Robyn Mijares is a 25-year-old environmental educator from the Philippines who founded the country’s first bamboo farm school, providing free environmental and agricultural education to more than 98,000 public-school students nationwide.

Mijares founded Grow School Philippines at 19, while still in high school. Its first campus—the country’s first bamboo farm school—was built entirely from bamboo and powered by solar energy, making the building itself part of lessons about food, land and resource use. The organization provides free environmental and agricultural education to public-school students from low-income communities and reports reaching more than 98,000 students nationwide. Beginning with what appears on a plate, its programs connect farming and food security to climate resilience. Mijares has since spoken at TEDx, been honored by Vogue Philippines, received UNDRR’s 2024 WIN DRR Rising Star Award and worked with UNDP, UNICEF Philippines and even Barbie.

As founder and executive director, Mijares leads Grow School Philippines’ education programs, partnerships and national outreach. She centers the experiences of Filipino students living with food insecurity and recurring climate disasters.