Cindy Vong

Cindy grew up in Gunnison, Colorado, and graduated from Binghamton University with bachelor’s degrees in political science and environmental studies. She also holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Colorado Denver where Cindy pursued an independent thesis researching the intersection between food choice and … Read more

Chesterfield Polkey

Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Chesterfield graduated with honors from Macalester College with a degree in sociology and minors in political science, statistics, and French. Through the community service-oriented Bonner Scholars Program, he interned at Neighborhood House, a local social service agency. There, Chesterfield organized multiple lobbying days on … Read more

Alex Boyd

Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Alex graduated from Beloit College with a degree in sociology and literary studies in 2015. While at Beloit, Alex interned with a local food and clothing pantry where he coordinated a food donation partnership with his campus meal service provider. He also spent a … Read more

Kalena Thomhave

Originally from Northwest Florida, Kalena graduated from Louisiana State University in 2014 with degrees in political science and English. After college, Kalena served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she worked on economic development through “Bank On Baton Rouge,” a program increasing access to banks and credit … Read more

Wes Gaddie

Wes grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas and received degrees in professional writing and museum studies from Baylor University. After graduating, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and the Texas Hunger Initiative in Lubbock, Texas. As a VISTA, he facilitated a photography … Read more

Tina Tran

Tina grew up in North Richland Hills, Texas, and graduated from Stanford University in 2014 with a degree in human biology. She conducted research on the supplemental poverty measure and the Healthy Families (CHIP) program in California through the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. She helped pilot a student-run … Read more

David Blount

David grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri and graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2013 with degrees in sociology and international studies. After graduation, David completed a year of service with City Year Chicago, an education non-profit dedicated to ending the high school dropout crisis. At Loyola, David led multicultural initiatives … Read more

Adrien Schless-Meier

Raised in Denver, Colorado, Adrien graduated from Reed College in 2012 with a degree in sociology. Her senior thesis analyzed organizational barriers to participation in farmers’ markets among low-income people and people of color in Portland, Oregon. As an AmeriCorps member serving in the Office of Sustainability at Multnomah County, … Read more