Congressional Hunger Center's
Emerson National Hunger Fellows
15th Class, 2008-2009

Full Alphabetical listing:

Field Placement: Community Farm Alliance (Louisville, KY)

Benﾠhelped establish relationships between CFA members and corner store owners in order to increase access to fresh, local food in Louisville's food deserts. He also helped facilitate two membership driven initiatives: Stone Soup Community Kitchen and Louisville Urban Gardeners Guild.

Hunger Free Community Report: Corner Store Program Possibilities in Louisville explores the possibilities for and barriers to increasing healthy food access through partnerships with corner store owners.

Policy Placement: Migrant Legal Action Program (Washington, D.C.)

Ben researched barriers that English Language Learners in the United States face when they try to access federal health and nutrition programs. He wrote a report on the availability of translated materials for this population in the SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and school meals programs.

Education and Experience: Originally from Glastonbury, CT, Benjamin graduated from Fordham University in 2007 with a degree in philosophy and Latin American and Latino studies. He has studied in El Salvador with the Casa de la Solidaridad program, and worked with various social justice communities, including the Grupo de Solidaridad in rural Nicaragua and Catholic Worker houses in the U.S.

Field Placement: Logan Square Neighborhood Association (Chicago, IL)

Veronica brought together parents, community members, school staff, and students to establish a wellness council at a local middle school to improve the health of the middle school community. Veronicaﾠalso conducted a school health needs assessment through interviews and surveys of school and community members, and the wellness council used her report toﾠdevise their first action plan.ﾠ

Hunger Free Community Report:ﾠWorking Towards Wellness: An Assessment of the School Health Environment at Ames Middle School raises awareness about theﾠstrengths and challenges of the school health environment in the areas of nutrition services, mental health services, and physical education.

Policy Placement: Food Research and Action Center (Washington, D.C.)

Veronica developed a catalogue of best practices for wellness initiatives in the Child and Adult Care Food Program at the state and local level. She also contributed to a webinar on the new WIC food package in multicultural communities and helped develop an evaluation of the nutrition and physical activity environment of child care centers in D.C.ﾠ

Education and Experience: Veronica graduated with honors in nutritional sciences from Cornell University in 2008. She was a Cornell Commitment Tradition Scholar, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity,ﾠand worked in Nicaragua teaching at a local school and volunteering at a program for pregnant women. She also wrote an honors thesis on body composition techniques, completed a community action fellowship at a county Health Planning Council, and interned at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Field Placement: Prevention Research Center, Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)

Sarah worked with the Food Policy Advisory Committee to develop advocacy and implementation strategies to bring grocery stores, farmers' markets, and other healthy food retailers into underserved areas of New Orleans. She also provided research and support for the Louisiana State Senate's Healthy Food Retail Study Group and the New Orleans City Planning team.

Hunger Free Community Report: Healthy Corner Stores for Healthy New Orleans Neighborhoods is a toolkit for neighborhood associations that are looking to bring healthy foods into their corner stores.

Policy Placement: Alliance to EndﾠHunger (Washington, D.C.)

Through the Heroes for the Hungry project, Sarah worked to cultivate champions in Congress for people struggling with hunger. She also researched new anti-hunger initiatives and legislation, coordinated events with Alliance members, and prepared monthly newsletters for the Alliance.

Education and Experience: Sarah graduated with honors from McGill University with a degree in international development studies and economics and a minor in political science. She has researched the impact of the bio-fuels industry on food security and held leadership positions in the Black Students Network, the Africana Program, and the Social Justice Committee. Sarah also interned with the Global Policy Forum, the Center for Court Innovation, and the NYC Coalition Against Hunger, and is an AmeriCorps alumna. Sarah grew up abroad in Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Cuba and speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, and French.

Field Placement: Community Farm Alliance (Louisville, KY)

Kayleigh built new partnerships with localﾠfaith-based and community organizations to address food access needs in marginalized areas of Louisville. With community allies, she explored alternative models of community supported agriculture and developed materials to promote the development of a "Locally Integrated Food Economy" in Louisville.

Hunger Free Community Report: You Are What You Eat: Community Food Education Guide serves as a tool for community leaders to initiate a dialogue around healthy eating, educate community members about the relationship between diet and health, and build community support for a healthy local food system.

Policy Placement: Center for Community Change (Washington, D.C.)

Kayleigh worked on the Campaign for Community Values to supportﾠthe low-wage workers' justice organizing team. She researched and monitored government policies and worked with progressive coalitions to inform grassroots partner organizations and the CCC policy team.

Education and Experience: Kayleigh graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 with degrees in social policy and political science. Originally from Kansas City, MO, she is fluent in Spanish and has worked in Latin America with Amigos de las Americas.ﾠ She has also conducted research in Valparaiso, Chile, worked with a housing collaborative in San Francisco, and co-taught a seminar on social change through the Peace Project.

Field Placement: Community Food Bank (Tucson, AZ)

Eric created promotional materials for the many programs and special projects of the Community Food Security Center, including home gardening education, the food bank farm, community food consignment, farmers markets, family advocacy, and child nutrition programs. He also authored a booklet about Southern Arizona's local food system.

Hunger Free Community Report: Growing a Healthy Food System in Southern Arizona is a collection of stories that documents the efforts of government and community organizations to increase food security, and demonstrates how sustainable food production can help increase access to healthy, local food.

Policy Placement: National Family Farm Coalition (Washington, D.C.)

Eric conducted a survey of farmers throughout the country to identify barriers to local food marketing in order to inform NFFC's policy work promoting local food economies. He also assisted with farm to school policy research in partnership with the Community Food Security Coalition, and planned a trip for Hill staffers to visit the farm to school program in Baltimore.

Education and Experience: Originally from Maryland, Eric earned a degree in political science and a minor in environmental studies from St. Mary's College of Maryland where he was a Nitze Scholar. He was active in the Student Environmental Action Coalition, Maryland Votes, the Student Government Association, wrote his honors senior thesis on U.S. food aid policy, and worked at a local organic farm. He has also interned at Food & Water Watch, worked for the Ben Cardin for U.S. Senate Campaign, traveled to India, and completed a Semester at Sea.

Field Placement: Vermont Food Bank (Barre, VT)

Mickey helped establish several Summer Food Service Program sites in rural Vermont. He built partnerships with area nonprofits and schools to provide summer meals to children, especially in northeastern Vermont. He also surveyed the food bank's partner agencies to analyze how the recession is impacting Vermont communities and to examine how agencies are using the federal SNAP Program to address rising need.

Hunger Free Community Report: Advancing 3SquaresVT: An Outreach Guide to Vermont's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides strategies for food shelves to enroll more Vermonters in SNAP/food stamps.

Policy Placement: Feeding America (Washington, D.C.)

Mickey created several resources to support Feeding America's work on the reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs and WIC, including child hunger fact sheets for member food banks. He also helped track legislative developments and compile information on new members of Congress.

Education and Experience: Originally from Gainesville, GA, Mickey graduated from Davidson College in 2008 with a degree in political science. He served as a Bonner Scholar, led alternative break trips, volunteered with Crisis Assistance Ministry, served as a liaison to a local community development council and researched the criminalization of homelessness at the National Coalition for the Homeless. Mickey also studied in Oman and worked to implement a monitoring system for HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Ethiopia.

Field Placement: Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force (Portland, OR)

Eileen strengthened the capacity of federal child nutrition programs in Oregon by helping to develop a grant process that distributes funds to program sites and sponsors. She also planned and facilitated a regional Summer Food conference and compiled, analyzed, and published child nutrition participation data to direct future outreach efforts.

Hunger Free Community Report: The Afterschool Supper Program: An Oregon Case Study examines the efficacy and impact of this federal pilot program in Oregon.

Policy Placement: U.S. House of Representatives, Hunger Caucus (Washington, D.C.)

Eileen educated Members of Congress and their staff on hunger-related issues by organizing activities and briefings related to domestic and international hunger issues. She also created an e-newsletter for Caucus Members, provided assistance to help Members get involved in anti-hunger efforts in their local districts, and worked to expand the membership of the Hunger Caucus. Education and Experience: A native Vermonter, Eileen graduated with high honors from DePaul University in 2007 with a degree in international studies and a minor in community service. She studied sustainable development and social change in Central America, completed a thesis on citizen participation in economic and development policy, and worked on a community organizing initiative for Oxfam America's Farm Bill Campaign. After college, Eileen served as an Americorps VISTA with the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, where she worked to strengthen the federal nutrition programs.

Field Placement: Center for Economic Progress (Chicago, IL)

Sofya studied the impact of the economic crisis on low-income families and community service providers. She conducted community listening sessions and in-depth interviews, identified financial strategies people used to meet basic needs, and explored the ways families connect to government programs and social services.

Hunger Free Community Report: The Voices of Illinois Low-Income Workers: A Snapshot of their Economic Reality and their Communities documented the experiences of workers and service providers during this economic crisis.

Policy Placement: Corporation for Enterprise Development (Washington, D.C.)

Sofya worked with the federal policy team to examine the impact of asset tests in public benefit programs on people with disabilities, researched the community economic development programs of Federal Home Loan Banks, and tracked the outcome of CFED savings and asset priorities in federal legislation.

Education and Experience: Originally from Russia, Sofya graduated from the University of Chicago in 2008 with a degree in environmental studies. She has conducted research on the intersection of environmental, health, and poverty issues at Chicago's Field Museum, studied conservation and natural resource management in Brazil, and researched the potential for environmental initiatives within Brazil's agrarian reform settlements.

Field Placement: Oregon Child Development Coalition (Portland, OR)

Kelly completed a statewide assessment of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for child care providers in Oregon. Through a series of surveys and in-depth interviews with state administrators, program sponsors, and family child care providers, she documented best practices and barriers to participation in the program, and suggested recommendations for increasing enrollment among family child care providers.

Hunger Free Community Report: A Statewide Analysis of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Family Child Care Providers in Oregon examines declining CACFP enrollment rates and makes recommendations for improving participation.

Policy Placement: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Washington, D.C.)

Kelly worked with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's advocacy office to create a variety of public education and outreach tools on health care reform and child nutrition for Lutheran churches across the United States. She also worked extensively in the planning and implementation of an advocacy presence at the 2009 National Lutheran Youth Gathering.

Education and Experience: A native of North Carolina, Kelly graduated with high honors and phi beta kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008 with degrees in Spanish and sociology. She was a Carolina Covenant Scholar and worked with Habitat for Humanity and the Hunger and Homelessness Outreach Project. Kelly also studied in Spain, worked with a high school Spanish class, and served as a mentor to local Latino high school students.

Field Placement: Boston Medical Center, Medical-Legal Partnership Boston (Boston, MA)

Working with a team of attorneys, Morenike collaborated with pediatricians and community health centers to address the hunger and nutrition issues affecting low-income families. She assisted patient families with applications for food stamps and utility discounts and advocated for clients with government agencies. She also researched the effectiveness of co-location of services at Boston Medical Center, where a state eligibility worker visits the hospital regularly to process food stamp applications.

Hunger Free Community Report: Nutrition Support Programs in the Health Care Setting: A Prescription for Hunger Prevention explores the benefits of having social services available to patients at Boston Medical Center, strongly encourages health care centers to incorporate "outstation" services, and outlines best practices.

Policy Placement: NETWORK Education Program (Washington, D.C.)

Working with a Catholic social justice organization, Morenike researched ex-offender and recidivism issues, specifically examining their access to public benefits upon reentry. She also explored the needs of Gulf Coast hurricane survivors and their struggles to receive public benefits.

Education and Experience: Originally from Takoma Park, MD, Morenike graduated from Guilford College in 2007 with a degree in history and peace and conflict studies. She served in leadership positions in student government, Amnesty International, NAACP, and on a delegation to Israel and Palestine. As a Multicultural Leadership Scholar at Guilford, Morenike participated in anti-racist and anti-oppression trainings, served as a Safe Zone counselor, and volunteered as a tutor and mentor for at-risk youth and homeless families.

Field Placement: Tucson Community Food Bank (Tucson, AZ)

Raquel developed a new curriculumﾠfor the food bank's economic family literacy program. She led classroom discussions on healthy food choices, food advertising, local food systems, and sleuthing in local supermarkets, and conducted market basket surveys with family literacy classes and community groups to empower parents to make conscious nutrition choices and healthy diet changes for their families.

Hunger Free Community Report: The Economic Literacy Curriculum:ﾠﾠA Facilitator's Guide is a tool for community members and food bank staff for teaching family literacy classes and includes lesson outlines, sample lesson plans, materials, and other helpful resources to enhance learning experiences and empower adult students.ﾠ

Policy Placement: National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (Washington, D.C.)

Raquel conducted outreach on the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to homeless and domestic violence shelters in states with low participation rates. She also updated the report on federal surplus property acquired to assist homeless persons, and the impact of Title V and Base Closure buildings on such homeless programs.

Education and Experience: A native New Yorker, Raquel is a 2008 graduate of Kenyon College with a degree in anthropology. On campus, she led various multi-cultural groups to promote cultural awareness and understanding. Raquel has conducted qualitative research on the lives of domestic workers in Peru, studied in Honduras, and traveled throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Field Placement: The Food Project (Boston, MA)

Nico evaluated the impact of a pilot program that introduced food stamp machines (EBT terminals) at farmers markets in low-income Boston neighborhoods. Nico also supported the efforts of the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness by organizing a community meeting series to discuss their food and fitness community assessment findings and identify policy priorities for making healthy food and active living accessible to all Boston families.

Hunger Free Community Report: Undoing Inequity: Boston's EBT Farmers' Market Initiative highlights the achievements of the new program and provides evidence that investing in urban farmers' markets with EBT terminals is an effective model for improving the availability and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income communities.

Policy Placement: Center for American Progress (Washington, D.C.)

Nico worked with the Poverty and Prosperity Program drafting reports, issue briefs, and public education materials on poverty and hunger with a focus on child nutrition and food access. Nico also authored the issue brief "Poverty in the LGBT Community."

Education and Experience: Originally from CA and OR, Nico graduated from Smith College in 2006 with a degree in government and a minor in sociology. Nico was involved in campus organizations devoted to racial and economic justice, immigrant rights, and Transgender equality. After college, Nico worked as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Policy Fellow in the office of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) where Nico promoted the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, organized a briefing series on race and poverty, and helped publish the first anti-poverty task force report for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Nico also worked in the Office of Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) as a staff assistant.

Field Placement: Hope House (New Orleans, LA)

Michael collected stories documenting the effects of high utility costs on low-income New Orleans residents and conductedﾠworkshops on energy conservation andﾠpolitical organizing around energy issues.ﾠ Michael also developed strategic partnerships to generate more sustainable sources for the Hope House food pantry and community garden.

Hunger Free Community Report: Heat or Eat:Helping Each Other Gain Control Over Rising Utility Bills raises awareness and mobilizes communities around theﾠhighﾠcost of utilities and its impact on low-income people in New Orleans.ﾠ

Policy Placement: RESULTS (Washington, D.C.)

Michael worked to strengthen the participation of students, young adults, and communities of color in the work of RESULTS through the Youth in Action and Diversity Task Force boards. He also developed, designed and coordinated the diversity workshop and student plenaries for the RESULTS International Conference.

Education and Experience: A native of Winston Salem, NC, Michael graduated with Honors from Morehouse College in 2008 with a degree in psychology. He is an Americorps alumnus who served as a Bonner Scholar and an executive coordinator for Jumpstart, taught math to youth in Belize, and coordinated youth programs on campus. Michael also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Hands on Atlanta, and the United Methodist Children's Home.

Field Placement: Maryland Hunger Solutions (Baltimore, MD)

Cristina collaborated with the Baltimore City Public School System to increase access to and student participation in the universal school breakfast program. She assisted with the implementation of innovative school breakfast delivery models and documented methods for overcoming barriers to successful school breakfast practices.

Hunger Free Community Report: Students Can Have Breakfast and Eat it Too: Expanding Breakfast in Maryland is a toolkit that showcases successful school breakfast programs, makes recommendations for overcoming challenges to student participation, and includes a short documentary film featuring one Baltimore high school's use of an alternative delivery model.

Policy Placement: Bread for the World (Washington, D.C.)

Cristina supported efforts to galvanize the interfaith community around a common poverty alleviation agenda. She assisted with the development of a framework for human development objectives and documented the role of the faith community and government entities in achieving them. Cristina also created issue analysis papers and fact sheets on domestic poverty, tax policy, and asset building and stripping.

Education and Experience: Originally from Lakewood, WA, Cristina graduated from Stanford University in 2008 with a degree in public policy, concentrating in social and education policy. On campus, she directed a small group Bible study, led a class and an alternative break trip on urban education issues in California, and volunteered as an elementary school tutor. Cristina also served as a teaching assistant for a seminar on civil rights and education, researched the effects of racial school segregation on the black-white achievement gap, taught summer school in Los Angeles, and interned at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Office of Public and Indian Housing.

Field Placement: Solid Ground (Seattle, WA)

Collin examined the effects of federally funded supportive services on the health of seniors and people with disabilities in Seattle's public housing. He designed a research project utilizing a seven language survey of residents and analyzed secondary data to document the positive effects of the programs on residents' health.

Hunger Free Community Report: Impacts of Nutrition and Human Services Interventions on the Health of Elderly and Disabled Persons in Public Housing evaluates the federally funded ROSS-Elderly and Persons with Disabilities program in Seattle.

Policy Placement: New America Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Collin worked on asset building policies impacting low-income people. He assisted with the development of policy for a prepaid debit card account for unbanked persons that can be opened on the tax form, which will be piloted by the U.S. Treasury in 2010. He also co-authored an analysis of the President's budget and a paper on savings and financial services innovations at tax time.

Education and Experience: Originally from Mililani, HI, Collin graduated from Willamette University with a degree in economics and Spanish. He has taught English to immigrant farm workers, helped design a survey evaluating an Individual Development Accounts program, conducted research on poverty in Hawaiﾑi, and interned with the Governor of Oregon. Collin also studied in Spain and was named a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow in 2007.

Field Placement: Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (Burlington, VT)

Mark interviewed local sponsors of the summer food program about their best practices to help increase participation in rural Vermont. He also conducted a price assessment of the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan at local grocery stores.

Hunger Free Community Report: The Thrifty Food Plan and Food Costs in Vermont reports that 3SquaresVT (the state name for the federal SNAP/food stamps program) benefits were insufficient for families to buy low-cost, nutritious food at grocery stores in northern Vermont.

Policy Placement: Families USA (Washington, D.C.)

Mark surveyed credit counselors and state attorneys general as part of a medical debt project. He wrote a fact sheet and consumer guide on medical debt and wrote various fact sheets to inform the health care reform debate.

Education and Experience: A native of Ohio, Mark graduated from Ohio University with a degree in political science and sociology and wrote an honors thesis on welfare reform. He served as a tutor at a local middle school, as a volunteer at the regional homeless shelter, and as a research scholar for the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. He also interned with the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development and with Policy Matters Ohio.

Field Placement: Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee, WI)

Christine conducted research on "plate waste" in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to evaluate student eating habits during Universal Free Breakfast-in-the-Classroom. She also compiled qualitative data from school communities to assess the value and impact of the Child and Adult Care Food Program supper pilots in MPS. Findings from both projects were used to make recommendations for improving nutritional programming and outreach within the school community.

Hunger Free Community Reports: An Assessment of Plate Waste within Milwaukee Public Schools' Universal Free Breakfast-in-the-Classroom evaluates student consumption trends and offers recommendations for improving and expanding the program. An Assessment of Child & Adult Care Food Program Supper Pilot within Milwaukee Public Schools evaluates the value and impact of supper service during after school programming.

Policy Placement: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (Alexandria, VA)

Christine worked with the Child Nutrition Division to promote farm to school efforts. She identified opportunities for effective use of local procurement options, and compiled the best practices and most effective models for Farm to School. She updated the USDA publication Eat SmartﾗFarm Fresh! A guide to buying and serving locally-grown produce in school meals.

Education and Experience: A native Californian, Christine graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor's degree in English and Asian American Studies in 2004 and a Master of Education in 2006. She completed her Master's Inquiry on students' stigmatization of the school meal program and taught high school English, journalism, and Asian Studies for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She was also an active member of the Student California Teachers Association and served on the Executive Board as Communications Editor. In 2004, Christine was named Outstanding Local Leader by the National Education Association.

Field Placement: Maryland Food Bank (Baltimore, MD)

Stephany examined the relationships between the Maryland Food Bank and network providers to determine the gaps in the state emergency food provision. Through research and mapping technology, Stephany created a report with recommendations and strategies to help the Maryland Food Bank serve its communities more effectively.

Hunger Free Community Report: Closing the Hunger Gap: An Exploration of the Maryland Food Bank analyzes the operational systems of the Maryland Food Bank and provides suggestions for creating efficient methods for serving Maryland.

Policy Placement: National Coalition for the Homeless (Washington, D.C.)

Stephany worked to inform homeless individuals about their rights and educate communities across the U.S. about homelessness as part of the National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project. She wrote the annual report about hate crimes against homeless people and facilitated speaking engagements designed to break down stereotypes about homeless individuals. Stephany also contributed to a report produced with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty that documents state laws that criminalize homelessness

Education and Experience: Originally from Richmond, KY, Stephany is a 2008 graduate of Berea College where she obtained a degree in biology. She led the annual Hunger Hurts Food Drive for the local food bank and helped launch Hunger and Homelessness week. Stephany also served as a Bonner Scholar and was the student director of the Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service.

Field Placement: Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee, WI)

Ayanna worked to make SNAP/food stamp benefits more accessible to low-income residents of Milwaukee County. She conducted research and identified best practices for improving the speed and quality of the application process, and assisted food pantries with SNAP/food stamp outreach activities.

Hunger Free Community Report:ﾠAn Exploratory Assessment of FoodShare Modernization in Milwaukee Countyﾠdocuments the modernization efforts used in Milwaukee County and several other states to increase efficiency and accuracy within the SNAP/food stamp system.

Policy Placement:ﾠFood Research and Action Centerﾠ(Washington, D.C.)

Ayanna worked with state groups to monitor the effects of new policies and benefit increases in the food stamp/SNAP program enacted in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. She assisted state advocates, studied the impact of the changes on state and local advocacy efforts, and tracked new outreach activities. She also analyzed SNAP participation and practices in 25 large cities in order to update the annual report Food Stamp Access in Urban America: A City by City Snapshot.

Education and Experience: Originally from Bowie, MD, Ayanna graduated from Colgate University in 2008 with degrees in geography and sociology. She has served as an Upstate Institute Fellow, residential advisor, and Manzi Fellow. She also studied social policy in the U.S, Australia, and Uganda and conducted geographic, biological, and public health research in Uganda.

Field Placement: Lifelong AIDS Alliance (Seattle, WA)

Renita researched federally funded nutritional counseling and home-delivered meal programs for individuals in the Seattle area living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses with a focus on the impact of nutrition therapy on health care outcomes and costs. She also conducted interviews for a story bank documenting individuals' experiences with nutritional counseling and home-delivered meal programs.

Hunger Free Community Report: Access Granted: Breaking Barriers to Optimal Health for Food Insecure People Living with Chronic Illnesses discusses the importance of nutrition for chronically ill, low-income individuals and outlines policy recommendations for increasing community members' access to nutritious foods, while saving lives and taxpayer dollars.

Policy Placement: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Washington, D.C.)

Renita worked in the Joint Center's Health Policy Institute researching the influence of food stamp eligiblity and poverty in perpetuating health disparities and increasing coronary heart disease risk among African American women. She also produced a Community Best Practices Guideline as a resource to help community members understand and address hunger and poverty issues, particularly for African American women.

Education and Experience: Renita is a 2008 graduate of Duke University where she earned a degree in Women's Studies. On campus, Renita served as a peer educator for safe sex and healthy lifestyles, the president of her sorority, a mentor to 5th grade girls, and a volunteer at her local hospital. Originally from Georgia, Renita plans to pursue a career in medicine and public health. She will be attending The Ohio State University College of Medicine in the fall.

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