Jacqueline Chang grew up in a Southern California suburb and never went camping as a child. So when she toured the Masumoto family’s 80-acre organic farm near Fresno in April with other UC Global Food Initiative student fellows, she was thrilled.
“It’s really cool for me to see literally where my food is coming from,” Chang said. “I’ve eaten Masumoto peaches from Berkeley Bowl, but to touch the fuzzy little peaches here (on the farm) is great.”
Chang has nurtured her interest in health and social justice through her GFI fellowship. She has been working with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources on a survey to assess student hunger.
The project’s goal is to understand issues of food access, use of campus resources, prevalence of food insecurity and consequences of food insecurity among UC students. The survey findings will help inform the use of funding of $75,000 per campus that UC President Janet Napolitano allocated to support food security and access for students.
Chang, who just graduated from UC Berkeley with a major in nutritional sciences, wants to become a registered dietitian or work in the field of public health law, so she can help communities improve their health.
“My experience with GFI has definitely played a role in shaping my career thoughts because it's given me a firsthand look at how research is conducted, and how findings might be used to inform both programs and policies to strategically address needs,” Chang said. “I've seen so many different parts along the spectrum that I just want to try them all!”