top of page
SDSU Nextgen
Expanding and Diversifying Careers in Sustainable Food Systems along the US-Mexico Border
News & Publications
Stay tuned for the latest updates to our program
Internship experience with Mena Essa
For Mena Essa, the pathway into her internships began in CAL 400: Community and Academic Learning, a NextGen course designed to connect classroom lessons with real-world opportunities.
Through the course, she gained access to a unique summer internship with Dr. Lluvia Flores-Renteria in Mexico, visiting Indigenous communities, family
farms, and CICESE, a local research institute. There, she learned about food systems, water challenges, and sustainable practices, helped restore a mural, and even picked up some words from the Kumeyaay community.
Mena valued the chance to ask questions, learn through trial and error, and gain confidence in professional settings. Her experience shows how NextGen internships connect classroom learning to both lab research and fieldwork,
helping students build skills and explore career paths.
“This internship was really insightful. It was at
no expense to me and fully funded — a great
opportunity to grow and learn during the
summer.” – Mena Essa
Through the course, she gained access to a unique summer internship with Dr. Lluvia Flores-Renteria in Mexico, visiting Indigenous communities, family
farms, and CICESE, a local research institute. There, she learned about food systems, water challenges, and sustainable practices, helped restore a mural, and even picked up some words from the Kumeyaay community.
Mena valued the chance to ask questions, learn through trial and error, and gain confidence in professional settings. Her experience shows how NextGen internships connect classroom learning to both lab research and fieldwork,
helping students build skills and explore career paths.
“This internship was really insightful. It was at
no expense to me and fully funded — a great
opportunity to grow and learn during the
summer.” – Mena Essa
Internship experience with
Jazlyn Piera
Jazlyn spent her internship feeding and monitoring larvae, testing protein and nitrogen levels, and even experimenting with compost tea on beet microgreens.
While the work could sometimes be tedious, it taught Jazlyn the importance of precision, accuracy, and patience in research. More than that, it showed her how classroom concepts can take on new meaning when applied in the real
world.
This summer, Environmental Science senior Jazlyn Pierre explored how science and sustainability connect through her internship in Dr. Chi Liu’s lab. Her journey began in CAL 400: Community and Academic Learning, where she learned about Black Soldier Fly larvae and their potential to reduce food waste and create compost.
“I loved the hands-on work—learning to use lab
machines and actually growing microgreens was
so rewarding.” – Jazlyn Pierre
While the work could sometimes be tedious, it taught Jazlyn the importance of precision, accuracy, and patience in research. More than that, it showed her how classroom concepts can take on new meaning when applied in the real
world.
This summer, Environmental Science senior Jazlyn Pierre explored how science and sustainability connect through her internship in Dr. Chi Liu’s lab. Her journey began in CAL 400: Community and Academic Learning, where she learned about Black Soldier Fly larvae and their potential to reduce food waste and create compost.
“I loved the hands-on work—learning to use lab
machines and actually growing microgreens was
so rewarding.” – Jazlyn Pierre
Chula Vista High School students are touring SDSU
SDSU will host students from Chula Vista high school on March 15th to talk about Bright Side, sustainable approaches and plant diversity.
Llula Vanflores
Mar 4, 20241 min read
bottom of page