Food Insecurity, Houselessness, and HIV/AIDS on the West Coast

Saadhana Deshpande is a native of San Ramon, California, and is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where they studied Nutritional Science with double minors in Public Policy and Food Systems. At Berkeley, Saadhana worked at the campus Food Pantry, was the co-president of the Queer & Allied Pre-Health Professionals Association (QAPPA), took part in two food justice research groups at the School of Public Health, and continues to work as a member of the Information Resource Collective at the Berkeley Free Clinic. Saadhana is interested in understanding how establishing food sovereignty can ultimately lead to better health outcomes for marginalized populations. This summer, they hope to learn more about centering anti-racism and BIPOC voices in policymaking. They are interning at the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC).

Lia Van Steeter grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, and recently graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, with a degree in International Political Economy and a minor in Spanish. While at Puget Sound, she worked as a peer tutor and peer advisor, and completed internships with Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Lia is passionate about addressing the root causes of health inequality through the lens of social determinants of health. She hopes to learn more about the relationship between food access and child development during her internship with the Oregon Child Development Coalition.