Ava Havidic is a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar at Emory University and a Florida native. She is a global changemaker in environmental policy, with a lifelong commitment to ocean advocacy that began at age 5, shaped by a childhood spent largely overseas. At Emory, Ava serves as a Zero Waste Ambassador, promoting sustainability across campus operations. She has led the Emory Sustainable Food Fair, volunteered in clean-up efforts at Lullwater Park, and served as a campus liaison at the Georgia State Capitol. Ava has consulted over 50 companies, including Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, advising them on corporate sustainability strategies. She founded her own organization, SEAS Connections, and helps steer the Youth Advisory Collective, an initiative supported by leaders from institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, the United Nations, the White House, and Fortune 500 companies. Ava was one of 60 students nationally selected for the U.S. Youth Advisory Council for the UN Ocean Decade and one of 40 globally for the FXB Climate Advocates Program. As a NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador, her environmental work has reached over 70,000 readers. She drafted the 2023 National Youth Statement on Climate as one of 150 delegates at LCOY USA, later presented at COP28, the U.S. Department of State, and the White House. As Co-Climate Education and Chapter Leader for Florida with FXB International, she bridged science and education to empower youth-led climate action, researching the longleaf pine. Ava is the founder of the Broward County chapter of Fridays for Future USA and served as a national organizer, mobilizing a network of 65,000+ youth activists and translating complex UNFCCC processes into accessible content for public engagement. Ava’s integrity and leadership continue to shape the future of public service, inspiring women around the world.