A.S. CT State Northwestern Community College ‘21, B.S. Environmental Systems and Sustainability, Southern CT State University ‘24

At the start of my academic journey, I struggled to find a path that reflected both my passion for protecting the environment and helping people meaningfully. As a 19-year-old juggling two part-time jobs while attending college, it felt like I had to choose one job over the other. Attending the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights (OCHR) at no cost - through an OCHR Scholarship - was transformative. I connected with others who shared my values and learned how environmental sustainability and human rights are deeply intertwined. The experience shaped my academic and professional trajectory. I’ve since worked with a sustainability nonprofit helping municipalities become more resilient, and now work in a Regional Planning Agency, assisting towns in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect public health and foster

equitable development.

A.S. CTState Tunxis Community College

As a Latina Peruvian student who wants to become a business leader one day, I’m taking all the knowledge learned from Oxford University, confident to turn it into actionable measures in the business field, always helping my community, the Latino community, supporting their rights, and as a woman, supporting women’s rights, and advocating to solve the remaining issues about Climate crisis in the business field that often go ignored. I am immensely grateful to the OCHR board for making this journey possible. All the knowledge I gained and the friendships I formed during my time at Oxford have changed my thoughts and have influenced my personality completely in a positive way. This experience has reinforced my belief in the importance of Human Rights advocacy, I am excited about the projects ahead of me, ready to take the next step to advocate for the injustices in my local community, and continue to help make this world a better place.