Mariestella Fisher-Vélez

Mariestella is a 2001 psychology graduate of Fordham University and earned a Master’s degree in urban education from Temple University in 2004.  As a VISTA Volunteer in a Philadelphia inner city high school, she worked with the Urban Nutrition Initiative educating low-income communities about healthy eating while supporting locally-grown produce and community gardens.  She is originally from Puerto Rico, and as a Latina she is especially drawn to the ways in which policies affect and shape the lives of minorities and other economically and politically disenfranchised groups.

Field placement: FoodChange

New York City, New York

Policy placement: National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc

Washington, D.C.