During my time at UC CalFresh, I was exposed to a stimulating variety of opportunities. I taught classes ranging from pre-kindergarten to adults, all of which I really enjoyed! I loved watching the kids eager to learn about MyPlate and physical activity and the adults asking questions on how to make their families healthier. I was also extremely impressed by the UC CalFresh staff; their passion for nutrition and health education radiated inside and out of the classrooms.

These pictures are from a few of the classes I taught at Bailey Elementary in Firebaugh. The kindergarteners in the picture above loved learning about fruits and vegetables. I read them a book about buying different fruits and vegetables at the market and then we played the Colors of the Rainbow game where they put their assigned fruit on the rainbow according to its color.

The picture below is from a second grade class at Bailey Elementary. We had a fun, interactive lesson where I taught them about different vegetables and then we played the Mystery Vegetable game after.

I was also able to co-teach and conduct food demonstrations at two classes for the Jobs and Beyond program. These individuals all had families to take care of and were truly invested in the lessons. I was encouraged by how many questions they all had and I was eager to answer them all. We discussed how to save time and money when cooking healthy meals for their families.

The pictures below are from my moringa project. I created two different smoothie recipes that contained moringa, then the staff taste tested and provided feedback on their favorite version. This was a really fun project and forced me to get creative with the recipes. I have never created a recipe from scratch, so this was a great learning opportunity for me!

Overall, I had a very pleasant experience during my two weeks at UC Cooperative Extension with the CalFresh program. This rotation forced me to go outside of my comfort zone, and I ended up enjoying everything I did! These last two weeks have exposed me to the importance of community nutrition and have left me with an eager drive to potentially work in community nutrition once I become a registered dietitian. Thank you to all of the staff who warmly welcomed me into their office and for showing me how health educators can make a huge difference in the community.