<aside> 🗣️ Hi, I'm Maricielo, or Mari, and I have been accepted into the Natural Sciences and Business major at Minerva University Class of 2029.

I am a Peruvian advocate for climate justice and gender equity.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX0DR65LCAA

🌈 My Story

I was born in Lima, but I come from a Quechua migrant family from the central highlands: Casablanca, a village three hours from the city of Huancayo, Junín. My commitment to environmental protection was born when I witnessed the consequences of the climate crisis in the communities of Lima's periphery: floods and food shortages. Inspired by my grandmother's teachings on respect for Pacha Mama (mother earth) and food self-sufficiency, I became a committed advocate.

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📚 Trajectory and Impact

I am the Leader of the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA) and an ambassador for Tilting Futures. I have submitted proposals to the UN during YOUNGA, and participated in energy and climate policy processes in South Africa as an intern at The Green Connection.

I was selected by Operación COP Perú, where I was trained in climate negotiation and contributed to the final declaration of the Regional Conference of Youth (RCOY) for Latin America and the Caribbean.

I was also part of meetings such as Voices That Inspire in Panama, the Climate Justice Camp in Tanzania, and the Latin American Ecofeminist Camp in Colombia, spaces where women advocates from the global south share struggles, learnings and solutions.

For 4 years I have been part of Ollas Sostenibles, an organization that promotes circular solutions for food, water and energy in peripheral communities of Lima. With this collaborative work, I have been recognized by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), TikTok LATAM and UNEP (United Nations Environment Program).

My goal is to continue to develop innovative solutions that integrate sustainability and social justice, prioritizing frontline communities, like mine, that have been displaced or affected by the impacts of the climate crisis.

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🎓 My educational goal

I have been accepted into the Natural Sciences program at Minerva University (San Francisco, USA), the most innovative university in the world, with only 1% admission rate.

<aside> 💥 I will be the first Peruvian to study at Minerva and the first in my family to access the university.

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My mother learned to write her name at the age of 15, and my grandmother never knew what a school was; growing up in with these stories did not stop me from aiming high, on the contrary, it motivated me to make a change in my family.

This step represents not only an opportunity for me, but for the youth of the global south who face the crisis from the front line.