The people and systems that produce our food are often not considered as we take our first bite. But for Sarafina Lewis ’25, food has become a way to investigate facets of the world, including why quality food shortages are endemic to many communities of color.
For her summer internship, Sarafina worked at the Far Rock Urban Agro-Ecological Center. Located in Queens, NY, the center is part of The Campaign Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization working to end hunger and aid youth empowerment, nutrition education, and community engagement. The center delivers its produce to local food pantries, facilitates cooking classes, and hosts farmer's markets where people can purchase fresh food at reduced or no cost, including those on assistance programs.
As a farm worker, Sarafina assisted the lead farmer and learned about the intricacies of farm operations, such as watering, seeding, transplanting, and harvesting. Sarafina also attended informational sessions about the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to supplement this hands-on experience.
At Far Rock Center, many lead farmers were from the Caribbean and had been farming since childhood. Sarafina, whose mother is Haitian, believes that she has grown a lot from hearing about their personal stories and experiences of transitioning from farming in the Caribbean to the United States. The internship expanded her understanding of the social impact of food systems on different people.
“This experience has furthered my education on food sovereignty from the seed to our plates. It has expanded my knowledge and the manual labor, science, and indigenous knowledge that can go into farming.”
Sarafina hopes to follow her passion for agriculture and labor studies. She plans on taking comparative industrial and labor studies and learning about the flora and fauna of South Africa during her time with the °IJʿ Cape Town Study Group at the University of Cape Town.
°IJʿ and its generous alumni and parent donors offer grants to support students’ living costs and supplemental expenses to pursue unpaid and underpaid summer experiences. Learn more about °IJʿ summer funding.