Stefanie Vidal, 2022 SAF internNC Farmworkers' Project Sweaty scrubs, mosquito bites, and long late-night rides. This is what a typical day in the Benson office looks like. My day usually consists of doing interpretation and outreach and I realize my hard work is worth it after seeing many receive the care they deserve. Many farmworkers... [Read more]
The little things
Diana Hernandez, 2022 SAF internSC Legal Services At first I was scared to be placed so far away from the rest of my peers in South Carolina. At our orientation, I felt so comfortable because everyone was so welcoming and the thought of leaving or just being far away from everyone scared me. A month... [Read more]
SAF opened my eyes
Jennifer Salazar Sanchez, 2022 Program AssistantStudent Action with Farmworkers As a program assistant for this year's Into the Fields cohort, I learned so much about how critical it is for organizations to work among themselves to make change. Farmworkers include men, women, and children who often face issues that range from health, legal, educational, and... [Read more]
Deciding to go up to the bus
Nathaly Trinidad Flores, 2022 SAF internSC Migrant Education Program Being confident in your work and intentions is a mindset I quickly had to adopt once starting to work with the South Carolina Migrant Education Program. This confidence helps make the message and services we are trying to provide more valuable and enriching to farmworkers. In... [Read more]
We survive by sticking together
Celeste Ortega-Felix, 2022 SAF internEl Vínculo Hispano Over the past year, I have been struggling with hopelessness and the anxiety and fear that comes with not knowing what is going to happen to one’s family, community, and the larger world in the near future. Things seem to be heading towards increased destruction, violence, and struggle... [Read more]
Perserverance + Courage
Janet Rivera, 2022 SAF internEnlace Latino Most days this summer were filled with me doing work virtually, whether looking for farmworkers’ resources or preparing for my next outreach visit. Still, on the occasions that I did theatre or outreach, it was always a memorable experience. In some ways, I felt connected to the farmworkers as... [Read more]
Growth
Christian Sanchez, 2022 SAF internNC Farmworkers' Project This plant resembles a lot of things in my opinion. To me, it resembles "GROWTH". Growth in a way that things can change for the better. This is what I want for my job, my peers, and for the people who work and suffer in farm work. I... [Read more]
Values that align with my own
Grace Calus, 2022 SAF internFarmworker Advocacy Network As an intern with SAF, the NC Justice Center, and the Farmworker Advocacy Network, I find that all 3 of these organizations hold and highlight values that align with my own. I see these values internally through the organizational structures and leadership within these organizations and externally through... [Read more]
Witnessing the power of hope firsthand
– Sophie Therber, 2022 SAF internGood Samaritan Clinic I feel very fortunate to work at a site that prioritizes farmworker outreach. We do outreach 3 nights per week, and I feel that it provides an incredible opportunity for me to see the direct impact of the work we are doing. During outreach, the Good Samaritan... [Read more]
New Adventures Start At 8:30am
– Jenifer Caceres-Garcia, 2022 SAF internAppHealth My day typically starts at 8:30am with a fresh clean pairs of scrubs on, my backpack all packed from the night before, and my lunchbox in my hands. I'm ready to head out with AppHealthCare in Sparta, Alleghany county. First, I go inside to the health education room to... [Read more]
A bountiful harvest of social change
– Coltan Compton, 2022 SAF internEl Vinculo Hispano It was an expectedly hot and humid North Carolina summer day; like most days of the season, it was just shy of unbearable. The vehicle of interns I was in trembled on the gravel road towards our destination, a modest labor camp of eight farmworkers in Dunn.... [Read more]
Worthwhile and Impactful
– Daniela Aguilar Carranza, 2022 SAF internGood Samaritan Clinic Work at Good Samaritan Clinic has kept me incredibly busy this past month but it has all been work that has left me feeling satisfied and fulfilled. All the work I have done has felt worthwhile and impactful; not once have I felt like I have... [Read more]