San Luis High School Student Takes the Stage at Arizona State Capitol to Address Water Crisis

Junior Figueroa, a high school student from San Luis, will travel to Phoenix to speak at Environmental Day at the Arizona State Capitol.

As Arizona faces growing uncertainty around its water future, rural youth are stepping up and demanding action. 

This week, on Wednesday, February 11, a high school student from the border town of San Luis, AZ, will travel to Phoenix to speak at Environmental Day at the Arizona State Capitol. The event organized by the Sierra Club brings together advocates, lawmakers, and community members to push for solutions that protect Arizona’s climate, water, and environment. 

Junior Figueroa, a junior at San Luis High School in Yuma County, will take the stage to represent not only his community, but young people across rural Arizona who are feeling the impacts of water scarcity. Figueroa hopes to pursue a career in health care or environmental justice and is a former participant of Rural Arizona Engagement’s (RAZE) youth program, RAZE Leaders, which builds leadership and civic engagement skills among rural high school students. 

He describes the San Luis community as “small” and “very connected”, and is proud to be representing them at this year’s Environmental Day. 

“I feel very honored to be the one delivering a speech at the Capitol,” Figueroa said. “Not just to represent my community of San Luis, but the youth voice as well.”

Figueroa’s advocacy was shaped in part by his experience visiting the Grand Canyon during Latino Conservation Week last fall, where he joined RAZE staff and fellow students on a whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado River.

“Learning more about [the Grand Canyon] gave me a better idea of what’s going on with the decrease in water levels in the Colorado River,” he said. “It led me to want to advocate for water sustainability.”

As of February 2026, seven states, including Arizona, remain locked in negotiations over how to stabilize the shrinking Colorado River. If the states fail to reach an agreement by February 14, the federal government has threatened to intervene, and Arizona could face steep cuts to its water supply starting next year. 

For Figueroa, the stakes are personal. “My main concern is the decreasing water levels in Arizona,” he said. “I want to advocate for better water policies.”

He is urging elected officials to move beyond discussion and work directly with the communities most affected. “We want elected officials to not only listen to us, but work with our communities to come to a solution,” Figueroa said.

Figueroa is also calling on other young people to get involved. “Many people my age don't realize, but we are the future,” he said. “We have to help take the lead in advocating for decisions that will directly impact us and our communities. It’s not too late to do research to help us find an ideal solution.”

Junior Figueroa will deliver his speech during Environmental Day at the Arizona State Capitol on Wednesday, February 11, calling on lawmakers to prioritize water sustainability and the future of Arizona. To learn more and get involved, visit raze.org/get-involved.