Rosa Rada

Rosa grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with a self-designed interdisciplinary degree in Food Systems Policy. As an undergraduate, Rosa served as an Americorps volunteer at the International Rescue Committee, where she worked to increase food access for refugee communities in … Read more

Valery Martinez

Valery was born and raised in San Jose, California, and graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in human development and a minor in nutrition. Valery dedicated her summers to serving low-income and racially/ethnically diverse communities in her hometown while being an advocate for social justice issues at school. … Read more

Thank you to the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation for providing support to the 24th Class of Emerson National Hunger Fellows’ work on child food insecurity.

Samantha Stevens

Originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia, Samantha graduated from Emory University with a degree in Latin American history. While at Emory, Samantha interned at Tapestri, Inc, an organization that supports immigrant survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She also founded a volunteer interpreting organization that assisted Atlanta elementary schools with high … Read more

David Lazere

David was raised in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in educational studies and public policy. He wrote his senior thesis about narratives of community involvement in policy discourses around community-controlled schools. While at Swarthmore, he worked with the College Access Center for Delaware County, leading … Read more

NaShawn Johnson

NaShawn is a recent graduate of Columbia University with a degree in urban studies and a concentration in political science. After college, NaShawn worked as a public policy research intern at Enterprise Community Partners where she identified ways to create and preserve affordable housing for low-income families. Prior to joining … Read more

Ray Chen

Born in Taiwan, Ray grew up in San Jose, CA and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in human biology and a minor in African & African American studies. In college, he became deeply involved with Asian American communities both on and off-campus, through which he first developed a … Read more

Gentrification & Gender Expectations: Women in the Fruitvale

Gentrification & Gender Expectations: Women in the Fruitvale explains the challenges that Latinas face as mothers, wives, immigrants, and victims of tenant harassment, and the importance of empowering these women to strengthen themselves and their community.