Education for the global good

The Quarter at Aggie Square People, Plants and the Planet experience equips undergraduate students of all majors with the skills to support a positive impact on the global ecosystem. The hands-on experience also led one student toward a new career path in public health.

Fourth-year biological sciences major Amelie Chang, who completed the program last fall, said the experiences sparked her interest in community education.

“This experience took concepts from my classes and let me test them in real time,” Chang said. “I taught basic cooking skills with food grown on-site and participated in community-based farmers’ markets.  Those connections between activities and children’s health guided my decision to pursue a master’s in public health.” 

Changing major and career goals

During the program, Chang said she discovered public health was her true calling. She ultimately added a minor in public health sciences. She said the biological sciences major created space for flexible electives and minors, while working in local neighborhoods provided firsthand insight beyond textbook concepts. 

As part of the experience, Chang worked with children to advance their knowledge of sustainability at home, further reinforcing her interest in public health.  She said the community engagement activities and internship deepened her understanding of food-related issues such as food deserts, childhood malnutrition and overall sustainability.

Chang completed her internship at the Food Literacy Center, where she led cooking lessons for elementary school students. She also helped at the EBT tent at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market and supported Market Match, a program that makes fresh local food more affordable. 

Learning outside the classroom

The Plants, People and the Planet experience blends a community engagement course with an internship requirement, which students tailor to align with their individual academic and career interests.

Site visits in Woodland, Davis and Sacramento and guest lecturers provide students multiple ways to engage in local communities. As part of a field trip to CommuniCare Health in Woodland, Chang explored the community garden with classmates and learned how they use the garden to aid healing. CommuniCare Health’s goals are to enrich the environment, support healing through the garden and provide fresh produce to those in need. The center distributes produce grown on-site and offers cooking classes to community members. Students also participated in site visits to the UC Davis Student Farm, and had a guest lecture from Carrie Waterman on community-led food justice.

Chang noted that her instructor, Will McMahan, was a key advocate for new learning opportunities. McMahan leads the day-to-day instruction of the program and visits internship sites to track students’ progress. 

“Working with Will was awesome,” Chang said. “They supported everyone in class and took a truly hands-on approach to teaching. They cared about helping us succeed across our unique academic journeys.”

Looking to deepen her experience in this field, she participated this winter in an internship with the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Infectious Diseases.  She credited her Plants, People and the Planet experience for helping secure this role.

Stepping into graduate school

Following graduation in June, Chang sets her sights on graduate school, with a focus on public health education. She said her instructor, Will McMahan, led discussions both in the classroom and at site visits that motivated her to explore careers in public health.

“I've seen this program open the eyes of many students — ranging from atmospheric science to premed,” McMahan said.  “The more diverse student perspectives we have, the richer the discussions we have. Students of all backgrounds will take something away, guaranteed!”

Quarter at Aggie Square, a unit of the Office of Undergraduate Education, provides unique and immersive experiences for students to delve into fields and areas of study usually reserved for upper-division courses. These experiences are available to undergraduate students at no additional cost beyond their tuition. Applications open each year in April for fall experiences.