Hi, my name is Oscar Armando Lopez

Currently I serve as the UNA-USA Youth Observer to the United Nations where I represent American youth on the International Stage and advocate for climate action, youth mental health, multilateral reform, human rights, and democracy. I also serve on the Youth Impact Council, a cross-generational coalition launched during NYC Climate Week to accelerate youth-led global action. Most recently, I was appointed as the U.S. Climate Delegate to the G20 Youth Summit (Y20), where I help shape global climate policy proposals by advancing youth-driven solutions for a more sustainable and equitable future.

I’ve served on several boards, including Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation’s Advisory Board, where I championed mental health equity in Latinx communities and supported the foundation’s $3 million Kindness in Community Fund, helping direct funding to 65 youth-led mental health initiatives across ten countries. I also serve on the Laredo Food Policy Council, where I helped pass a plan to alleviate food deserts in South Texas.

In my hometown, I serve on the Board of Directors for the Webb County Heritage Foundation where I’m focused on ensuring that the stories of border heroes are represented in the Smithsonian Institution’s upcoming National Museum of the American Latino.

My work spans policy, equity, and technology. In 2022, I helped advance the Biden administration’s environmental agenda as White House intern with the Council on Environmental Quality, and in 2021, I worked as a Goldman Sachs Summer Analyst, supporting efforts to expand access to venture capital for women- and minority-founded companies through the firm’s $1 billion Launch With GS initiative.

Over the past few years, I’ve worked to close the digital divide in the United States. In 2019, I was selected as the youngest-ever Google Public Policy Fellow., where I worked with Public Knowledge and the National Hispanic Media Coalition on broadband access, privacy, and artificial intelligence governance. I later authored a filing to the Federal Communications Commission calling for stronger broadband data collection. In 2020, I joined Next Century Cities as a Public Policy Fellow, where I led research on the economic and educational effects of the digital divide on low-income communities.

As a undergradute student at the University of Texas at Austin, I earned degrees in Business Honors and Government. I served as the first Central American Speaker of the Student Government Assembly, where I advocated for expanded access to mental health resources. I also served two terms on the Student Services Budget Committee , helping allocate over $41 million toward student wellness and diversity initiatives.

I’m a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, a recipient of the Texas Exes President’s Leadership Award, and a Story Lab Young Advisor, supporting youth-led storytelling for systems change.

My research has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, and my photography has been exhibited throughout the United States. I’ve spoken and been featured at international forums including the Clinton Global Initiative, the Concordia Summit, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ World Food Forum.

Picture by Matt Wright-Steel