THE CAPSTONE is a celebration of innovation and scholarship centered on creating an equitable and sustainable food system. Through conversations, stories, ideas, and examples, students share their final Capstone projects–an opportunity to lift up their food systems knowledge, individual research, creative problem solving, systems thinking, reflection, and analysis. Join us! Be inspired by hearing how possible it is to create positive food systems change!
featuring Bianca Garcia
One of the impacts of COVID-19 was a dramatic rise in unemployment, and with that, increases in food insecurity experienced by those in Bianca Garcia’s hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Noting how Three Square, Southern Nevada’s only food bank, managed to pivot effectively to cope with the increased need, Bianca became interested in what enabled the organization to respond quickly and efficiently. For her Capstone, she provides a case study of Three Square and its response to rapid changes in the need to provide food to the region. She compares the Three Square model to three other organizations doing similar work on various scales and examines the social network of Three Square to provide analysis and recommendations on best practices.
About Bianca Garcia
Bianca Garcia was born in raised in Las Vegas, NV--originally home to people of southern Paiute tribes. Before going to college, Bianca was in the Army for almost four years as a cook or “food service specialist.” Once she got out of the military in 2013, Bianca saw a documentary named “Hungry for Change” that completely changed her outlook on food. Now, in May 2022 she earned her master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems at Prescott College. Currently, Bianca is a full-time mother and will begin to look for work in her field soon--she hopes to be part of the change that helps guide the trajectory of our current food system in a different direction, like more regenerative agriculture and local food systems. Her ultimate goal in life is to own her own farm with a range of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs surrounded by cannabis. While she admits that she needs to test more for herself, she believes that cannabis is there to support the health of the plants with its terpenes and most likely reduce the number of pests. However, because this goal is in the distant future, she will continue to focus on getting her foot in the door and gaining as much experience as she can wherever she lands.
The students and faculty of the MSFS program bring this podcast to you because we believe in ideas, we believe in knowledge that inspires, and we believe that change is possible!
Join with others who are passionate about the transformative power of food in the work to create equity, opportunity, health and wellbeing, regenerative environments, and sustainability. The M.S. degree in Sustainable Food Systems (MSFS) at Prescott College is an experience that combines a vibrant online learning environment with the skills, support, knowledge, and networks to help you become a leader in the movements to establish food justice, strong regional food economies, sustainable diets and health, food policy, biodiversity, agroecology, and more!
Whether you want to talk to us about a topic in Sustainable Food Systems, learn more about our Master's program, or, would like to interview us, we're available to discuss topics related to biodiversity, food justice, sustainable farming practices, soil science and more.
