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Who We Are

Student Staff

Melissa Cervantes

Development Assistant

she/her

Undergraduate, Society & Environment and Conservation and Resource Studies. Melissa is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Napa, California. Growing up near an agricultural preserve, she noticed the socio-economic problems that come with working in the agricultural or food industry. Many of her family members are farmworkers, which has influenced her passion for environmental justice, specifically the nexus between environmental education and media. Before joining BFI, Melissa was co-lead of the Latinxs & the Environment (LEI) seminar and engaged in independent research projects. She is excited to be part of a talented team who share similar interests and goals.

Moncerrat Hernandez

Undergraduate Agricultural Labor Research Fellow

she/her

Undergraduate, Environmental Sciences. Moncerrat is a first year undergraduate student from Oxnard, California. Growing up in an agricultural city, she engaged with matters impacting farmworkers’ health. Her interests include environmental justice, technology, and medicine. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and gardening. She looks forward to being a part of a collective effort and connecting with community members.

Isabel Martin

Global Food Initiative Food Systems Career Fellow

she/her

Undergraduate, Environmental Science. Isabel is a third-year student from Napa, California. Before joining BFI, she interned for Parks California learning how to make parks more accessible to communities. On campus, she is an active member of the environmental community through the UC Green New Deal and the Students of Color Environmental Collective. Her interest in food systems comes from a childhood spent surrounded by both agriculture and nature, and as a result, she is passionate about empowering people through nature. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, sewing, and caring for houseplants.

Jesús Nazario

Graduate Student Fellow

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PhD, Ethnic Studies. Jesús’s research focuses on the intersection of food and Indigenous sovereignty, as well as the incorporation of memory and archival methods. He is passionate about photography, laughing, research dissemination, and forming foundations of a more food-equitable society. As a recent Master’s of Arts graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where he focused on maize adoptions by Nahua farmers, he is interested in connecting with Indigenous activists, food scholars, and communities of color to increase access and understanding to heritage and local foods. Outside of BFI, he is involved in community gardening and housing justice projects.

Olivia Rounsaville

Communications Assistant

she/her

Undergraduate, Environmental Economics and Policy. Olivia is a sophomore at UC Berkeley. Growing up around agricultural producers in the Nicasio valley of Marin County, she developed an interest in regenerative food systems that combine both environmental and societal health. She believes in the potential that food systems have to change the way we live for the better. In her free time, she enjoys reading, road trips, hiking, and spending time with the people she loves. She looks forward to being a part of BFI’s mission for a more sustainable and just food system.

Join Our Team!

Careers