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ASB 2011-2012 - A Land of Plenty?: Migrant Health Stories in the CA Central Valley

Basic Information
Application Process: 
ASB 2011-2012
Trip Name: 
A Land of Plenty?: Migrant Health Stories in the CA Central Valley
Trip Location: 
Central Valley, CA
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
12
Trip Description: 

"The hands that feed us are often invisible hands, hands of people who work in the shadows of a multibillion-dollar industry without enjoying its rewards."
  "The Human Cost of Food"

The Central Valley of California is the world’s agricultural leader, producing more than half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables.  The care and harvest of these crops relies heavily upon the labor of migrant farm workers, most of whom are marginalized economically and socially.  The health of these individuals, who face unique environmental dangers and obstacles to health care, is especially precarious.

Through this course and trip we will explore some of the most pressing issues affecting migrant health in the Central Valley. We will look at barriers to accessing effective health care for migrant workers and their families. Learning directly from the experiences of farm workers, farm owners, and health care professionals and interacting closely with community activists, lobbyists, and non-profit groups, we will tangibly engage the many interrelated aspects of migrant health. This course and trip will  help to broaden our perspectives as we examine the many social and cultural factors that underlie the complexities of migrant health care. We will evaluate current efforts to alleviate existing challenges, thinking critically about their limitations and possible solutions. Understanding access to effective health care as a basic human right, we hope to promote positive change, however big or small, through our experiences.

Trip Leaders
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Doris Sempasa

(by Lena Sweeney) Doris Sempasa is a senior from the great city of Slidell, Louisiana rocking a HumBio Major.  A huge foodie, she learned to appreciate the interrelatedness of food with agriculture and human health.  She was inspired by this ASB trip two years ago, where she gained invaluable experiences and understanding of migrant health and the disparities that exist so close to home. Seeing the injustices of those most intimately involved within the US food industry, Doris became very passionate about advocating for the health and  rights of farmworkers everywhere. This summer, she worked at a non-profit in Washington, DC where she helped advocate for the health and safety of migrant farm workers.   Doris is extremely excited to share her knowledge, research, and experience in her HumBio focus of community health.  She sings in the beautiful Gospel Choir, and works as an Academic Theme Associate of Storey House.  Doris loves sleeping, cozy blankets, long walks on the beach (with Lena), photography, travel, and eating Lena’s cupcakes.

Lena Sweeney

(by Doris Sempasa) Lena Sweeney is a true California girl, born and raised in Visalia, CA.  Growing up on a dairy farm in the Central Valley, Lena has a great love of all things agriculture related, especially cows! As a senior Biology Major, she is interested in promoting access to health care from a cultural perspective and in the potential for agriculture to address nutritional disparities in the Central Valley. Growing up within the Central Valley, Lena has seen the disparities faced by migrant workers within this area. For her, this trip is both an opportunity to learn and to give back to her community. Apart from this trip, Lena is a superstar on campus, as Co-chair of the Stanford FLIP program, student coordinator of Science in Service, and  generally being a part-time baller.  Lena loves coffee, typewriters, long walks on the beach (with Doris), crashing Doris’s photos, and making cupcakes.