What is your preferred first name (full name or nickname)?

Sukhmony (SUKH-muh-nee), but you can also call me Sukh!

Where did you grow up?

Bakersfield, CA

Where did you attend undergrad and what was your major?

I attended UC Berkeley where I studied Biology and English Literature

How did you become interested in food systems?

Although I grew up spending weekends at my grandparents’ raisin farm in Delano, CA, I first began to think critically about the food system while studying at UC Berkeley. During my sophomore year, I started volunteering at a student-run, nonprofit grocery store called the Berkeley Student Food Collective. It was in this space that I formed some of my deepest relationships while in college and learned about cooperative models of business, food sovereignty, community organizing, and the practical elements of operating a community-facing grocery store.

What does transforming the food system mean to you?

Transforming the food system means restoring our personal and collective relationships to the land we live on. I believe each of us can transform the food system by engaging in radical (re)education about the historical context of our current food system; participating in community-led efforts to divest from corporate, industrial food systems and invest in community-centric foodways; and practicing reciprocity, collective care, and indigenous and intergenerational ways of knowing to cultivate community resiliency in the midst of climate change.

What do you do in your free time?

I enjoy writing poetry, identifying plants, playing tennis, and sharing food with friends and family!

What University of Michigan program are you in?

URP

Awards

2024 North Campus Deans’ MLK Spirit Award (received for MURP Radical Planning course)
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning Brademas Fellowship