Karboji headshot

Emerson Fellow

Raneem Karboji

29th Class, 2022-2023

Raised in the borderland of El Paso, Texas, Raneem’s personal experiences and environment influenced her passion for public health and social justice. Observing at an early age her single mother seek affordable medical care and nutrition classes for her sister with Juvenile Diabetes, having family walk across the bridge to Mexico to receive medical treatment, to later noticing the intersectionality of the immigration status barrier and women’s health – she began with civic engagement, community health education, and voter registration to later working for a Texas House Representative that filed legislation to strengthen the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force. Raneem was awarded the inaugural Rising Star Award by the Texas League of Women Voters – El Paso for her activism and community engagement. She majored in Health Promotion form the University of Texas at El Paso with a Minor in Nutrition, and plans to use her education and skills gained from the Emmerson National Hunger Fellowship to work on anti-poverty initiatives to support low income women and families in her community.

Field placement: Pittsburgh Food Policy Council

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Raneem is working at the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is assessing the pilot Pittsburgh Food Equity Ambassador Program and analyzing participant and project partner collaboration. To improve upon the Ambassador program, Raneem's work refines the program design, staffing model, and financial sustainability for its future replication.

Policy placement: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Washington, D.C.

Raneem Karboji is working with USDA Food and Nutrition Services in the School Meals Policy Design branch to identify best practices for Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs). RCCIS are unique facilities that include temporary shelters for abused children and runaway children; long-term care facilities for chronically ill children; and juvenile detention centers. She is drafting a guide for eligible RCCIs to eliminate the confusion associated with implementing the Child Nutrition Programs in RCCIs, and better equip Program operators in their efforts to connect RCCI residents with the nutrition they need to be successful.

Publications & Blog Posts