Meet Joanna PineDa, the co-chapter leader of McGill Nourish!
Keah Hansen for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): Hey Joanna, we are super excited to be featuring you as a Campus Celebrity! Can you start by telling us about yourself?
Joanna PineDa (JP): Yes definitely! I’m from Vancouver, BC and am a third year student in Computer Science and Biology. I’m a floor fellow at La Citadelle and the co-chapter leader of McGill Nourish. In my free time, I love to get outdoors, snowboard and jam (guitar, not berries). I’m passionate about global health and creating opportunities for entrepreneurship in that field, as well as technology.
HC McGill: Can you let me know a little bit about what Nourish is, and what your role is with the organization?
JP: McGill Nourish is one of the first campus chapters outside of the USA, and last year we were titled the Chapter-of-the-Year among more than 60 chapters. Nourish is an amazing organization that brings together start-up culture with social impact. We seek to implement community-based solutions, which involves talking with the community we are helping and understanding their needs, rather than projecting a Westernized view of aid onto them. Essentially the organization is organized to create student-run long-term and short-term ventures on campuses in order to fundraise for these international projects in developing countries. This year, I’m the co-chapter leader of McGill Nourish, along with Laura Holden.
HC McGill: What is the history of the organization?
JP: Nourish is an international movement that started at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 2006. It originated during a late-night study session when the founder, Sindhura Citineni was inspired by a news story focusing on global human rights issues. She created a “Hunger Lunch” venture, and the concept of charity-driven student-run ventures expanded to other universities. Mikaela Fitzwilliam and Sally Maxwell, two awesome ladies, founded the McGill branch of Nourish last year.
HC McGill: Why did you decide to get involved in Nourish?
JP: The people that are in the club are amazing, and the process of starting with nothing and creating a successful event is so exciting to experience. I also went to Nourish’s Summer Institute this summer, and through meeting the executives, I feel that the organization is very genuine and the process of the organization has been very organic. There is also so much support given by the headquarters. Also, my career in going to be based on helping people, and this club really aligns with my values and allows me to gain experience in the field that I want to be in.
HC McGill: Tell me a little more about the global projects that McGill Nourish supports.
JP: Our chapter’s project is in Peru, and our partner is Project Amazonas, a not-for-profit NGO. We focus on the intersection of environmental and educational needs in the community. The interns who worked in the community over the summer are proud of the scholarship project they implemented. This project grew from talking with the community and learning that education is very expensive and hard to attain. In order to help the community access education, we created a farm that is maintained by one family each month, and the profits from it go towards their children’s education, which is a way to break the poverty cycle.
HC McGill: What events is Nourish organizing for this semester?
JP: This semester we have a Candlelight Karma Yoga Class, a Jackson Fries event at Gerts and a coffee house, called Evening Energies, all happening in November!
HC McGill: If people are interested in getting involved, how should they go about that?
JP: Check out our Facebook page, McGill Nourish International, and message us. Also feel free to contact me! We are more than happy to recruit people into the Nourish family at all times of the year.
HC McGill: What has been your favourite event with Nourish in the past?
JP: I’m going to say the Beyonce and Butter event, because it was the first time I could really see the entire progress of the event, it impacted a lot of people and it raised a lot of money. Also, the entire process was just really fun!
HC McGill: Thank you so much for the lovely interview Joanna! Best of luck this semester!
Images provided by the interviewee.