Thelma: meaning volition
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Academic Background
I completed a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Florida International University's Global and Socio-Cultural Studies Department in Miami, Florida. My coursework as an undergraduate was cross-disciplinary in: social, agricultural and environmental sciences. As an undergraduate student I explored how exposure to climate change and resource degradation data from IPCC reports influenced individual food consumption patterns across a various demographic groups . During this time I also traveled to India to research second-generation biofuel production and interview communities engaged in government-funded cooperatives promoting biofuel expansion.
In 2012, I obtained an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida International University in the Department of Earth and Environment. Much of my coursework focused on natural science in the realm of agroecology, soil science, and sustainable resource management. For my master's research I harvested an invasive tree species and converted it into biochar and applied it to soil at various rates to measure carbon sequestration, soil nutrient availability, and crop growth in a greenhouse study. After completing my M.S. degree, I became Adjunct Faculty at Florida International University, where I taught Global Environment and Society, as well as, Environmental Science and Sustainability courses. Over the course of my teaching, I came to two conclusions: 1. I love teaching and mentoring as a profession, and 2. my perspective on the research gaps that needed to be filled changed.
The agricultural and environmental problems we face today are rooted in institutions and social structures that paved the way for unsustainable food systems and subsequent injustices. Ecosystems are not the problem, people and society are. Thus, I merged my sociology, agroecology, and environmental training and transitioned to sustainable food systems research and environmental sociology for my doctoral studies. At Ohio State University, I have been fortunate to work alongside leading scholars using interdisciplinary strategies to solve some of the worlds most pressing problems. My research now centers on food, environmental, and climate injustices and the organizations and institutions promoting sustainable food systems and just communities.
In 2012, I obtained an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida International University in the Department of Earth and Environment. Much of my coursework focused on natural science in the realm of agroecology, soil science, and sustainable resource management. For my master's research I harvested an invasive tree species and converted it into biochar and applied it to soil at various rates to measure carbon sequestration, soil nutrient availability, and crop growth in a greenhouse study. After completing my M.S. degree, I became Adjunct Faculty at Florida International University, where I taught Global Environment and Society, as well as, Environmental Science and Sustainability courses. Over the course of my teaching, I came to two conclusions: 1. I love teaching and mentoring as a profession, and 2. my perspective on the research gaps that needed to be filled changed.
The agricultural and environmental problems we face today are rooted in institutions and social structures that paved the way for unsustainable food systems and subsequent injustices. Ecosystems are not the problem, people and society are. Thus, I merged my sociology, agroecology, and environmental training and transitioned to sustainable food systems research and environmental sociology for my doctoral studies. At Ohio State University, I have been fortunate to work alongside leading scholars using interdisciplinary strategies to solve some of the worlds most pressing problems. My research now centers on food, environmental, and climate injustices and the organizations and institutions promoting sustainable food systems and just communities.
Personal Background
I am a first-generation, Latina/x woman (pronouns: she, her) with roots in Bronx, New York and Miami, Florida. For much of my life I have been surrounded by communities reflecting the broad diversity of individuals residing in the United States, ranging from LGBTQIA+ to cis-hetero individuals, those living in poverty to the extremely wealthy, and from indigenous people, immigrants, and refugees to descendants of white settlers. Engaging with people whose eclectic identities represent humans from all walks of life has shaped me into a versatile person. Though I have traveled to various other countries, "developed" and those characterized as less so, my greatest culture shock came when I moved to Ohio.