My Work During COVID-19

It has been challenging during the pandemic for me to work on my campaign. However, since the shut down on March 14, 2020, due to the Coronavirus, I am grateful to have had several opportunities to work with the amazing partners below to share my work and spread my message to Skip the Plastic Straw:

1. OCEANA'S VIRTUAL JUNIOR FISH SCHOOL - APRIL 18, 2020

Thank you OCEANA for inviting me to share my campaign's message to the kids attending the OCEANA's Junior Fish School. With everyone home during the pandemic, OCEANA was able to bring the ocean inside the homes with this fun, interactive Online Junior Fish School. The children learned why oceans are as important to us as they are vast, how their everyday activities impact them and how together, we can restore them! I was very honored to be sharing my campaign alongside two of OCEANA's top scientists: Dr. Geoff Shester (Oceana’s California Campaign Director and Senior Scientist, Monterey, CA) and Dr. Shelley Brown (Director, Sailors for the Sea, Newport, RI).

2. INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER WITH U-RECYCLE INITIATIVE NIGERIA - MAY 11, 2020

I partnered with U-Recycle Initiative Nigeria, a youth led social enterprise focused on advancing a circular economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, to create an Instagram takeover about why plastic straws are harmful, how you can help to reduce your use of plastic straws, and what I've done to help reduce the use of plastic straws. Below, is a slideshow of my Instagram takeover I created! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reach out to the people in Nigeria!

3. KAT·TU·MA·RUM NEWSLETTER - JUNE 21, 2020

Kat·tu·ma·rum is a sustainable brand of kids tees designed to tell stories about climate change. The t-shirts are made by communities impacted by climate change. Their mission is to raise awareness about urgent eco issues, such as the significant amount of plastic in our oceans. I was honored to be featured in their bi-weekly newsletter for kids and parents called the Kat Chat where they shared a profile of me and my Skip the Plastic Straw campaign work. Click here to read the newsletter.

4. PINK AMONG MEN PODCAST - JUNE 24, 2020

Thank you PINK AMONG MEN for allowing me to share my work in your podcast segment called #WCW (Women Crushing-It Wednesday). In this segment, they highlight Womxn of all ages who are doing wonderful things for their community, a specific industry, and/or the world. Check out their website and click here to listen to the podcast (My segment begins at 37:13).

5. OCEAN HEROES VIRTUAL BOOTCAMP - JUNE 26 TO JULY 1 2020

This will be my 3rd year attending the Ocean Heroes Bootcamp (OHBC). The OHBC is a global gathering of youth activists committed to working for a healthy ocean. OHBC is an annual event of the broader Ocean Heroes Network, the mission of which is to empower existing and emerging youth leaders (aged 11-18) to create their own campaigns to take action against ocean plastic pollution.

I attended the very first bootcamp in 2018 in New Orleans and last year's bootcamp in Vancouver, Canada. I always learn so much from the camp and especially love making so many new friends who share a common goal and passion to beat plastic pollution. Sadly because of COVID-19, this year's in-person bootcamp in Vancouver was cancelled, but the amazing team at Ocean Heroes Bootcamp made it possible for over 500 people to attend virtually over six days! This year, I attended the bootcamp with my younger sister, Ella Lin Espinosa, who has always been by my side to help me with my campaign!

At this year's Virtual Bootcamp, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion on "Convincing People to Change Their Behaviors". This panel consisted of two panelists (myself and my fellow Ocean Hero friend, Coda) with moderator Leesa Carter (President of Captain Planet Foundation). Thank you Leesa, it was such an honor to be able to share my stories and suggestions to the kids attending on how to be an effective champion for the ocean.