Bryan Molina was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and recently graduated from Chapman University with a major in Peace & Justice Studies and a minor in Psychology. Bryan's passion for addressing food insecurity stems from personal experiences as the son of Salvadoran immigrants, growing up in a low-income Latino household, and witnessing the impacts of food insecurity on those in his community. Among Bryan's most proud experiences is his time working at his university’s food pantry in which he led a group of students and supported the pantry’s growth as a vital resource on campus. Bryan’s studies and experiences allowed for opportunities to research and understand more deeply the impact and root causes of these challenges within our society, something he is eager to continue learning more about throughout his fellowship.
Field placement: UCI Basic Needs Center
Irvine, California
Bryan's work at the UCI Basic Needs Center is focused on supporting eligible students with accessing CalFresh benefits and helping students maximize their food budgets. Bryan is providing CalFresh application assistance as well as working to increase the number of students completing pre-screens to raise CalFresh eligibility awareness. Additionally, Bryan is working to develop a nutrition education curriculum and teaching guide to support students in maximizing their CalFresh benefits as well as overall nutrition.