Name

School

Arizona State University

City or Town

Tempe

Graduation Year

2012

How many hours are you able to commit to USFT weekly during the 2009/2010 school year?

8

Please summarize your experience in the Fair Trade movement.

I was introduced to trade issues in high school through anthropology class, and then in freshman year of college I applied to be a volunteer with the fair trade nonprofit Las Otras Hermanas. There I learned about Fair Trade in practice. I visited Juárez, Mexico, and saw the conditions there. Charis Elliott asked me to be the USFT @ ASU president this year, and I accepted. I then had to become even more of an expert on the subject in order to communicate the concept clearly.

What is your understanding of anti-oppression and anti-racism?
Anti-oppression is the act of actively defending those who are discriminated against due to having, or being perceived as having, any number of traits. Standing up for persons who lack power to defend themselves is key to solving the problem.  Being in the unique and lucky position we in USFT are often in, we have the power and time to make a difference in the lives of others. Anti-racism is the act of rejecting discrimination based upon “race” or the perceived ideas that colors of skin define a group to be inferior to others or to act a certain way. 

  Why would you like to be on the Coordinating Committee?:
I would like to be a part of a team of people who have passion, drive, and experience in working with Fair Trade on campuses and in communities. I feel that this would be a great learning experience for me, being able to move from community-level to regional-level activism. I am all about making connections, sharing information, and not reinventing the wheel. Collaboration is to me one of the most important skills to learn in life. I would like to be able to collaborate with people at the forefront of Fair Trade activism. USFT’s horizontal leadership structure also appeals to me.

What do you think you can bring to the CC?

I can bring community organizing experience, as a result of my experience with several other organizations, ranging from teaching middle school students about the cycle of violence to leading high school I also am experienced in event planning, having organized several movie showings, critical mass bike rides, tabling events, Earth Day at ASU, Sustainable Foods Day at ASU, and more. Having worked partnered with groups and in actively seeking out community partners, I believe I am a good collaborator, too. In Arizona now, there appears to be a renaissance of fair, local, and organic production. I would want to connect the CC to this aspect of the Southwest. In addition, having lived in Arizona all my life, I am attuned to the causes and effects of migration from the south to the north. Academically, I can bring my understanding of sustainability and economics. Sustainability studies demand holistic understandings of complexly connected world issues. Issues such as deforestation are not understood only from an environmental viewpoint, but in the context of the local people and economy, the international marketplace and trade policies, and globalization. I also hope to make Spanish Literature my second major. In addition, I am pursuing an Environmental Humanities Certificate, which focuses on the philosophy of environmentalism, and its many sub-topics. Meanwhile, I would bring knowledge of food systems and a passion for reforming agricultural policy. Currently, I am taking the Sustainable Food and Farms class at ASU, in which we are learning about the status of food production and consumption around the world, and are modeling what would be the ideal food system. I have made many connections with farmers and local food activists, and feel that I could contribute to campaigns that deal with food on campus especially. I want to work with local farmers, specifically those funded by the International Rescue Committee, to bring their food on campus, in addition to bringing Fair Trade certified or other items produced with Fair Trade principles.

What is your vision for the position(s) you are applying for?
I want to build up the potential of schools in the Southwest or high schools in general, where fair trade activism is critical especially since we are at the forefront of one of the most important civil rights issues of my generation. The situation is unique in southwest in that we witness the aftermath of unfair trade policies such as NAFTA everyday and the effects are becoming so great that Arizona is taking unjust measures to remove people who have migrated. As a Regional Coordinator, I would want to give schools around the Southwest resources to educate, unite, and act. For one, we need up to date information about trade policies, labor conditions, environmental effects, and more. Being that I am studying these topics in my classes, I feel I am in a good position to spread such information and inspire campus leaders. Also, sustainability is a holistically-focused major, and from that thinking I think I can reach groups of people who may not have seen the connections that trade has to whatever issues they want to make changes on. Secondly, I would want to unite the students and activists by create strong groups of strong individuals.  After having been in organizations, I know now that it is imperative to let the individual person’s uniqueness shine and to understand their interests and where they are coming from before you can act as a group. There are several activities that could be done to unite groups, but the most effective can be as simple as just having a good cup of coffee or talk over dinner. Lastly, the key is to actually make an impact in the area where USFTs and other affiliated groups are located. It is imperative for groups to identify issues within their community that USFT wants to and can address. Having success with projects can be a challenge, and I would make my best effort to guide USFT chapters that seek advice. I would want to have at least monthly talks with the USFT chapters.
As for being a Movement Liason, I would want to communicate clearly and effectively the goals of Fair Trade.

What does Fair Trade mean to you?
Fair Trade entails a practical and just goal to create the most health, efficiency, and happiness out of our economy as possible. Beyond the bottom line commonly known as profit, people’s health and happiness should be taken into account as what makes up an efficient system. Fair Trade unites people all over to ensure that producers receive their fair share in exchange for feeding, clothing, and providing other goods for the world, in addition to ending environmental destruction, slavery, child labor, a lack of corporate transparency.

Who are you, really? What are you passionate about?
I come from a background of sustainability, and that’s what I’m all about. In high school, I always knew there were problems so big and so vicious, that I just had to go into a major that didn’t only focus on one aspect, but solved the problem as a whole. Going into college, I didn’t forsee myself leading groups and campaigns. I tended to be a quieter student in high school, but felt at home in leadership positions such as teaching lessons to middle school students and as president of the recycling club. However, I didn’t really grow into that role until freshman year. For those reasons, I tend to be one of those leaders who “steps up and steps back.” I learn everyday how best to lead, in addition to learning as much from the USFT students I work with as they learn from me. I am passionate, hard-working, driven, and empathetic, and this shows in what I do.