Pamela Flores ’21 is Rising to the Challenge
When Pamela Flores ’21 first came to Syracuse University from her home in Lima, Peru, one of the things that impressed her most on her campus visit was the breadth of majors and schools available to students. Although she was intrigued by the world of government, Flores says she was also apprehensive of studying politics, since Peru has a stigmatized view of how politics work. However, she was drawn to many of the courses offered by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “Seeing how I could actually make a change really inspired me,” she says. “It was a possibility for me to do something for my country.”
I have been fortunate to have encountered professors that believed in me and my potential.
—Pamela Flores ’21
Flores traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2019 to attend the COP3 Minamata Convention on Mercury, an environmental agreement that addresses specific human activities which are contributing to widespread mercury pollution, for an Honors course on environmental justice.
While there, Flores and her classmates—the only students to attend the convention—sat in on sessions and had a chance to interact with some of the presenters and representatives. One session about mining in Peru, a topic she feels strongly about, stood out to her. “It was amazing to see them address how people are actively searching for solutions for pollution caused by mining,” she says. Flores wrote a research paper that explores what she learned about the use of mercury in Latin America, which she hopes to publish.
