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Last September, Daniela Fernandez and the Sustainable Oceans Alliance brought a number of high-profile speakers to the Hilltop for the Our Oceans, One Future Summit on ocean preservation. (Photo courtesy Daniela Fernandez)

February 13, 2017 鈥� When Daniela Fernandez (C鈥�17) found herself sitting in on a United Nations meeting on ocean preservation, it awakened an urgency to build awareness among young people about the environmental issue. Today, her work with the聽 (SOA)聽has earned a spot in the聽United Nations Youth Solutions Report.

Fernandez was able to attend the 2014 U.N. summit courtesy of a connection from the聽. It was a dream come true, she recalled, but as the summit progressed, she was overcome by a feeling she hadn鈥檛 anticipated 鈥� fear.

鈥淚 was afraid for the future of our oceans,鈥漵he said. 鈥淎fraid to think about what having no fish by 2040 would mean, for example.鈥�

She thought the statistics were grim. By the time she returned to her residence hall, Fernandez felt she had no choice but to act.

鈥淏efore leaving, I spoke to the ambassador of Palau, asked him if they used social media, if they had any communication outlets to reach my generation,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淎nd he said 鈥楴o, we鈥檙e not focused on that at the moment.鈥� And I thought that was a huge problem. You have to communicate this issue to my generation, because we鈥檙e going to be the ones that have to tackle it during our lifetime.鈥�

Fernandez鈥檚 jarring wake-up call blossomed into a movement when she founded SOA in 2014. It rapidly evolved from a small group of passionate Georgetown students to a massive, multi-chaptered organization that promotes millennial involvement in saving the oceans.

鈥淚 wanted to reach people outside the environmental movement,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ot just those who want to be biologists and scientists, but those who want to be politicians or CEOs.鈥�

As SOA founder and CEO, Fernandez garnered national attention last year:聽聽SOA鈥檚 recent U.N. report recognition now puts it among 50 youth-led projects in line with the U.N.鈥檚聽.

Fernandez suspects this honor is related to SOA鈥檚 expansion and longevity. It鈥檚 one thing to put on a successful conference, as many admirable college startup groups do, but it鈥檚 another to duplicate the feat while expanding to several campuses, developing corporate partnerships and generating tangible change, she says.

Since its inception on the Hilltop, SOA has stuck it its goal of promoting millennial engagement by launching chapters at Columbia University, The George Washington University, American University, Stanford University, Wesleyan University and Centre 海角论坛. Fernandez has her eye on 50 U.S. chapters in the next year, and potential international expansion beyond that.

鈥淲e鈥檙e aiming to reach 200 chapters by 2018, including some outside the U.S.,鈥� she said.

In 2015, SOA partnered with The Economist on the World Ocean Summit, a conference in Portugal on oceanic preservation. Fernandez wrote an article for the newsmagazine on millennial engagement in ocean issues and will soon return to speak at the Summit鈥檚 , held in Bali, Indonesia.

Lest we suspect that activism on the Hilltop had fallen by the wayside amidst this expansion, Fernandez noted that SOA helped create Georgetown鈥檚 first ocean law policy class, going as far as creating a syllabus and recruiting a professor, (C鈥�83). While Fernandez was quick to credit some of her core government classes 鈥斅爏pecifically Comparative Political Systems and International Relations 鈥� with guiding her vision for SOA, she felt that an ocean-focused curriculum was a necessary addition.

SOA鈥檚 growth has even featured some serious star power: At last fall鈥檚 on campus, the organization partnered with the U.S. Department of State for a panel discussion on ocean preservation featuring Secretary of State John Kerry and actor-activist Adrian Grenier.

One major question looms for Fernandez: When you鈥檝e founded a national organization, traveled halfway around the world, and met a sitting Cabinet member, all in support of your lifelong passion, what do you plan for after graduation?

鈥淚 hope to make SOA its own standalone organization,鈥� Fernandez said. 鈥淚f that works out, I鈥檒l decide if I would run it full-time or just remain on the board and hire someone to do so. But I鈥檓 working to make sure SOA lives on after my graduation.鈥�

To that end, the SOA hasn鈥檛 forgotten its roots: This year鈥檚 Third Annual Sustainable Oceans Summit 鈥� organized by SOA Georgetown chapter President Elena Itameri (COL鈥�18) in conjunction with Will Hackman (MPP鈥�18) and the McCourt School of Public Policy鈥檚 Energy & Environmental Policy Group 鈥斅爓ill take place on Earth Day, April 22.

Fernandez is focusing her own energies on external relations and long-term planning as the organization鈥檚 Board Chair. Where she goes next is still up in the air. But as far as college careers go, a UN recognition for your organization isn鈥檛 a bad final chapter.