18. Advancing youth-led movements for the ocean is essential

Daniela Fernandez is a visionary nonprofit leader and social entrepreneur, who has made it her life’s mission to restore the health of the ocean. She founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) in her dorm room at Georgetown University when she was only 19 years old, after attending a United Nations meeting on climate change and realizing she was the only young person in the room. Even then, Daniela knew political and business leaders were not moving fast enough to prevent disaster. Since 2014, she has catapulted SOA into the global spotlight – creating the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders, establishing a presence in 165 countries, and accelerating more than 270 solutions to heal, protect, and restore our ocean.