Ámbar Reyes Pérez

“Climate change is the most important issue we have ever had. If we do not tackle it, all other issues will not matter. Tackling it starts small, on the individual level but there is so much individuals can do. It is up to our government, local, state, and national, to make climate action the priority it is. It is imperative that Florida commits and meets the 100% renewable energy plan because it would take the step one huge step closer towards saving itself. Florida’s coastlines are amongst the most threatened due to rising sea levels and erosion. If nothing is done now, while climate action can still prove to be effective, it will only be a short, few decades before Florida is a relic of the past. I moved to Florida when I was fourteen and I finished growing up here. I do not want to see my second home lost to time and history when there are steps we can take and we can take them right now. I urge Florida to think of its citizens, those born here and those, like me, who transplanted themselves and have learned to love it, and make the necessary commitments before it is too late. Let’s work to keep the Sunshine State above water.”

Ámbar Reyes Pérez is a senior at UCF with a Political Science Pre-Law and Spanish double major and a Diplomacy minor. She is the Vice President and 100% Renewable Energy Campus Campaign Coordinator of Florida PIRG at UCF. She grew up in Puerto Rico, an island highly susceptible to tragic natural disasters. In September 2017, a ravenous Category 5 Hurricane, Hurricane María ravaged the island. Life on the island has never been the same. Since then, she has worked on educating myself and preparing and adjusting her path towards a greener, more sustainable life path. Through coordinating this 100% campaign, she has had a hands-on experience in learning how to tackle climate change and work with others, mobilizing to take effective climate action. She has enjoyed what she has done and learned so much that she is now seriously considering a career focused on preserving, conserving, and protecting the environment. She is also the second-year Speech captain of the UCF Speech Team and throughout her four years in the activity, she has learned how to become a thoughtful advocate on issues that transcend herself and her community, such as climate change. She hopes to do a lot more for the environment over the course of her life.