Hello! My name is Aziza Alvarenga-Marchante and I am a rising senior in CALS majoring in Plant Sciences. This summer, I’m working as a CCE intern on a project titled “Understanding Barriers and Opportunities for Extending IPM Programming to Spanish-speaking Audiences in NYC”.
On Tuesday, May 28th, I began my first day at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in the Bronx. There, I met some of the dedicated staff members and joined my field supervisor, Makela, for an engaging day of community work. Our first destination was Bissel Gardens – a 2.5-acre community garden and four-block path located in the Wakefield area of the Bronx. Bissel Gardens holds the distinction of being the first community garden in the northeast Bronx.
At Bissel Gardens, Makela and I prepared a garden bed by turning the soil, planting a total of 50 strawberries to be shared with the community, mulching with straw, and watering the rows of strawberries. We also picked a few strawberries from the previous season – and they were delicious!
Next, we visited the Rivers Run community garden, also in the Bronx, to weed and water the strawberries growing there.
My first day was a wonderful experience, providing me with a firsthand look at some of the roles and responsibilities involved in extension work with Cornell.
On Thursday, May 30th, I visited the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program in Far Rockaway with my field supervisor, Monica, at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center. At the Center, we met with Yolanda Florez, the nutrition program director at that WIC office. We discussed the importance of accessibility to fresh fruits and vegetables for the local community and planned various nutrition and parenting workshops, classes, and programming for the near future.
Lastly, on Friday, May 31st, I spent the day at the Queens CCE office with Monica. It was a calm day at the office, where I had the opportunity to meet some of the wonderful people working there and enjoy some tasty Trinidadian doubles with them! This Friday was a “wellness day”, during which we were encouraged to go out on the 30-minute walk and send a photo of something that brings us peace and joy. I also participated in two meetings regarding parenting and collaborations with the First Presbyterian Church in the Jamaica, Queens area, where the office is located.
Overall, this was a great introductory week to the internship and an exciting beginning. Every day was different, and despite being born and raised in New York City, I got to take trains I usually don’t and visit boroughs and neighborhoods I’ve rarely, if ever, been to. It was amazing!