Franziska Trautmann, a Louisiana native, graduated with honors from Tulane University with her degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. While she was still a senior in college, she combined her love for the environment and research in order to found and grow Glass Half Full alongside Max Steitz in the spring of 2020. Glass Half Full now recycles over 2 million pounds of glass every year into sand and gravel for disaster relief, coastal restoration, and more. Within the company, she manages communications, recycling operations, and research on expanding their impact, such as their work on coastal restoration. She also prides herself on keeping up with Glass Half Full’s social media network of over 250,000 people from around the world. Franziska co-founded Nola Alchemy, which creates jewelry and Mardi Gras Beads from recycled glass, and Glassroots, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding accessibility to recycling.