Marcela de Oliveira Fernandes

Marcela (17), is from Brazil. Growing up in Cabo de Santa Marta, Marcela faced an education system with no guarantees — classes were often cancelled, and many children, especially girls, dropped out due to child labor or felt completely disconnected from what they were being taught.

Determined to change that, Marcela founded Institute Monroe, a leadership space built around her own experience. She designed a 30+ page, 12-unit curriculum connecting gender inequality and education gaps to local realities, then selected and mentored 16 girls from vulnerable backgrounds, building their confidence and leadership through 20+ hours of hands-on workshops. She guided six student-led advocacy projects, turning personal struggles into real proposals for schools and local leaders — while also connecting participants to protection resources around domestic violence and school safety.

To bring more role models into girls’ lives, Marcela arranged 8+ interviews with women in STEM and higher education.

She also founded Ludomática, transforming games like UNO and Monopoly into tools for teaching math through real-life situations like budgeting and local trade.

Through her work with the MOV organization, her content on COP30 has reached around 300,000 views, with 11,000+ followers supporting her mission.