ALEXANDER KNOEPFFLER

High School: Palmer Trinity School

Hometown: Coral Gables, FL

A short time after hand-picking worms from corn due to a lack of affordable pesticides on a smallholder farm, “Gracias a Dios” in Nicaragua and attempting to save every stalk so that a local family could eat, Alexander Knoepffler had an epiphany. What if he could develop a solution to improve agricultural productivity? Back home, the scholar-athlete who attends Palmer Trinity School in Coral Gables, Florida, began researching sustainable agriculture methods.

At some point during the process, Knoepffler discovered mycorrhizal fungi soil amendments, known internationally for helping to improve water retention and crop yields. While they offered significant potential, the local fungi strains native to Central America barely saw any application. Immediately, he recognized the potential of the untapped resource for food production, and after extensive research, he outlined a plan, presenting the 52-page proposal for The Earth Prize. Ultimately, the effort earned him a place as a finalist, a feature in UN Today, mentorship from entrepreneur Omar Itani, and the chance to prototype a soil amendment—all of which serve as the start of his mission that he hopes will reduce poverty and increase climate resilience across tropical regions.

Knoepffler, who is of Nicaraguan and Venezuelan descent, also participated in the Florida Youth Institute/World Food Prize, sharing his insightful paper that touched on entrepreneurial solutions using overlooked resources in Central America while also providing other sustainable ideas, such as repurposing shrimp shell waste into chitin. As a result, he was named Borlaug Scholar and Florida representative, and the World Food Prize Foundation is publishing his research.

The high achiever, who happens to be on the Nicaragua National Fencing Team, proves there is nothing he cannot do. In addition to winning first place for his agriculture research at Inspirit AI and having his findings on predicting commodity prices to help farming communities, his 800 hours of community service earned him a gold President’s Volunteer Service Award.

While he has already accomplished so much, Alexander Knoepffler knows there is still more to do. With a clear sense of purpose, he wants to major in Entrepreneurship.

ALEXANDER KNOEPFFLER

High School: Palmer Trinity School

Hometown: Coral Gables, FL

A short time after hand-picking worms from corn due to a lack of affordable pesticides on a smallholder farm, “Gracias a Dios” in Nicaragua and attempting to save every stalk so that a local family could eat, Alexander Knoepffler had an epiphany. What if he could develop a solution to improve agricultural productivity? Back home, the scholar-athlete who attends Palmer Trinity School in Coral Gables, Florida, began researching sustainable agriculture methods.

At some point during the process, Knoepffler discovered mycorrhizal fungi soil amendments, known internationally for helping to improve water retention and crop yields. While they offered significant potential, the local fungi strains native to Central America barely saw any application. Immediately, he recognized the potential of the untapped resource for food production, and after extensive research, he outlined a plan, presenting the 52-page proposal for The Earth Prize. Ultimately, the effort earned him a place as a finalist, a feature in UN Today, mentorship from entrepreneur Omar Itani, and the chance to prototype a soil amendment—all of which serve as the start of his mission that he hopes will reduce poverty and increase climate resilience across tropical regions.

Knoepffler, who is of Nicaraguan and Venezuelan descent, also participated in the Florida Youth Institute/World Food Prize, sharing his insightful paper that touched on entrepreneurial solutions using overlooked resources in Central America while also providing other sustainable ideas, such as repurposing shrimp shell waste into chitin. As a result, he was named Borlaug Scholar and Florida representative, and the World Food Prize Foundation is publishing his research.

The high achiever, who happens to be on the Nicaragua National Fencing Team, proves there is nothing he cannot do. In addition to winning first place for his agriculture research at Inspirit AI and having his findings on predicting commodity prices to help farming communities, his 800 hours of community service earned him a gold President’s Volunteer Service Award.

While he has already accomplished so much, Alexander Knoepffler knows there is still more to do. With a clear sense of purpose, he wants to major in Entrepreneurship.