When Kate Kaplan enrolled at UC Berkeley, she wanted to be involved with sustainability but didn’t know where to start. After stumbling into the Student Organic Garden Association, she found a place to both grow food and pursue a career path.
Credit: Roger J. Wyan
As a UC Global Food Initiative student fellow, Kaplan is working on a project to make it easier for other students to find their way: She is compiling information about experiential learning in food systems education within the UC system.
The results have been impressive: After surveying campuses, Kaplan has identified 155 programs and 200 courses in the UC system with experiential learning opportunities in food and agriculture. She is working over the next month to get the information published online.
“I hope it will show students existing programs on other campuses they might want on their campuses,” Kaplan said. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel at every campus.”
Kaplan said it has been inspiring to see how dedicated other UC students are to food issues and is looking forward to attending the July 20 symposium for Global Food Initiative and Carbon Neutrality Initiative student fellows in San Francisco.
She just graduated from UC Berkeley and is preparing for her next food-related journey — she is planning to start a sustainable coffee company.