Feeney, who will be leaving Berea for South Africa on Thursday, August 22, is attending as one of the ten U.S. members of the Greenpeace Youth Delegation.

The United Nations sponsored Summit will bring together more than 60,000 participants, including heads of State and Government, national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and other major groups to focus the world's attention and direct action toward meeting the needs of a growing global population.

Feeney was nominated by Helping Earth and Learning (HEAL), a student environmental organization at Berea, which is affiliated with the Student Environmental Action Council (SEAC), a national organization. SEAC nominated her to Greenpeace for consideration and final selection.

Feeney said she is honored to have been selected and is looking forward to the opportunity to speak out on important environmental issues.

"As a voice for the concerns of American youth," said Feeney, "I'll be advocating clean energy," as well as emphasizing "the connection between environmental degradation and human oppression."

Feeney is a junior Biology major from Birmingham, Ala. is also a Bonner Scholar at Berea. In addition to her involvement with HEAL, she is also active in several other campus organizations including Patriots for Peace, Amnesty International and the Teen Mentoring Program sponsored by Students for Appalachian and Berea's Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS). This summer, Feeney has been conducting research at Berea and constructing a methane digester for use on the College Farm as the recipient of the first Compton Fellowship in Ecological Design.

Following graduation from Berea, Feeney is planning to pursue a career as a scientist and environmental activist.