Emerson Fellow
Davis Chhoa
25th Class, 2018-2019
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Davis graduated with honors from Stanford University with a degree in human biology. During his time in college, he dedicated his time to building the Asian American community both on- and off-campus, through which he developed a passion for advocating for health access and equity among marginalized communities. Davis conducted an independent research project to investigate how different generations of Cambodian Americans perceive the idea of well-being and worked at Asian Health Services in Oakland, California as a summer fellow to support youth development. Davis has also worked with patients as a health educator at the Pacific Free Clinic to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and served as a trial monitor intern at the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Field placement: CAPI USA
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Davis completed his field work with CAPI USA, a multi-service social agency committed to guiding refugees and immigrants towards self-determination and social equality through direct service programs and community engagement. In his role, Davis developed a volunteer infrastructure for CAPI's culturally-specific food shelf and supported several improvements to the food shelf's operations. In addition, he has collaborated with the Human Services Manager and Food and Nutrition Coordinator at CAPI to conduct an analysis and evaluation of the organization's community garden initiative to increase access to gardening opportunities for CAPI's clients. Along with his work related to the food shelf and community gardening programs, Davis has developed partnerships with local organizations and community members to increase awareness of SNAP, particularly among immigrants and older adults.
Policy placement: Root Cause Coalition
Washington, D.C.
Hunger Free Community Report
"A Direct Service Approach to Reducing Food Insecurity among Immigrant Communities in Minneapolis" play crucial roles in alleviating hunger and reducing food insecurity. The report highlights how a direct service organization, CAPI USA, provides emergency food assistance to address the needs of food insecure immigrant and refugee households in Minneapolis, Minnesota.