USDA Nutrition and Food Workforce for Underrepresented Students (2023-2026)

At the Marilyn Magaram Center, CSUN, we are dedicated to enhancing the skills, knowledge, and career growth of USDA employees through comprehensive training and development programs. Our 2023-2026 initiatives are designed to support professional growth, foster collaboration, and drive innovation in the agriculture sector.

Project Objectives

  1. Attract and support students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for food and agriculture careers.
  2. Increase the number of underrepresented students at LAMC who complete the "Nutrition and Food Skills Certificate of Achievement"
  3. Provide information and access to food, agricultural and related careers through collaboration with the USDA FNS, FSIS, and WIC as well as job placement in the field of nutrition with a community partner.
  4. Increase enrollment in and completion of the Associate of Science for Transfer (AS-T) degree in nutrition and dietetics among underrepresented students at LAMC.

Possible Job & Internship Locations

LAMC to CSUN

Target Population

Undergraduate students currently enrolled at Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC) are selected as "fellows" based on:

  1. Need (being in underrepresented group and/or financial hardship);
  2. Achievement (past academic, extracurricular activity, and/or work performance);
  3. Personal statement (motivation and commitment to career in nutrition/foods).

Get Involved

To learn more about our programs or to participate in upcoming events, please contact us at magaram.center@csun.edu

Resources

  1. Consulting Nutritional Services
  2. Chef Ann Foundation
  3. MEIRxRS Food Smart Strategies
  4. Project Angel Food, and more!

Annette Besnilian

Executive Director

Jenica Smith

Assistant Director

Emely Ordoñez

Pathways Graduate
Student Coordinator

Sheri Barke

LA Mission
College Faculty Lead

 

Publications

Group photo

CSUN Today

Magaram Center Nationally Recognized for Efforts to Promote Diversity in Nutrition Careers

People standing with their project board

CSUN USDA Pathway Students Continue to Shine and Persevere

Graduate and undergraduate fellows in the “Pathways to Success” program attended the 15th annual conference for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) in Costa Mesa, California on March 5th-7th with Annette Besnilian, Executive Director of the Marilyn Magaram Center (MMC).

Gold Medal

Pathways to Success Wins National Award at UEDA Summit

We are thrilled to announce that the  Marilyn Magaram Center’s “Pathways to Success” program was selected as the winner in the Talent + Place category for the University Economic Development Association’s (UEDA) 2020 Awards of Excellence!

NIFA Logo

This work is supported by Nutrition and Food Workforce Pathways for Underrepresented Students [grant no. 2023-67037-40097] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Annette Besnilian, EdD, MPH, RDN, CLE, FAND

Executive Director


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Jenica Smith

Project Coordinator


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