Valentina Mendoza Cruz

The Fulbright University of Exeter Summer Institute on Global Sustainability

Valentina Mendoza Cruz is from Columbus, Ohio and is currently a rising sophomore at Denison University where she is double majoring in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. Valentina is an executive member of the campus Green Team as well as La Fuerza Latina among other campus and community involvements.

As a first generation student and the daughter of Mexican parents, Valentina is passionate about education, accessibility, and environmental justice. Valentina enjoys making connections between her Latin American community and academic interests in the environment. She is incredibly grateful for this opportunity and looks forward to expanding her perspective, exploring the ways STEM links to community resilience, and taking what she learns back home to further campus sustainability initiatives at the University of Exeter.

Traveling to the UK for the first time, Valentina is excited to immerse herself in all Exeter has to offer from cuisine, arts, history, and nature. She is eager to share her unique experiences and background, meet the rest of the 2024 cohort of remarkable students, and learn from this new experience.