TIE Affiliation

Travel Grant Recipient

Experience

Rebecca is a dual degree Master's student enrolled in both the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy studying Agriculture, Food, and Environment, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences studying Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP). She expects to complete her studies in May 2019. Before coming to Tufts, Rebecca earned her B.A. in Sociology and Italian at the University of California at Davis. Rebecca also worked as a program manager at a non-profit in the Bay Area of California that focused on environmental and food systems education through school gardens in urban settings. With this non-profit, Rebecca created a field trip program and helped develop and direct the summer camp for local elementary schools. After, she managed a culinary garden for a winery in Sonoma County where she grew the food used in the on-site fine dining restaurant, created a tasting experience in the garden and was tasked with developing the sustainability plan for the winery to achieve certification. In addition to her own studies, Rebecca has served as a teaching assistant for a UEP course in negotiations and conflict resolution, where she has also helped a great deal with course development.

Current Studies and Future Goals

When asked what she found most meaningful about her field of study, Rebecca responded with the following: "Since my undergraduate education, I have been immensely interested in agriculture and its connection to education. While at Tufts I have had the opportunity to study this more formally in various contexts, focusing on farm to school programs for the past three years. I believe that for our food system to change in the way we need it to and to become more sustainable, we need a cultural shift in the ways we think about food. I believe that early education is one key place for that to happen and that farm to school is one strategy. I am grateful to have had the chance to experience and study the impacts of farm to school programming myself and hope to continue in this field after I graduate".

When asked why she wanted to apply for a TIE Travel Grant, Rebecca responded with the following: "I believe that interdisciplinary work and cooperation are key in academia and I appreciate TIE's mission in advancing this type of research."

Rebecca hopes to pursue a career that combines her desire to work with farmers and her passions of making food, writing, and teaching once she completes her studies at Tufts. She plans to support producers that wants to engage in farm to school programs and facilitate those connections.

Fun Facts!

When not doing schoolwork, Rebecca enjoys cooking with friends, teaching cooking classes at the KITCHEN at Boston Public Market, singing in a community chorus, drinking coffee, traveling, yoga, and writing.

Favorite Food/Drink: Burritos and coffee

Dream Job: Travel Writer

Other Fun Facts: Rebecca speaks Italian fluently and has lived there three different times