Sarah is currently majoring in politics and history at Pomona College. She established Distant Hugs in 2020 to spread joy to elderly individuals experiencing social isolation. Besides making cards, Sarah enjoys sharing creative content on her Instagram @bonjourbullets.

Laura is a second-year student attending the University of Washington. She coordinated the card kit donation drive with the Seattle Children’s Hospital and promoted high school student participation within the Bellevue, WA area. Laura enjoys baking and listening to music.

Gabby, a graduate of Penn State University, is currently attending John Hopkins SAIS in Italy. She joined Distant Hugs in 2026 because she loves fostering connections between generations and cultures. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, running, crocheting, and learning new languages.

Zayna is a junior at Powers Catholic High School. She started to work with Distant Hugs in the summer of 2025, and loves to help spread the cause. In her free time, she loves to travel, listen to music, and hike.

Sarah is a junior at University High School in Illinois. She loves volunteering and spreading kindness throughout her community. Her other interests involve golfing, baking, reading, writing, involvement in church, spending time with friends, and participating in other volunteer programs. 

Camila is a senior at Marin Catholic High School. Camila became involved in Distant Hugs as a Chapter Lead during summer of 2025. She is inspired by our mission to spread joy through heartfelt expression and to foster human connection in the form of a “distant hug”. In her free time, she enjoys curling up to a good book, baking sweet treats, watching feel-good movies, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Ivy is a senior at Rancho Cucamonga Highschool in CA. She is very passionate about helping others with positivity, and is involved with several clubs at her school. She also loves scrapbooking, ice skating, reading, taking photos, and making jewelry in her free time!

Naomi is an freshman at Lakeside School in Washington. She is passionate about helping others in her community feel connected. In her free time, she enjoys playing lacrosse, crocheting, listening to music, and baking.

Charlotte is a senior at Annapolis High School in Maryland. In the summer of 2025 she also became involved with Distant Hugs. When she has free time she enjoys to read novels, listen to music, and spend time with her friends. Besides volunteering she plays volleyball on her schools varsity team and does club swimming! 

Rebecca is a junior at Saint Joseph’s University, where she is majoring in Entrepreneurship and minoring in International Business. She joined Distant Hugs during summer 2025 and loves supporting the organization. Rebecca is also the founder of her own jewelry business, which is where her passion for giving back and content creation first began. In her free time, she enjoys baking, going to the beach, doing crafts, running, and spending time with friends.

Jackie is a senior at Brien McMahon High school. She is driven by her passion to do things that help people feel seen and cared for. In her free time, she enjoys playing field hockey, reading books, painting, and being around people she loves.

Isabella is currently a senior in high school. In her free time she loves spending time with her friends, writing, going to New York City, baking, and listening to music. Her goal in life is to always be positive and make others laugh.  

Bryan is sophomore at Gila Ridge High school. He loves leadership, communicating, and meeting new people from all around the world! He loves being involved in any way he can, and in his town he is involved in student government, NHS, XC/T&F, volleyball, and loves to help out his school in anyways possible and gives volunteer opportunities since his town is very small.

Gracie Lugar is a junior at Fellowship Christian School. She joined Distant Hugs in 2026 and is excited to help spread kindness through handwritten cards. In her free time, she enjoys cheer, spending time with friends and family, watching movies, and traveling.

Paula is a senior at Cloudcroft High School, and has always enjoyed designing posters, cards, and other projects that bring joy to others. After learning about Distant Hugs, she was inspired to use her passion for design to make a meaningful impact by creating handmade cards that brighten people's days. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with my family, reading, watching Marvel movies, shopping, and building Legos.

Ellie is a senior at Munster High School in Indiana. She joined Distant Hugs in 2026 with the goal of helping people feel seen, supported, and remembered through simple acts of kindness. Outside of volunteering, she participates in speech and debate, DECA, and several leadership organizations. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, playing volleyball, spending time with friends, and trying new coffee shops.

Sara is currently a junior in high school. She started to volunteer with Distant Hugs in 2025, and joined as a chapter lead in 2026. In her free time, she loves to golf, play guitar, spend time with her friends, bake, hike, write music, read, and run.

Sausan is a high school senior from North Dakota. She joined as a Chapter Lead because she is passionate about spreading kindness, bringing joy to others, and helping people feel connected. Outside of volunteering, she enjoys crafting, taking photos, spending time with friends and family, and participating in school clubs like HOSA, National Honor Society, and Muslim Student Association.

Emily is a first-year student at the University of California, Irvine. In her free time, she enjoys journaling, reading, crocheting, listening to music, cooking, learning about different cultures & languages, and Pilates. 

Nadia is a junior at Green Hope High School in Cary, North Carolina. She started volunteering with Distant Hugs in the summer of 2025 and is passionate about making a positive change in everyone around her. In her free time, she plays volleyball on her school’s team, does rowing outside of school, and loves making art, volunteering at hospitals, studying medicine, playing golf, and being active!