Hello! My name is Miranda Jennings. I am Iskashitaa's summer Nutritional Studies intern, supported through Stanford University. I am an incoming Junior in college majoring in Human Biology with an interdisciplinary concentration of Approaching Health and Nutritional Disparities. My academic interests include nutrition, public health, and health policy. I hope to pursue a career in either health politics or non-profit work. I was born and raised in Ramona, California, a small town in San Diego County, but currently reside here in Tucson when I am not at school. This summer marks my one-year anniversary of being a Tucson resident, and I am pleased to have found the wonderful Iskashitaa community to be a part of.
This summer my research will be focused on two different topics of concern within the refugee community: water consumption and diet. We have noticed that many refugees do not carry water with them or consume it regularly throughout the day. This could be due to their aversion to tap water and an inability to purchase bottled water. I will attempt to address this concern by making flyers about the importance of hydration for distribution among refugees. We have also observed a shortage of certain nutrients in many refugees' diets, a need Iskashitaa has been fulfilling with its food redistribution. Aside from economic factors, I want to examine how certain cultural stigmas and environmental influences might affect refugees' likelihood to eat or not eat certain foods. This will extend from their life in their home country to their experience in the refugee camps and finally consider specifically how Iskashitaa has met these needs and what else we could do to better fulfill them. If you have input, experiences to share or ideas please email me at information@iskashitaa.org.
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