Mariana is a junior at High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan. She participates on her school’s cross country team and is a practicing vegan. Mariana hopes to become a journalist and pursue activism through storytelling. Passionate about animal rights and the climate impacts of meat consumption, she previously started a petition which called on the U.S. Department of Education to serve vegan options in all public schools.

Mariana views climate change as a top issue. She believes that if we want to make any positive, measurable changes in the world, we must start with climate change. Climate change is endangering the ability of all living things to thrive because of the mindless decisions we are making, and our addiction to fossil fuels. Because climate change is the ultimate intersectional issue, if we do not take action to try and solve it, then everything else we hope to change may not matter. Without swift action, Mariana believes the world will fall into crisis over land, water, resources and food.

If we work to make her generation more aware of the effects of climate change in their lives, Mariana believes they will investigate the problem until they find solutions. That’s exactly what she hopes to do through the ACE Action Fellowship.