- Author: Saoimanu Sope
In celebration of Black History Month
When she was younger, Tamekia Wilkins believed that becoming a movie star was her calling. “Then reality sank in, and I knew that wasn't going to happen,” said Wilkins, an evaluation coordinator based at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources headquarters in Davis.
Her path forward focused on becoming a psychologist instead.
“I had this vision of helping people, but doing it while they were sitting on my couch, telling me about their troubles,” she said. Originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wilkins earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Alabama. Although she was set on psychology, Wilkins experienced a shift along the way – most of which was shaped by questions of identity and race.
Thinking back to the place and people that raised her, Wilkins said she had a good childhood. “I spent my days outside playing with friends. We'd play freeze tag, hide and seek… you know, normal stuff,” she said.
Wilkins grew up in Alabama during the 1980s and '90s. Her parents, however, endured the racial discrimination and segregation that catapulted the civil rights movement during the mid 1950s to late 1960s. Alabama has and always will be home for Wilkins and her family, especially her parents who live in the same house she grew up in, to this day.
For Wilkins and her three older siblings – two sisters and a brother – conversation about race and identity was a regular topic in their home. “My parents did not shy away from talking about our Blackness and race relations in this country,” said Wilkins. “It was a good thing, because it prepared us to have these conversations outside of the home, too.”
Despite only having high school diplomas due to circumstances, Wilkins' parents advocated for higher education. “They told us that if we went to college, life would be easier; they wanted us to do better than they were able to,” Wilkins said.
After completing her bachelor's degree, Wilkins packed up her stuff and left the only place she had ever known. She moved to Illinois to pursue a doctorate, getting her master's degree along the way.
As a master's student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Wilkins studied human and community development. She was primarily interested in understanding the influence parents have on elementary school children's behavior in the classroom, based on their level of involvement. Her interests led to opportunities to learn how to conduct quantitative research, design surveys and use software for statistical analysis.
With her new skills and research-focused mindset, Wilkins completed her dissertation on the influence of racial socialization on children's academic performance and behavior during the early school years. “I wanted to understand internalized behavior, and investigate the how and what parents say about race and its effects on their children in different areas of life,” Wilkins said.
The data collected revealed that Black parents living in predominantly white neighborhoods were more likely to engage in racial socialization compared to those living in neighborhoods where the racial makeup was more diverse or predominantly Black.
“What I learned is that when you live in a community with others who look like you, you don't have to be as intentional all the time,” said Wilkins. “The racial makeup of elementary schools tends to resemble the communities they are located in. So, Black parents are more likely to have conversations about identity when their children are going to predominantly White schools.”
Wilkins surprised herself throughout her educational journey. Earning a Ph.D. was not a solid part of her life plan, but she is grateful that it all happened the way it did, noting some influential mentors along the way. “I had a mentor during grad school, Christy Lleras, whose research, even today, is based on social justice issues and inequity within education. She was my cheerleader and was always on board with everything I wanted to do,” said Wilkins.
Robin Jarrett, another mentor, was the only Black professor in Wilkins' department during the time she was a student. “Even though she wasn't my advisor, she was certainly a mentor with so much wisdom. We keep in touch to this day and sometimes I'll call her up and let her know what's going on in my life,” she added.
Today, Wilkins applies her research skills to her current role as an evaluation coordinator analyzing data for three UC ANR statewide programs: 4-H, UC Master Gardeners, and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).
“I never thought I would find myself in California,” said Wilkins. “Coming from Alabama, California always seemed like this ‘other place' that was way too expensive to live in.”
Fast forward to 2016, shortly after graduating with her Ph.D., Wilkins moved to Sacramento to begin working for UC ANR and has been supporting the same programs for eight years now. Despite living in California and being a lot closer to Hollywood, Wilkins admits that her dream of becoming a movie star remains in the past.
These days, she is more eager to take advantage of California's natural beauty and landscapes. “In the eight years that I've lived here, I have not done enough things. I need to do more exploration,” she said.
When asked about her success and the trajectory of her journey thus far, Wilkins said that having a growth mindset is number one. “I've always believed that I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to because I have a growth mindset. After that? You've just got to do the best you can. Always do the best you can!”
/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
Community nutrition and health advisor builds bridges across cultures in Tulare, Kings, Fresno and Madera counties
At a young age, Irene Padasas – UC Cooperative Extension community nutrition and health advisor for Tulare, Kings, Fresno and Madera counties – saw first-hand how environmental health conditions can impact a family's choices.
When she was in fourth grade, her parents moved their family from bustling Manila, capital of the Philippines, to a small town on a distant island. Her younger brother, who had been hospitalized at age 3 for a year due to complications from meningitis, had to re-learn how to walk and talk.
Padasas' mother hoped that leaving the more polluted urban environment would benefit his long road of rehabilitation. “The decision was made to ensure a better quality of life for my brother,” Padasas said. “So my parents decided to just move to the countryside.”
The family settled in a beach town in largely rural Aklan province, near the center of the Philippine archipelago.
“There are advantages living in a place like that, where you're close to nature; there's not much traffic; the community is very tight,” Padasas said. “You feel like you're part of this small community where everybody is looking after each other.”
Contributing to that sense of community – and cultivating close relationships to ensure the health and well-being of all – are just some of the reasons why Padasas chose her line of work in Cooperative Extension.
Padasas oversees the delivery of two federal nutrition programs in her region – CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. She develops, provides and evaluates Extension programs in partnership with the diverse populations of the Central Valley, including a variety of Latino, Mexican Indigenous and Asian communities.
Despite differences in culture and background, Padasas works to find common ground and build bridges – often through a joke and a laugh.
“Humor is such a big part of Filipino culture; with the challenges that I encountered in life, humor was so important in getting through and bouncing back,” she said. “That part of my culture is an important aspect of me to build relationships and genuine connections and introduce the work that we do; they don't see us as a ‘researcher from University of California,' they see us just like them, just like anybody else in the community.”
Growing up near both the beach and farmland in Aklan, Padasas feels an affinity for the agricultural landscapes and lifestyles in the San Joaquin Valley. She remembers feeding her family's chickens and pigs and playing among the neighbors' cows and water buffalo.
“I feel like whenever I drive to different places here in the Central Valley, it reminds me a lot of my childhood back in the day,” she said.
Nevertheless, Padasas misses the food in the Philippines – especially the seafood that she grew up eating, succulent prawns and enormous fish found nowhere in California.
“We would wait by the shore for whatever the fishermen would sell – it's really fresh fish, literally fresh from the boat,” she recalled.
Mealtimes were central in the childhood of Padasas and her siblings, who both live in the Philippines and help care for their parents; her brother is an engineer and her older sister is a teacher. Food was and remains a focal point for sharing and connecting, within their household and across the culture.
“When I was growing up, my parents made sure we were spending time as a family, eating together during dinner and sharing special meals on weekends,” Padasas said.
Chance encounter leads to an Extension career
Padasas returned to the Manila metro area for college, at the University of the Philippines Dilliman, where she earned a bachelor's degree in special education. After working as a special ed teacher for about seven years, she went to graduate school at Ateneo de Manila University for her master's in developmental psychology.
Originally intending to pursue a career as a child psychologist, Padasas said her path changed when she met Maria de Guzman, a University of Nebraska professor and Ateneo de Manila alumna, who returned to her alma mater to present her research on “yayas” – live-in caregivers for children in the Philippines.
Intrigued by that study, Padasas leaped at the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. with de Guzman at Nebraska, where she would write her doctoral dissertation on social capital – such as personal relationships and networks – as predictors of college success for underrepresented minority students.
It was also de Guzman, herself an Extension specialist, who guided Padasas on that career track.
“I knew at that time I wanted to work in Extension, but it was a vague concept to me because in the Philippines we don't have Extension as part of the university,” Padasas explained. “Dr. de Guzman was the one who really introduced me to Extension.”
During graduate school in Nebraska, Padasas gained valuable experience working with a diverse range of ethnic minorities and refugees, including Latinos, Filipinos, Yazidis and Congolese. She especially enjoyed working with children and teens – a favorite aspect of her work that continues to this day. Padasas said that, when given the opportunity to discuss her academic background, she mentions her educational experience to young people.
“I always make sure to talk about my work as a research scientist – to encourage these kids, especially those from underrepresented minority groups, to see themselves in my shoes, to show them that: ‘You could also become like me, a person of color, a researcher, and that's not an impossible path for you,'” Padasas said.
That academic track – and her entire life's journey – have prepared Padasas well for her current role, within an organization that spans the state of California and all its diverse communities.
“I think that's the beauty of the work that we do at UC ANR,” she said. “We are provided with so many opportunities to connect and to create impact for so many people across different populations.”
/h3>/h3>- Author: DIANA CERVANTES
Gloria Lugo, una residente de San Bernardino, tiene una cita especial todos los viernes que no se perdería por nada del mundo. Se dirige a las clases de nutrición que se llevan a cabo en la escuela Bradley Elementary. ¿Por qué? Porque allí, junto a otros miembros de la comunidad, está descubriendo cómo brindar una alimentación más saludable a su familia y, al mismo tiempo, cómo economizar en sus compras de víveres.
Gloria nos comenta, con una sonrisa en el rostro, "Estas clases son muy importantes; nos enseñan cosas que podemos aplicar en casa y que mejoran la alimentación de nuestras familias".
¿Cuál es la razón detrás de estas reuniones semanales?
Estas clases forman parte del Programa Ampliado de Educación Alimentaria y Nutricional de UCANR, conocido como EFNEP por sus siglas en inglés. Su objetivo es claro: enseñar a personas de comunidades de bajos recursos cómo tomar decisiones más saludables, administrar sus recursos alimentarios de manera más eficiente, cultivar sus propios alimentos y adoptar un estilo de vida más saludable.
Pero eso no es todo. Además de las clases de nutrición, se incluyen dos sesiones del Programa de Conservación de Alimentos (MFP) y otras dos del Programa de Maestros Jardineros (MGP), ambos programas también ofrecidos por UCANR.
Clara Wilshire, educadora de nutrición de EFNEP, nos dice que estas clases son una oportunidad para que los participantes mejoren su salud y prevengan enfermedades crónicas. "El programa EFNEP consta de siete clases que brindamos en la comunidad, especialmente a padres de bajos recursos, en las que hablamos de cómo mejorar la alimentación de sus familias. Además, colaboramos con los programas de jardinería y conservación de la Universidad de California".
Con más de 25 años de experiencia en este campo, Wilshire destaca que estas clases son posibles gracias a una subvención que han recibido. Esto permite no solo ofrecer las clases, sino también proporcionar a los participantes las herramientas necesarias para aplicar lo aprendido en sus propios hogares.
Raquel Hernández Hermosillo es una de las asistentes que presta mucha atención a las lecciones. "Soy hipertensa y diabética, y cuanto más aprendo, mejor me cuido", nos dice. "Me encanta lo que nos enseñan, ya que son formas de llevar un estilo de vida más saludable".
Para Hernández Hermosillo, cuidar de su salud es una prioridad, por lo que asistir a estas clases semana tras semana se ha convertido en un placer del que saca un gran provecho.
En una de las sesiones recientes, no solo se brindó una lección de nutrición, sino que también participó el programa de Conservación de Alimentos de la Universidad de California. Dee Denton, supervisora del programa en el condado de San Bernardino, se encargó de mostrar a los participantes cómo preparar un consomé a partir de sobras de alimentos, sin necesidad de conservantes artificiales.
"Hoy les enseñaré cómo hacer un consomé de verduras utilizando lo que normalmente consideramos desperdicios de comida en nuestras cocinas", explica Denton mientras muestra a los asistentes cómo preparar un consomé saludable paso a paso. "Pueden usar cualquier verdura que tengan en el refrigerador", dice, mientras les muestra que lo que antes se consideraba desperdicio puede convertirse en algo delicioso. Las asistentes se muestran sorprendidas y hacen preguntas.
Gabriela Rivera, una residente de San Bernardino, comenta emocionada, "Yo solía tirar todo; pelaba las zanahorias y las cebollas. ¡Pero ya no lo haré más!"
La experiencia de la supervisora Denton en esta clase ha demostrado que muchos de los asistentes no sabían que podían aprovechar los restos de comida de esta manera. Su objetivo es claro: enseñarles a los participantes lo que pueden hacer con los desperdicios de alimentos y alentarlos a probar cosas nuevas.
A medida que Denton termina de preparar el consomé, los asistentes reciben un kit para que puedan hacerlo ellos mismos en casa.
El inicio de una importante colaboración
Este esfuerzo nutritivo es posible gracias a una subvención de 10,000 dólares que permite que EFNEP, MFP y MGP realicen una serie de talleres destinados a los residentes del condado de San Bernardino. La colaboración de estos tres programas, todos impulsados por la educación bilingüe a través de EFNEP, rompe barreras idiomáticas y conecta las dietas saludables con la horticultura, la conservación de alimentos y la reducción del desperdicio de alimentos.
Como destaca Wilshire, coordinadora de EFNEP, "Los maestros jardineros les enseñarán cómo cultivar alimentos en casa para cosechar productos nutritivos y sencillos. Tenemos fondos para ofrecer las clases, pero también proporcionamos a los participantes los ingredientes, especias y recipientes necesarios para que puedan preparar su propio consomé de verduras en casa".
Próximas clases
Escuela elemental Bradley
1300 Valencia Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92404
9:00-10:30
Octubre 20 Jardinería
Noviembre 17 Encurtido
Diciembre 1 Compostaje
Distrito Escolar Elemental de Victor
15115 Nisqualli Rd, Victorville, CA 92395
9:30-12:30 (2 grupos español e inglés)
Octubre 25 Jardinería
Noviembre 29 Encurtido
Diciembre 6 Compostaje
- Author: DIANA CERVANTES
Gloria nos comenta, con una sonrisa en el rostro, "Estas clases son muy importantes; nos enseñan cosas que podemos aplicar en casa y que mejoran la alimentación de nuestras familias".
¿Cuál es la razón detrás de estas reuniones semanales?
Estas clases forman parte del Programa Ampliado de Educación Alimentaria y Nutricional de UCANR, conocido como EFNEP por sus siglas en inglés. Su objetivo es claro: enseñar a personas de comunidades de bajos recursos cómo tomar decisiones más saludables, administrar sus recursos alimentarios de manera más eficiente, cultivar sus propios alimentos y adoptar un estilo de vida más saludable.
Pero eso no es todo. Además de las clases de nutrición, se incluyen dos sesiones del Programa de Conservación de Alimentos (MFP) y otras dos del Programa de Maestros Jardineros (MGP), ambos programas también ofrecidos por UCANR.
Clara Wilshire, educadora de nutrición de EFNEP, nos dice que estas clases son una oportunidad para que los participantes mejoren su salud y prevengan enfermedades crónicas. "El programa EFNEP consta de siete clases que brindamos en la comunidad, especialmente a padres de bajos recursos, en las que hablamos de cómo mejorar la alimentación de sus familias. Además, colaboramos con los programas de jardinería y conservación de la Universidad de California".
Con más de 25 años deexperiencia enestecampo,Wilshiredestacaqueestasclases sonposiblesgracias auna subvenciónquehanrecibido.Estopermite no soloofrecerlasclases,sino tambiénproporcionar alosparticipanteslasherramientasnecesariasparaaplicar loaprendido ensuspropioshogares.
Raquel Hernández es una de las asistentes que presta mucha atención a las lecciones. "Soy hipertensa y diabética, y cuanto más aprendo, mejor me cuido", nos dice. "Me encanta lo que nos enseñan, ya que son formas de llevar un estilo de vida más saludable".
Para Hernández, cuidar de su salud es una prioridad, por lo que asistir a estas clases semana tras semana se ha convertido en un placer del que saca un gran provecho.
En una de las sesiones recientes, no solo se brindó una lección de nutrición, sino que también participó el programa de Conservación de Alimentos de la Universidad de California. Dee Denton, supervisora del programa en el condado de San Bernardino, se encargó de mostrar a los participantes cómo preparar un consomé a partir de sobras de alimentos, sin necesidad de conservantes artificiales.
"Hoy les enseñaré cómo hacer un consomé de verduras utilizando lo que normalmente consideramos desperdicios de comida en nuestras cocinas", explica Denton mientras muestra a los asistentes cómo preparar un consomé saludable paso a paso. "Pueden usar cualquier verdura que tengan en el refrigerador", dice, mientras les muestra que lo que antes se consideraba desperdicio puede convertirse en algo delicioso. Las asistentes se muestran sorprendidas y hacen preguntas.
Gabriela Rivera, una residente de San Bernardino, comenta emocionada, "Yo solía tirar todo; pelaba las zanahorias y las cebollas. ¡Pero ya no lo haré más!"
La experiencia de la supervisora Denton en esta clase ha demostrado que muchos de los asistentes no sabían que podían aprovechar los restos de comida de esta manera. Su objetivo es claro: enseñarles a los participantes lo que pueden hacer con los desperdicios de alimentos y alentarlos a probar cosas nuevas.
A medida que Denton termina de preparar el consomé, los asistentes reciben un kit para que puedan hacerlo ellos mismos en casa.
El inicio de una importante colaboración
Este esfuerzo nutritivo es posible gracias a una subvención de 10,000 dólares que permite que EFNEP, MFP y MGP realicen una serie de talleres destinados a los residentes del condado de San Bernardino. La colaboración de estos tres programas, todos impulsados por la educación bilingüe a través de EFNEP, rompe barreras idiomáticas y conecta las dietas saludables con la horticultura, la conservación de alimentos y la reducción del desperdicio de alimentos.
Como destaca Wilshire, coordinadora de EFNEP, "Los maestros jardineros les enseñarán cómo cultivar alimentos en casa para cosechar productos nutritivos y sencillos. Tenemos fondos para ofrecer las clases, pero también proporcionamos a los participantes los ingredientes, especias y recipientes necesarios para que puedan preparar su propio consomé de verduras en casa".
Próximas clases
Escuela Elemental Bradley
1300 Valencia Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92404
9:00-10:30
Noviembre 17 Encurtido
Diciembre 1 Compostaje
Distrito Escolar Elemental de Victor
15115 Nisqualli Rd, Victorville, CA 92395
9:30-12:30 (2 grupos español e inglés)
Octubre 25 Jardinería
Noviembre 29 Encurtido
Diciembre 6 Compostaje
- Author: Christine Davidson
Five groups of parents participated in a series of workshops from the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), Master Gardener (MG) and Master Food Preserver (MFP) Programs. The series was part of a grant for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). Twelve workshops per group were provided at the Victor Elementary School District Parent Resource Center (VESD) and Middle College High School. Four of the five groups conducted workshops in Spanish to reach under-served communities in San Bernardino County. Kits provided an opportunity to practice skills alongside the educators during workshops or afterward in their homes.
The EFNEP workshops consisted of a series of 9 lessons including topics such as reading the food label, food safety, MyPlate, stretching the food dollar, importance of exercise, limiting salt, sugar and fat. A kit provided ingredients to prepare Cowboy Caviar and Apple Salad recipes. The in person workshop included a live demonstration and kits to prepare Apple Salad. Virtual workshops included live food demonstration via Zoom while parents made the recipes in their homes. Graduates of the EFNEP program (n=37) received a cookbook and certificate of graduation.
MFP and MG workshops followed the EFNEP program alternating each week. Victor Elementary School District held an in person hands on activity making three tiered herb gardens. Participants received pots, soil, seeds, transplants and cuttings during the workshop. All participants went home with their new garden and tips on maintenance. The workshop was repeated virtually for the Middle College High School parents and VESD via Zoom. Parents received kits at their school sites and watched the live demonstration with time for questions at the end. The last MG workshop was Growing Cool/Warm Season Vegetables. Parents learned how to care for vegetables and which grew best in their home climate of the high desert or city of San Bernardino. They were given a binder with information about growing and maintaining vegetables, a pot, Popsicle sticks and a sharpie to label their vegetables, seeds for carrots, peas and radishes, and tote bag.
The Master Food Preserver program provided two workshops for parents. Each workshop emphasized food safety importance including proper storage of food, sanitation and hand washing. The first workshop, refrigerator pickling included a live demonstration walking parents through the entire process. Parents were given a kit containing carrots, jalapenos, garlic, pickling salt and spices, a container, a bottle of vinegar and the recipe to take home to replicate the demonstration. Options were provided to create the recipe either sweet or salty depending on preference. The next workshop consisted of making mixed berry freezer jam. The kit included a bag of frozen mixed berries, a container, sugar, pectin and recipe. Volunteers walked parents through the process and they took home their homemade jam.
All workshops reinforced food safety, saving money when food shopping, growing and preserving food. These topics addressed food insecurity, which is something families in San Bernardino struggle with. Parents were excited to participate in all workshops and share photos of making and growing food at home. Parents who attended all twelve workshops received a certificate of completion (n=18).
“I definitely enjoyed the nutrition classes and additional workshops. At my age, you reminded me the importance of building muscle and maintaining strong bones. I try to read the nutrition labels and have added more water to my diet. In addition, I have tried to implement certain habits to my daughters. I am also happy to report that two of my plants are still alive -lol. Not bad, I think. However, the sun and heat make it hard. I can go on... but I honestly enjoyed being a part of your class and workshops. I even shared your link with one of my cousins. The one with the jam and other tutorials.” – Participant
“I enjoyed the workshops very much! It was nice to receive all the information instead of having to look for it and being able to ask questions and of course, I loved the supplies that were provided. It made everything a lot easier!”
- Participant