Internship
What is the UIC Heritage Garden Internship Program?
All project efforts are carried out through the activities of the internship program, which runs in Fall, Spring and Summer and adapts to the season. Interns sustain the planting of the satellite gardens and offer public programs including tours of the gardens. The UIC Sustainability Fee has funded paid internships since its inception in the summer of 2013. The seven Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) collaborate on this project with program infrastructure provided by the Latino Cultural Center.
Internship
What is the UIC Heritage Garden Internship Program?
All project efforts are carried out through the activities of the internship program, which runs in Fall, Spring and Summer and adapts to the season. Interns sustain the planting of the satellite gardens and offer public programs including tours of the gardens. The UIC Sustainability Fee has funded paid internships since its inception in the summer of 2013. The seven Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) collaborate on this project with program infrastructure provided by the Latino Cultural Center.
HOW DO WE TEACH AND LEARN?
The Heritage Garden curriculum is developed and taught by CCUSC directors. It builds on research, conducted by LCC and AACC directors Rosa Cabrera and Lori Baptista when they worked at the Field Museum, which identified a number of key community concerns and strategies for community involvement in climate action, including gardening and urban agriculture. The Heritage Garden project frame work uses an assets-based approach that recognizes the range of green practices that people are already doing, builds on cultural values and identity, and links community concerns with environmental issues.
Student interns engage in many hands-on, educational activities that help to develop and maintain the garden and sustain their relationships with community partners. Interns research the cultural significance of plants in the garden, gather recipes, and collect stories from family, friends, and neighbors about their environmental friendly practices. Interns participate in weekly discussions about readings related to environmental and cultural sustainability, visit community resources relevant to this project, and work with local artists to make creative and explicit connections between environmental sustainability, cultural diversity and social justice.
Heritage garden in the UIC news!
October 17, 2017 - Seeds of social change
July 12, 2016 - Tree planing honors Pulse victims
October 13, 2015 - Monarch butterflies a lesson in sustainability, social justice
October 8, 2015 - Monarch butterflies a metaphor for UIC Heritage Garden
June 30, 2015 - UIC Heritage Garden seeds conversations about culture, sustainability
July 8, 2014 - What grows in UIC's Heritage Garden?
February 13, 2014 - Chicago chef Bill Kim unlocks flavor at UIC
September 17, 2013 - A growing interest in culture, sustainability
September 4, 2013 - UIC event links diversity of environment and culture
September 3, 2013 - A closer look at heritage gardens
Curriculum
Curriculum
Internship Goals & Educational Activities
Establish a sustainable educational model to help engage students around environmental and cultural sustainability issues.
Intellectual Framework
Our intellectual framework is based on research done by the garden directors, Rosa Cabrera and Lori Baptista.
SYLLABI
Click to download the syllabi we have used throughout the years.
BOOK DISCUSSION
Find out what books the interns have read that relate to the Heritage Garden's framework.
UICHG Community
UICHG Community
Centers for Cultural understanding and social change Directors
From Left to Right: Rosa Cabrera, PhD, Directer of the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center; Lori Baptista, PhD, Director of the African-American Cultural Center; Mark Martell, PhD, Director of the Asian-American Resource and Cultural Center
From Left to Right: S Symmons, PhD, Interim Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center; Natalie Bennett, PhD, Director of the Women's Leadership and Resource Center; Nadine Naber, PhD, Interim Director of the Arab-American Cultural Center
Student Leaders and Interns
Spring 2018 - Current cohort
Student Leaders
- Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med
- Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Sciences
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
Interns
- Nour Ghalyoun, English/Pre-Med
- Alex Smith, Psychology
Fall 2017
Student Leaders
- Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med
- Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Sciences
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Britany Davis, Biological Sciences
Interns
- Nour Ghalyoun, English/Pre-Med
- Alex Smith, Psychology
Summer 2017
Student Leaders
- Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med
- Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Studies
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Britany Davis, Biological Sciences
Interns
- Nour Ghalyoun, English/Pre-Med
- Alex Smith, Psychology
- Ana Ruiz, Sociology and Criminal Law
- Onyedikachi Ebiringah, Psychology
- Giovanni Garcia, Computer Science
Top row (left to right): Jonathan Villaseñor, Alex Smith, Onyedikachi Ebiringah, Nour Ghalyoun, Giovanni Garcia, Samar Khrawish
Bottom row (left to right): Ana Ruiz, Britany Davis, Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Tran Huynh
Spring 2017
Student Leaders
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
Interns
- Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med
- Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Studies
- Britany Davis, Biological Sciences
Fall 2016
Student Leaders
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
Intern
- Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Studies
- Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med
- Britany Davis, Biological Sciences
- Catalina Restrepo, Psychology
Summer 2016
Student Leaders
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
Interns
- Catalina Restrepo, Psychology
- Britany Davis, Biological Sciences
- Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med
- Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Studies
- Ainna Flaminia, Nursing
- Rozy Lakada, Computer Science
Top row (left to right): Jonathan Villaseñor, Britany Davis, Samar Khrawish, Ainna Flaminia, Ian Torres
Bottom row (left to right): Catalina Restrepo, Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Tran Huynh, Rozy Lakada
Spring 2016
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
- Yaritza Guillen, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
Interns
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
Fall 2015
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
- Yaritza Guillen, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Phoenix Chen, Teaching of Mathematics
Interns
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Rinn Bobek, Nutrition
- Maria Lagowski, Psychology/Pre-OT
- Maurice Mayes, Computer Science
Summer 2015
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
- Yaritza Guillen, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Phoenix Chen, Teaching of Mathematics
Interns
- Tran Huynh, Nutrition
- Rinn Bobek, Nutrition
- James Esparza, Public Health
- Maria Lagowski, Psychology/Pre-OT
- Maurice Mayes, Computer Science
- Jocelyn Munguia Chavez, Psychology
- Arianna Roldan, Architetecture
- Alonzo Zamarron, Graphic Design
- Jessica Qian Zhang (Documentation), Communications
Back row (left to right): Ian Torres, Tran Huynh, Maria Lagowski, Alonzo Zamarron, Yaritza Guillen, Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Maurice Mayes. Rinn Bobek, Phoenix Chen, Arianna Roldan,
Front row (left to right): James Esparza, Jocelyn Munguia Chavez, Jessica Qian Zhang
Spring 2015
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
- Tania Sosa, Psychology/Pre-PA
Interns
- Yaritza Guillen, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Phoenix Chen, Teaching of Mathematics
- Jessica Qian Zhang, Communications
FALL 2014
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
- Tania Sosa, Psychology/Pre-PA
- Karl Novak, Civil Engineering
- Lucia Whalen, English
Interns
- Yaritza Guillen, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Phoenix Chen, Teaching of Mathematics
- Jessica Qian Zhang, Communications
- Sharanitha Sampath, Biology
- Zainab Shirazi, Psychology/Pre-Med
SUMMER 2014
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Sharanitha Sampath, Biology
- Jessica Qian Zhang, Communications
- Karl Novak, Civil Engineering
Interns
- Yaritza Guillen, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Phoenix Chen, Teaching of Mathematics
- Natalie Cruz, Business and Marketing
- Akhila Gopal, Biology
- Ian Torres, Latin American and Latino Studies
- Lucia Whalen, English
- Tania Sosa, Psychology/Pre-PA
Top row (left to right): Natalie Cruz, Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Phoenix Chen, Sharanitha Sampath, Ian Torres
Bottom row (left to right): Yaritza Guillen, Karl Novak, Lucia Whalen, Tania Sosa, Akhila Gopal
SPRING 2014
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Christian Alfaro, Gender and Women's Studies
- Eduardo Muñoz, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Karl Novak, Civil Engineering
- Yaxal Sobrevilla, Communications
Interns
- Razan Abu-Hashish, Gender and Women's Studies
- Lulú Martinez, Gender and Women's Studies
- Victoria McClain, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Sharanitha Sampath, Biology
- Jessica Qian Zhang, Communications
FALL 2013
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Christian Alfaro, Gender and Women's Studies
- Karl Novak, Civil Engineering
- Yaxal Sobrevilla, Communications
Interns
- Razan Abu-Hashish, Gender and Women's Studies
- Lulú Martinez, Gender and Women's Studies
- Victoria McClain, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Esha Kher, Computer Science
- Zainab Shirazi, Psychology/Pre-Med
SUMMER 2013
Student Leaders
- Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology
- Christian Alfaro, Gender and Women's Studies
- Marta Aguila, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Eduardo Muñoz, Urban Planning and Public Affairs
- Yaxal Sobrevilla, Communications
Interns
- Jessica Qian Zhang, Communications
- Karl Novak, Civil Engineering
- Obehi Ilenikhena, English American Literature
- Jinyoung Chang, Psychology
Back row (left to right): Obehi Ilenikhena, Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Yaxal Sobrevilla, Karl Novak, Karl Novak
Front row (left to right): Marta Aguila, Eduardo Muñoz, Jessica Qian Zhang
what our interns are saying
what our interns are saying
“This internship has made me more social and interactive in my classes. I do not shy away from discussions as much as I used to. I ask more questions. I challenge the material presented more with my newly developed perspective (especially in sustainability related subjects). I have grown a greater appreciation for the UIC community after working here on campus.”
“As an undocumented student, I have also enjoyed having my existence acknowledged as more than my status, but through the labor and beauty that I bring to campus…in being a part of this internship, I also feel like I have some say or some investment in the environment that exists on campus.”
“The internship has changed a lot of the ways in which I think about sustainability. I never thought about connecting sustainability with cultural traditions. But, once I started story collecting and doing my own research, I realized that people have been practicing different methods of reusing, recycling, and reducing that take into consideration their environments and beliefs. ”