When I was growing up, I never dreamt of going to college, let alone go beyond elementary school. I grew up in a rural town on the south pacific coast of Guatemala. Despite the lack of money and the constant struggle to have food to eat, I enjoyed my childhood. I had more than enough cousins to form a team to play soccer against other kids in the neighborhood. At school I excelled in all my classes and I had a close group of friends. When the weekends came, I looked forward to going to church with my grandmother. When I wanted time alone, the remaining patches of wilderness near our home offered a place to clear my thoughts and enjoy the outdoors. This is not to say that my time as a child in Guatemala was always peaceful. Gang violence was ubiquitous and it was not uncommon to learn that someone had been murdered. My father realized that this was not the environment to grow a family. So, in the mid-2000s he packed a small bag and immigrated to the United States. Several years later, the rest of my family and I moved to California.
The transition into a new country was difficult at first, but going to school made that easier. By the time I got to high school, I had a gained a couple of mentors who saw potential in me. With their guidance I started to think about going to college and I began to put a higher emphasis on academics. Although I did well in all my classes, I didn’t have a passion for a specific subject. As a quiet and introverted individual, it was difficult to put myself out there and explore new passions. Thus, I wondered what I could possibly study in college. The answer to my question began with a backpacking trip in the summer of 2013. For almost a month I backpacked in the Wind River Range, Wyoming—a pristine area with a daunting terrain. The experience reminded me of how I used to seek the wilderness as a child when I needed solitude. When I returned, I took a course on environmental science where I learned about the ecological degradation currently affecting our planet. A deep concern about the fate of this planet began to grow inside me and I knew I wanted to learn more about how to be a steward of the environment. The summer after taking this course, I embarked on a community service trip with a non-profit to Costa Rica. During this time, I engaged with the community and learned about the emphasis on conservation that characterizes the country. The experience reminded me that despite the environmental degradation, there are methods to coexist with nature and be stewards of the land.
The summer before I started college at Santa Clara University, I visited my hometown for the first time since 2005. Some things remained the same. My grandfather was still growing maize and my cousins were still working on the fields to earn a few dollars. The warmth of the community was still present. However, the heat of the coast had intensified; the locals couldn’t bear it either. I noticed that the patches of wilderness that I had relied on as a child were gone and had been replaced with sugar cane or maize. Despite more agriculture present, people were finding it difficult to find jobs. Poverty was still rampant and my inability to do something about it was frustrating. Although I was saddened by the sights, I was more certain than ever about studying environmental science at SCU. I understood that with a college education I could learn the skills necessary to protect the environment while also helping those caught in a cycle of poverty.
Now on my third year at SCU as a first-generation college student, my interest for wanting to protect the environment in whatever way I can, has intensified. For the past two summers, for example, I have worked in my community to help homes be more energy and water efficient. I conducted audits and provided no-cost energy and water efficient measures to people so that they can save money while also minimize their water and energy use. This ultimately translates into less harmful emissions into the environment. During this time, I also led youth and conducted extensive community outreach to increase participation in the no-cost program.
For the past two years I have also developed an interest in research. My first experience with research began with professor Leslie Gray. I analyzed and translated (Spanish to English) interviews from a local non-profit that grants parcels and beds for low income families to grow fresh, organic produce. Our research culminated in a report for the non-profit that described community attitudes towards food and the impact on their health as a result of being able to grow their own produce. During my junior year I was awarded a Mapping Health fellowship to study the correlation between health and exposure to roadway pollution with another professor. Using geographic information systems and project plans of recent developments around San Jose, CA, we are considering how developers are protecting residents from the emissions of major roadways.
It was through professor Leslie Gray that I learned about the Miller Center and the Global Social Benefit Fellowship. Up until this point I had no idea how action research differed from the type of research I was doing, nor what social entrepreneurs did. However, after reading more about the fellowship and previous projects, I was eager to apply for the fellowship. The thought of taking my classroom education into the real world in an effective manner by working together with a social enterprise that understands the needs of communities was fascinating. I also realized that I could use my experience of living in rural Guatemala to add a unique perspective to the fellowship. Likewise, I saw the fellowship as an opportunity to take the knowledge that I am learning in my economics minor and apply it in a meaningful manner. Therefore, I am excited to work alongside NUCAFE this summer in Uganda to learn more about how its farmer ownership model works and how it can be used.