Meet Bernadet Younesi ’09, MPH ’12
Tell us about your current job post UCI:
I work as a Program Manager at the Nutrition and Physical Activity Program in LA County’s Department of Public Health. I work closely with community-based partners and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to redistribute surplus food to community based settings as part of a broader effort to prevent diet-related chronic disease in low-income communities. I love learning new things about our food system and how it affects our health and the environment. There’s so much potential for positive change.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by LA’s Ron Finley (@ronfinleyhq), the “Gangsta Gardener”. He has a motivating MasterClass and I recommend it for those of us who never had much experience planting flowers, herbs, vegetables, or anything. We ought to get to know our food better and what better way than growing it ourselves?
What is your favorite UCI memory?
I miss biking around campus and going from class to class, especially down the steep hill on Inner Ring Road. I also miss the food at Brandywine.
What is your favorite quote or message to current students?
You will never know unless you try – apply for that job, internship, or fellowship that you’re genuinely interested in. And my fellow women, especially 1st generation college students, do not sell yourself short!
