Last summer I interned for the NYC Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program Corporate Office, where I manage daily reports from SNAP centers across and maintain files for SNAP executives to ensure proper statistical analysis. Currently, I attend New York City College of Technology majoring in Hospitality Management with a focus in culinary arts. Last year, I explored the field of organic agriculture, fabric arts, and animal husbandry at the White- Violet Center for Eco-justice in Indiana. I worked in a 320 acre of forestland and a 5-acre organic garden tending to alpacas and maintaining crops in high tunnels for harvesting. I also volunteered at a local food pantry providing families in need with groceries.

My interest in food justice began when I became curious about the impact  food choices have on health outcomes in low-income communities. I dug deeper into the food-related issues affecting the Bronx and noticed that many neighborhoods are flooded with processed foods from fast-food chains. For the past seven years, the Bronx has been classified as the unhealthiest county in New York State and one of the poorest.

Each of my volunteer experiences has exposed me to new ways of improving the landscape of underserved communities. As a Food Security Advocate, I connected students with farmers’ markets, SNAP, and other programs that would help them become more food secure and empower them to take control of their health. I volunteered at New York Common Pantry, Edible School Yard, and The Coalition for Healthy School Food, to change the unhealthy food culture in schools. I also interned for Bronx District 87 as a policy researcher and introduced a farm-to-school proposal to change the way children eat. The proposal combined agriculture and education to lower food-insecurity and obesity rates in NYC.

Having experienced food insecurity at a young age. I believe it is important to attend to the immediate needs of the people while also empowering them to take exercise their choice to challenge unhealthy food cultures. One of my goals is to create a guide/cookbook as a resource for SNAP recipients to learn about the food pantries, farmers markets, and incentives that are accessible with their EBT. To also provide recipes that will be nutritious, inexpensive, and flavorful. I believe reforming our current systems of inequality begins giving people in need a helping hand and tools to help them thrive. With that philosophy is how I approach community engagements and service work. Upon graduating, I intend to obtain my Masters degree in Culinary Nutrition and write a cookbook focused on plant based cuisine. I plan on converting my abilities and experiences where I can supply change in a space I am passionate about.