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

Carlina (car-lee-nuh)

Where did you grow up?

Chicago, IL; Portage Park on the NW side to be exact

Where did you attend undergrad and what was your major?

I attended Grinnell College where I majored in Anthropology and Spanish with an Environmental Studies concentration.

How did you become interested in food systems?

I have been fascinated with the role of food in my family’s stories and traditions since my childhood. In high school, I grew interested in food systems when I had a chance to start connecting the multiple facets of food by working on a greenhouse and food assistance project in the Near West side of Chicago. This interest has carried on into my college and professional experiences. 

What does transforming the food system mean to you?

To me, transforming the food system means shifting the system to become based on the principle of nourishment across all the different touchpoints of the system: workers, consumers, animals, land, etc., and centering cultural traditions and relationships. In other words, moving away from the current status quo of exploitation that is prevalent in our modern food system.

What do you do in your free time?

In my free time, I hang out with my partner and two kitties, train capoeira, and try to find good spots to go dancing (reach out with any recommendations)!

What University of Michigan program are you in?

SEAS and URP

Awards: 2023 Eco-Friendly Mobile Farm Stand Scholarship from the Eco-Friendly Mobile Farm Stand Project and the Edna Bailey Sussman Fund for Graduate Environmental Internships.

My name is Coco Rios Escobar. I was raised in Los Angeles, CA by immigrant parents and siblings from southern Chiapas, MX.

I moved away from Los Angeles to earn my B.A. from UC Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology and earn my minors in Global Public Health and Chicanx Studies. During my undergraduate career, I spent a semester away from school to live in my parents’ hometowns with my extended family. After returning to UC Berkeley, I became interested in studying food systems and seeking ways to feel more connected to land, community, and food such as what I had experienced in Mexico.

I view transforming the food system as fostering sustainable relationships to land, community resiliency, and food sovereignty.

I enjoy making my own kombucha, sourdough bread, and pizza at home along with taking multiple naps and finishing entire novels on multi-day camping trips.

What University of Michigan program are you in?

SPH

Awards: SPH Internship Transition Fund

My name is L’Oreal Hawkes-Willams. I grew up in Detroit and did my undergrad at U of M where my studies centered around Ecology and African American Studies.

I became interested in food systems when I read about a spinach recall that affected 11 or so states. I was mortified at the idea of so many places sourcing their produce from one place and how one incident could affect so many people.

To me, transforming the food system means empowering communities with the knowledge to restore their environments while providing themselves with organic, nutrient dense foods; all while supporting local economies and community learning.

In my spare time I like to garden, make films and cook.

What University of Michigan program are you in?

SEAS

Awards: CEW+ Scholarship

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

Lunia, but feel free to call me Lu!

Where did you grow up?

Wasilla, Alaska

Where did you attend undergrad and what was your major?

University of Michigan with a BSE in Climate and Meteorology

How did you become interested in food systems?

I became interested in food systems from my time at the University of Michigan Sustainable Food Program (UMSFP) and the University of Michigan Campus Farm. The more I immersed myself in urban agriculture, food production and food justice, the more I knew that this was to be a significant part of my life’s work. 

What does transforming the food system mean to you?

To me, transforming the food system has several necessities: 

1. Maximizing avenues to claim/reclaim land stewardship and ownership for historically marginalized groups in agriculture,
2. Empowering urban and rural communities to develop their own community-driven solutions to providing accessible and nutritious food for themselves, and
3. Dismantling corporate power in the global food system while holding corporations accountable for their contribution to environmental degradation and climate change.

What do you do in your free time?

I enjoy listening to podcasts, reading, knitting, learning languages, and brewing homemade kombucha!

What University of Michigan program are you in?

URP

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

Kenneth, Ken, or Kenny

Where did you grow up?

Detroit & Eastpointe Michigan

Where did you attend undergrad and what was your major?

Michigan State University – Bachelor of Organic and Sustainable Horticulture

How did you become interested in food systems?

I became interested in the food system by observing the diet related illness that plague my community and socioeconomic demographic.

What does transforming the food system mean to you?

To me transforming food systems means transforming people’s way of life. I believe this can be done by educating the public and possibly through food policy reform to assess the “safety”/
healthiness of consuming processed foods and sugary beverages. Overall transforming the food systems could potentially mean lessening the occurrence of diet related illness and fatalities.

What do you do in your free time?

In my free time I enjoy reading the Bible, journaling, outdoor activities, spending time with friends and listening to music.

What University of Michigan program are you in?

SPH