Erica Fernandez, a 19-year-old Hueneme High School graduate now in her second year at Stanford with a focus on environmental justice, was honored for her dedication to conserving the planet by renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and U.N. messenger of peace.

“When they called my name, I was speechless,” said Fernandez, who received the Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Award during the recent 2009 Global Leadership Awards Celebration at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

“It was more than an award; it was an honor and gave me an amazing feeling of gratitude,” she said. “There’s no words to explain how I feel. It’s like a dream come true.”

Founded in 1991 by Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, the Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen for communities, animals and the environment.

With tens of thousands of young people in 110 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youths of all ages who share a desire to create a better world.

Young people identify problems in their communities and take action, ultimately making a difference across the globe.

“More than 100,000 Roots & Shoots members globally are invited to apply for the award every year,” said national program manager Allison Deines.

To win “is an extraordinary achievement,” Deines said, noting that honorees are those under 25 who have shown an ongoing commitment to creating positive change in their communities.

“They must also demonstrate excellence and leadership through initiatives that preserve our natural world, protect animals and benefit our human community,” Deines said. “Award winners’ interests are varied, but they all are united by a commitment to Dr. Jane’s most cherished ideal — that each of us, every day, can choose to make a difference.”

Learning young

A native of Mexico, Fernandez moved to the United States at 10 and learned English through full immersion.

“I grew up in a very small little town where it was strictly an environmental way of living; it was a lifestyle,” recalled Fernandez, who is involved in the Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability chapter of the Ecological Society of America at Stanford University.

“We grew our own organic food — we didn’t use pesticides — and there was a lagoon behind my house,” she said. “There were no cars, and my parents worked in the fields during the day. It was a simple way of living. And it was expected of us to respect the environment.”

She was inspired to take her advocacy to a higher level while living in Oxnard at age 12, when she participated in a local beach clean-up day.

“I met people there who were working on environmental issues,” she said. “At that point I didn’t know the language very well so it was hard, but they educated me.”

Early activism

While attending high school in Oxnard, Fernandez organized youth and Latino communities to protest BHP Billiton’s proposal to build a liquefied natural gas terminal off the Ventura and Malibu coastlines.

In other numerous efforts over the years, she has received the Earth Island Institute’s Brower Youth Award; a U.S. House of Representatives — Speaker of the House Award; the San Francisco’s Mayor Award; a U.S. President’s Award; and the Julia Brownley — California Legislature Award.

In 2008, she was one of 100 youths from around the world selected to attend the Jane Goodall Global Youth Summit. She also addressed the 2008 Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, and most recently spoke to 4,000 youths at a global climate change summit in Mexico.

“Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots was proud to be able to recognize Erica’s incredible dedication to environmental justice and the idea that a united community can really make a difference,” Deines said. “We hope that through this award she will continue to inspire young people to believe in themselves and take action in support of issues about which they are passionate.”