November 27, 2023
Highland Park Middle School social studies teacher Sofía Cerkvenik is one of 15 delegates from Minnesota selected to participate in COP28 in Dubai, an annual international climate conference hosted by the United Nations. Adopted from Lima, Perú, Sofia grew up in St. Paul and attended the SPPS Spanish immersion program from kindergarten through high school. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Minnesota and participated in several international education programs, including as a Fulbright Research Scholar in 2022.
Joining Sofía at COP28 is a diverse group of youth, educators, farmers, artists, authors and advocates who are passionate about addressing climate change and working toward an equitable future. The delegation will be actively engaged in civil society events and partnership to humanize the climate conference experience, shedding light on the stories that so often don’t make it into mainstream media.
At COP28, world leaders will continue to strategize on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which was ratified and signed in 2015. Particular to this COP, the negotiations aim to solidify national commitments to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, build climate resilience through loss and damage funding, and mobilize finance overall at scale. Learn more about COP28 and the Minnesota delegation on the Climate Generation website.
