Titles

• PhD Student, Sustainability, School of Sustainability

Biography

Using food as a catalyst for transforming values toward sustainability and resilience is at the heart of my academic interests. I am currently exploring sustainability in relation to multiple themes: happiness, community development, mindfulness, and spirituality. Through my work for the University Sustainability Practices as the Climate Resilience Program Assistant, I have also begun exploring the connection between these themes and the notion of resilience. My focus is less on the physical aspects of sustainability (ie. infrastructure and technology) and more on the intangible aspects of sustainability (ie. social cohesion and inclusion, values and beliefs). From my personal experience, food has the potential to facilitate these intangible aspects of sustainability which are detrimental to achieving real sustainable outcomes. My thinking is, we can implement innovative technology and infrastructure toward sustainability, but if people take it purely at face value then the outcomes will reflect that. We may produce an external image of sustainability, but the status quo will continue and our livelihoods and those of future generations will continue to be in jeopardy.

Spoken Languages:

Spanish (elementary)

Education

• BA, Political Science, Arizona State University, West campus, 2011
• BA, Religion and Applied Ethics, Arizona State University, West campus, 2011

Expertise

• happiness and sustainability
• sustainable food systems
• resilience
• community development
• fiood sovereignty
• mindfulness
• spirituality