With an elephant inked on her left wrist, Lila Swortwood (11) carries with her a constant reminder of her grandmother’s love for the animal, encouraging her to advocate for elephant rehabilitation regarding the dangers of poaching.
Swortwood began her journey of elephant advocacy at the Rhode Island School of Design Pre-College Summer Program in 2025, where she was tasked with a final artistic project of creating a piece representing “change.”
According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, over the past 100 years, 90% of African elephants have been killed by poachers. Poaching is the act of illegal hunting, killing or capturing of wild animals, usually for commercial gain. Elephants are predominantly poached for their ivory, used for trade and medicine.
“I [wanted] to do something I was passionate about,” Swortwood said. “I’ve always loved elephants, my favorite animal, and it was my grandma’s favorite animal. And, she’s my favorite person ever. So I did something … to kind of show the problem with poaching and how the population is very endangered because of it.”
Swortwood highlights the components of her art piece, which contain “two wood planks on a canvas with two elephants and ropes that connect [each] panel.”
When defining the element of change in her project, Swortwood thoroughly researched various elephant rehabilitation organizations to support. She then printed out QR codes at the bottom of her project, allowing spectators and fellow artists passing by to research and donate to the selected organizations.
The organizations featured were the International Elephant Foundation, Save the Elephants and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
When returning to school in the fall, with the aid of a few friends, Swortwood established the Anti-Poaching Project at the school, which was dedicated to fundraising for elephant rehabilitation.
“We stuck to those same three nonprofits, because I already thoroughly researched them,” Swortwood said. “We just wanted to find another way to raise money ourselves, to continue to donate to those three nonprofits. We just did bake sales, but we ended up raising over $300, so it was pretty successful.”
Kelly Randolph (11), a close friend, emphasizes the independent nature of Swortwood’s accomplishments.
“It’s just [grown], which is really cool … I mean, she did it all herself,” Randolph said. “It seriously was all her and her attitude towards it that made it actually happen.”
Anti-Poaching Project vice president Conner Oxberry (11) describes Swortwood as “self-motivated” and “self-disciplined.”
“Watching her pursue all of her different passions has helped her become more confident in her decisions and what she wants to do in life … what is actually the most important to her,” Oxberry said. “I think her exploring her art and nutrition, and now her business, is really cool to see.”
Oxberry describes the processes that began the club.
“We did a lot of work to make sure to get stickers and [make] it a well-established club,” Oxberry said. “[We] spread the word, trying to get as many participants as possible, was the main goal. It was really fun.”
Randolph describes the initial processes of the club’s founding.
“She just had an amazing idea to make it a reality, and it’s been super cool to watch it grow, like with all the people coming to the lunches and then we have baking projects at Fletcher’s Cove [Beach],” Randolph said.
After seeing how she could advocate for elephants, Swortwood was inspired to pursue her interest in entrepreneurship and nutrition by founding her cookie-selling business, Tusk Cafe. Inspired by her love of elephants and nutrients, Sworwood baked homemade cookies, donating 5% of the profits to the rehabilitation organizations. The cafe made its debut at the Solana Beach Farmers Market on April 12. Swortwood chose that specific location because she has been attending the market from a young age, and the “people are really nice.”
Within her recipes, Swortwood shows a dedication to nutrition. Her most recent product, chocolate chip cookies, is made from whole, gluten-free ingredients: almond flour, dark chocolate chips, coconut oil, organic date powder, eggs, sea salt, coconut milk, baking soda, vanilla extract, cinnamon and baking powder.
“I’ve been very cautious about what I put in my body,” Swortwood said. “As a dancer, I’ve learned [that] proper nutrition and keeping myself fueled [allows] me to be energized for proper activity. I feel that much better when I do. Nutrition and the amount of things we eat that we have no idea about intrigues me.”
Catherine Wehrli (11), one of Swortwood’s closest friends, describes the process of starting the cafe.
“Lila’s really passionate [about] nutrition and entrepreneurship,” Wehrli said. “So given that she has a deep interest [in] elephants and rehabilitating elephants and anti-poaching. She’s done a lot of art on it. She kind of translated that into what she wants to major in college. So she created something called Tusk Cafe. And it’s kind of an extension of her club at [the school]. She makes these nutritional cookies that are all natural sugars, and they’re very good for you, so that is the nutritional aspect of her branding. Throughout the process, it took her so long to be able to progress with the company. She went through months of getting all these permits and permission flips.”
Swortwood’s interest in entrepreneurship was especially significant when determining next steps in her advocacy of elephant rehabilitation.
“I started thinking of business ideas and how I want to incorporate the passion that I have for elephants and my art [into] the business aspect of it,” Swortwood said.
When deciding on the beneficiary of her donation profits, family friend Natalie Compagno connected Swortwood with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. The foundation raises orphaned elephants and reintroduces them into the wild.
“I was thrilled when I heard that Lila cares so much about elephants,” Compagno said. “So, I connected her with them … [because] they preserve and protect elephants. They especially take babies when their mothers are either killed or separated from them, whether it’s from poaching or from natural disasters.”
Compagno admires that Swortwood has a “clear vision of who she is and what kind of a global citizen she wants to be, and I very much admire her for that.”
Watching Swortwood grow up, Compagno identifies several traits that shine through her.
“She’s extremely motivated,” Swortwood said. “She’s very smart. She’s very talented. I love how she combines her creative talents along with her business talent and her passion for giving back and for philanthropy.”
Swortwood looks forward to further growth within both her business and the club.
“I’m gonna focus on my market and my business,” Swortwood said. “I definitely think I’m gonna do the club again.”
As an Advanced Placement student who juggles many other extracurriculars, Swortwood characterizes herself as the “most Type C person there is.”
“My notes app is my best friend,” Swortwood said. “I have all of my schedules, all of my to-do lists, for every single night. I would say [I’m] not a procrastinator, and I get things done when I need to get things done. I make sure I have time for myself, which I think is very important … mostly just exercise or dance. I always find a way to make it fun when I have assignments to do.”
Randolph emphasizes Swortwood’s commitment to the project.
“She [is] honestly one of the strongest and most persevering people I know,” Randolph said. “She wakes up every single morning and puts the biggest smile on her face no matter what she’s going through, and she always gives it her 110% effort, which is something I really look up to.”
Despite being only 17, Swortwood has overcome significant challenges in starting a business at such a young age.
“So many people wait to [start] to own a business until after college,” Swortwood said. “[They say] ‘oh, I’m gonna wait a couple years for an education.’ No. You don’t need to.”
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