Kendall Ford is a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is pursuing a double major in Environmental Health Science and Public Policy. Passionate about environmental justice and youth engagement, Kendall brings both academic rigor and real-world experience to the climate space. At UNC, he is an active member of Epsilon Eta, the environmental professional fraternity, a dancer with Que Rico—the university’s Latin Dance Team—and serves on the expedition staff of the Carolina Outing Club. He also serves as a Buckley Public Service Scholar and is a varsity athlete on the UNC Men’s Crew Team.

A native of Florida’s east coast, Kendall grew up along the St. Johns River, where the natural environment played an early and influential role in shaping his values. While serving as Senior Class President and maintaining a 4.7 GPA in high school, he deepened his commitment to environmental conservation, combining leadership with grassroots action.

As an Eagle Scout, he led a citywide initiative to install bat houses, mitigating habitat loss caused by local deforestation. He later partnered with the University of Florida to conduct research on PFAS and heavy metal contamination in historically redlined neighborhoods, as a member of the Jacksonville Youth Environmental Council. His dedication to equity-centered environmental work continued through four years with Groundwork Jacksonville, where he focused on engaging underrepresented youth in environmental programming.

Kendall has worked in some of the nation’s most iconic ecosystems, including Yellowstone National Park, where he spent a month with the Youth Conservation Corps. Most recently, through his involvement with EarthEcho International, Kendall served as a ResilienSea (now Blue Carbon Ambassadorship) extern—workshopping projects related to regenerative aquaculture and the blue economy—and currently sits on the organization’s Youth Leadership Council. In this role, he co-hosted a statewide youth summit focused on the High Seas Treaty and youth engagement in environmental policy and sits on the council’s event committee. Kendall is driven by the belief that meaningful climate action must be inclusive, intergenerational, and justice-centered.