Lauren Ong ’26 Leads the Way for Wildlife Conservation
Concord Academy junior Lauren Ong ’26 is an emerging voice in environmental conservation. Driven by a passion for wildlife protection, her engagement spans from local advocacy to global research on endangered species.
Growing up in San Diego, Lauren developed a strong connection to nature by gardening with her parents and grandparents. Her fascination with plants and animals only deepened as she traveled the world, immersing herself in different ecosystems.
In middle school, a life-changing trip to Kenya introduced her to the pangolin, an endangered species she had never heard of before. This encounter ignited her drive for conservation, prompting her to get involved with The Pangolin Project.
Pangolins face imminent extinction due to threats from electric fencing, habitat destruction, and poaching. Through outreach to electronics companies for donations and extensive fundraising, Lauren secured trail cameras for the Nyekweri Forest in Kenya, the last stronghold of the Giant Ground Pangolin.
Initially, the exact number of pangolins remaining in this region was unknown. However, scientists analyzed the camera footage and identified around 30 individuals. The conservation effort continues, with The Pangolin Project team volunteering to educate communities in Kenya about the species.
During her time at Concord Academy, Lauren’s work has also taken her to the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve, a cloud forest region in Ecuador, where she contributes to the organization’s study on puma populations. The project highlights how human activities, such as agriculture and urbanization, fragment natural habitats and pose a threat to the apex predators.
Lauren volunteered her expertise in fundraising and with trail cameras, serving in a hands-on role reviewing footage. Through close observation and analysis, she has been able to identify different individuals and track their movement patterns.
She also assisted in tagging two pumas, providing data for understanding their health and genetics. In collaboration with the reserve’s research team, including a biologist and genomics expert, Lauren helped analyze the pumas’ DNA and discovered potential early signs of inbreeding within the population—which may be a result of land fragmentation.
This was the first test of its kind for pumas in South America. The team plans to continue testing additional pumas to expand its sample size. Supporting the health of these top predators plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the region’s entire ecosystem.
Lauren recently showcased her puma research in a poster display at The Plant and Animal Genome Conference in San Diego. At just 17, she was the youngest presenter. She described the experience as an incredible opportunity to share her work with the scientific community and help build awareness.
Back in Concord, she is currently developing an environmental app to share her passion for ecology with the CA community. The app will feature fundraising campaigns to support her efforts in conserving the puma and pangolin populations.
A member of O.A.C. (Organic Action for Communities), she is also collaborating with that student club and CA’s student environmental representatives to feature local sustainability opportunities on the app. Asher Seidman ’26 and Computer Science Department Head Ben Stumpf ’88 lent their coding expertise to the project
In addition to science, Lauren is also committed to athletics and is an accomplished fencer. She recently earned national recognition by winning a medal at the U.S.A. Summer Nationals, and the July Challenge. For Lauren, fencing has taught her invaluable life lessons, such as the importance of persistence and focus. She applies these same principles to her conservation work, seeing them as interconnected.
Looking back on her experiences, Lauren has learned that conservation success is about more than just data—it’s about building relationships. For CA students interested in environmentalism, she offers this advice: “Make as many connections as possible. Reaching out to people, sharing your ideas, and asking for help is key to making real change.”
