Claudia Sheinbaum

Claudia Sheinbaum was born on June 24th , 1962, in Mexico City, Mexico. She was born to Annie Pardo Cemo and Carlos Sheinbaum. Her mother was a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and she was also a biologist. Her father was a chemical engineer. Sheinbaum’s future interest in activism may have been influenced by her parents, considering their participation in Mexico’s 1968 protest movement. She grew up in Mexico City and eventually studied at the same university where her mother worked, UNAM. There, she studied physics, earning both her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees, as well as a Ph.D. in energy engineering. A nickname given to her by the people in Mexico is “La Doctora,” showing their appreciation for her intelligence. She finished her studies at UNAM in 1995, following which she worked there for five years as a faculty member. She was a researcher at the Institute of Engineering. She then returned to research there, working on many different writing projects, including two published books and over 100 scientific articles on the environment, from 2006 to 2015.

During her time at UNAM as a professor, she was involved in other important projects, including research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 2000, Claudia Sheinbaum was appointed Mexico City’s environmental minister by the mayor of Mexico City. While she was in this role, she made several positive changes to the city. An example of this is when she oversaw the start of the city’s bus system.

In 2015, Sheinbaum was elected Mayor of the Tlalpan district. During this time, she had to overcome many challenges that were thrown at her. In one instance, there was an earthquake in her area in which people died. Sheinbaum was blamed for these deaths. But she also accomplished many important things for her district as well, including supporting water rights and working to improve water management. Even though she faced challenges, her popularity continued to grow. In 2018, she was elected mayor of Mexico City. She was the first female and Jewish person to serve as mayor. During this time, she focused on protecting the environment and making the transportation systems safer for citizens.

In 2023, she left her position as mayor to run for the presidency. In 2024, at 61 years old, she was elected as the first woman and first Jewish President of Mexico, leading the country with the idea that every citizen should have healthcare and educational rights and paving the path for other women in the future.

Claudia Sheinbaum is an amazing example for women around the world of how to be ambitious and strive to achieve many amazing things in life. The number of accomplishments that Claudia Sheinbaum has achieved is amazing, and it is incredible to know that her term as the first female and Jewish President of Mexico has just begun.