined the Washington Bus as a means to drive democracy in our great state in a new, progressive (and young!) direction. In the future, he hopes study Buddhism with the monks in the Himalayas and live as a traveling activist.

Dan Leigh, Senior Fellow Dan grew up as “that kid who listens to NPR and knows about politics” before the Bus had made it cool. He followed his childhood dream all the way to a summer internship in the other Washington, where he had an “Aha!” moment in which he realized that a mass movement toward civic engagement, not wearing a tie in a marble-floored office, is the best way to fix what ails our country. Daniel is thrilled to be helping create a new generation of leaders and change agents in his native Washington. When not fighting for democracy, Daniel can be found in the mountains or anywhere that serves good, cheap pho and Vietnamese sandwiches.

Gabe Meier is a part-time street art photographer and full-time high school student.  He used to enjoy watching the SuperSonics (R.I.P.) play before they were cruelly stolen, and now roots for Husky basketball.  Gabe is sick of witnessing injustices in our current political system and is going to single-handedly change everything.  In his spare time, he chases tornadoes and watches bad 80's movies.

Elise Randall is about to start her senior year at Colby College in Maine. Originally from Kirkland, Washington (Lake Washington Kangaroos!), Elise is a Government major with a philosophy minor, and finds herself spending too much time staying up-to-date on international political and economic news.  She spends her off time (what off time?) with her friends, whether it is adventuring around the state, chatting over a good cup of coffee, cheering on the Mariners, or arguing over which Star Wars is best (Return of the Jedi, duh).  Elise is looking forward to a summer of hard work, good fun, and learning new techniques for promoting progressive causes near to her heart.

Mori Rothman, Senior Fellow Mori has been known to make up TV shows. Coming back from a year at NYU, Mori brings his experience as a Bus Intern last year, his game face, and episodes of the Smurfs on DVD to the Washington Bus. Mori is a Senior Fellow, helping to navigate the waters and looking for cool fish. He is still waiting to hear back from NBC on his TV drama, "Desperate Housemice."

Cedar Smith was not named after a tree, it was named after her. Between waterpolo, swimming, and living on a lake, she spends 40% of her day in the water. The other 60% of her time is spent on land at the Washington Bus as a Summer Fellow meeting amazing new people and getting involved in things that matter. She's a die-hard vegatarian, addicted to Facebook and coffee, and loves learning new things.