Oscar Lopez

Oscar Armando Lopez III is a researcher and writer from the U.S.-Mexico border whose work spans public policy, youth advocacy, climate action, and multilateral diplomacy. He served as the 13th UNA-USA Youth Observer to the United Nations, where he represented American youth in global forum and helped advance youth priorities within UN processes. He is also a member of the Youth Impact Council, a cross-generational network launched during NYC Climate Week 2024 to accelerate youth-led global action.

Oscar holds a B.A. in Government and a B.B.A. in Business Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. His commitment to inclusive policy making has led him to roles across sectors, including the White House where he advanced federal climate policy through the Council on Environmental Quality during the Biden-Harris administration and Goldman Sachs, where he worked to expand access to venture capital for women and minority-led businesses through the firm’s $1 billion Launch With GS initiative.

In 2025, Oscar was selected to represent the United States at the Y20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he served as the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability delegate, working alongside young leaders from across the globe to shape policy recommendations for G20 leaders.

Oscar also serves as a Young Advisor to the Story Lab, a flagship initiative of the United Nations Foundation's Unlock the Future coalition. In this role, he provides strategic input on content development to ensure that global storytelling initiatives—on issues such as climate justice, youth empowerment, and economic reform —resonate with young people and influence decision-making on the world stage.

Oscar has served on several boards, including Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation’s Advisory Board, where he supported the foundation’s $3 million Kindness in Community Fund, helping direct funding to 65 youth-led mental health initiatives across ten countries; and the United Nations Youth Office’s Mental Health Advocates consultative group where he is supporting efforts to solidify mental health as a human right within international law. He also serves on the Laredo Food Policy Council, where he helped pass a plan to alleviate food deserts in South Texas.

A longtime advocate for digital equity, Oscar was selected as the youngest-ever Google Public Policy Fellow in 2019. His research on the effects of the digital divide on low-income communities led to a formal filing with the Federal Communications Commission focused on improving nationwide efforts to close the digital divide.

In response to growing concerns about water scarcity in his hometown, Oscar co-founded the El Río Es Vida Coalition, a collective of scientists, organizers, and community members working to protect the Rio Grande and secure long-term water access for border communities.

As a student leader, Oscar was the first student of Central American descent to serve as Speaker of the Student Government Assembly at UT Austin and helped allocate over $41 million to initiatives that improved mental health resources and campus diversity. His research has been supported by the Mellon Foundation.

He has 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.