Every week for the past four years, Sanna Alas has volunteered at Jordan High, an underserved school in Watts, as part of UCLA’s Mentors for Academic and Peer Support program.
Credit: Roger J. Wyan
Noticing the health disparities that the students face, she is encouraging healthy eating habits and helping students tell their story through film as they turn an abandoned plot of land across the street from the school into a community garden.
As a UC Global Food Initiative student fellow, she and UCLA’s Claudia Varney are making a short documentary that focuses on the Jordan High students and other urban gardeners in Los Angeles.
“I wanted to do something that puts the power back in the students’ hands,” Alas said.
The documentary addresses health, food access and social justice — issues that remain important to Alas, who just graduated from UCLA.
Alas plans to continue supporting the students and community of Jordan High in developing the garden. She also plans to pursue a career in medicine, applying her skills to create a medical practice that is more receptive to community voices and struggles.