My team is researching Child Food Security in the Brazos Valley. We critically analyze previous studies about child food security, analyze statistical data, review efforts in Brazos County that combat food insecurity, and perform community outreach to combat childhood food insecurity.
There are two distinctive parts of our research. The first part is the academic research and the second (and most important) is the community outreach. The academic research allows our team to understand the impact of food insecurity in children and their families. We seek to understand how food security impacts childhood development, health and wellness, school performance, and social relationships.
The community outreach is our primary focus. We lead a gardening club, the Positive Sprouts, at the Boys & Girls Club of the Brazos Valley. We provide hands-on learning experiences to teach children how to grow their own food. We involve the participants in every aspect of planning. They prepare the gardens, plant seeds, plant transplants, and take care of the garden. We also provide field trips to other gardens to inspire the participants to come up with new ideas for our garden. We provide organic produce as snacks and encourage healthy eating habits.
As for me, I am a Marine Corps veteran, Girl Scout troop leader, Alpha Kappa Delta initiate, love working with children, and I am working towards a career in non-profit organization work to benefit youth welfare. I plan on beginning the steps to become a Master Gardener after graduation.