Martina Bahiana Basgall Sequeira

From a very early age, Martina’s love of learning was encouraged by her mother, who despite financial limitations was always finding ways to get her closer to books. Bedtime stories sparked not only Martina’s love of reading but also her curiosity about the world around her – and led her to believe firmly in the transformative power of education. Martina believes that young people need to look for spaces where they can ask critical questions and find answers – which is why she is actively involved in projects focused on education, the climate crisis, equal opportunities and youth participation. In this way, she aims to connect with young leaders from all parts of the country and contribute positively to solutions. 

To help address the climate crisis and remedy the lack of environmental education in schools, Martina joined the School of Environmental Educators – a programme delivered by Youth for Climate and UNICEF that seeks to train young agents of change on various environmental issues. Together with two other students, she has organised and facilitated workshops on climate change for the student community. In addition, she has pursued other environmental campaigns by volunteering as part of the Economía Ambientalia team at Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza, whose objective is the mitigation of threats to the Mar Chiquita de Córdoba wetland through research, conservation and entrepreneurship projects. Martina’s work entails planning activities in conjunction with other shorebird sites at the national and international level, including an exchange between the United States and Argentina. Beyond environmental goals, she has also worked to construct emergency housing with TECHO Argentina, an NGO that provides housing to families in poverty or affected by natural disasters. 

Martina’s achievements have been recognised with scholarship awards and admission to prestigious international programmes. She was recently selected from more than 10,000 students worldwide to participate in the Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) programme in the Politics, Law, and Economics sessions – as part of which Yale University awarded her a $6,500 scholarship to cover maintenance, expenses and fees. In addition, she is currently a scholarship recipient of the US State Department’s Opportunity Funds programme; this provides outstanding Argentinian students with financial aid to apply to universities in the United States, as well as advice on applications and standardised tests.  

With the Global Student Prize funds, Martina would donate to the various organisations she volunteers with, which often face financial limitations that affect their ability to fully develop their projects and maximise their impact on the community. In the case of TECHO Argentina, for instance, this would mean raising funds to build 50 emergency homes for families living in precarious settlements, providing them with a solid foundation to build a better future. At Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza, it would mean funding leadership and empowerment programmes designed to provide young people with the necessary tools to become agents of change in their communities – as well as ensuring these programs are accessible to all.