HOW DO WE TEACH AND LEARN?

The Heritage Garden curriculum is developed and taught by CCUSC directors. It builds on research conducted by current LCC director Rosa Cabrera and former AACC director Lori Baptista when they worked at the Field Museum. This research 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. 

The Interns engage in many hands-on, educational activities that help to develop and maintain the garden and sustain their relationships with community partners. Interns oversee the planting and maintenance of eight satellite gardens on the east side of campus. Interns also lead tours and host two annual public events that support intercultural engagement to broaden efforts around cultural and environmental sustainability. 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!

• March 8, 2019 - The Heritage Garden Plants Seeds for UIC Environmental Sustainability

• September 25, 2018- UIC earns national recognition for sustainability efforts

• 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

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 & Program Structure

Click to download the syllabi we have used throughout the years, and also read more about the program structure,

BOOK DISCUSSION

Find out what books the interns have read that relate to the Heritage Garden's framework. 

Centers for Cultural understanding and social change Directors

From Left to Right: Rosa Cabrera, PhD, Director of the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center; Mark Martell, PhD, Director of the Asian-American Resource and Cultural Center; Cynthia Blair, PhD, Interim Director of the African-American Cultural Center; Jordan “JT” Turner, Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center.

From Left to Right: Natalie Bennett, PhD, Director of the Women's Leadership and Resource Center; Zeina Zaatari, PhD, Director of the Arab American Cultural Center; Dean Adams, PhD, Interim Director of the Disability Cultural Center

Student Leaders and Interns

Summer 2019- Current Cohort

Student Leaders

• Mechiya Jamison, Urban Planning and Public Policy

• Zuleyma Morales, Neuroscience

Student Interns

• Alejandro Gomez, Pre-Nursing

• Ama Nipassa, Nursing

• Danay Barrera, Earth and Environmental Science

• Desiree Rosales (Photographer), Art Education

• Isabel Carmona, Interdisciplinary Education in the Arts (IDEA)

• Ludmila Pesce, English (Media Rhetorical and Cultural Studies)/ Communication

• Sana Murtaza Bhalli, Pre-nursing

• Victoria Ngo, Biology

Spring 2019

Student Leaders

• Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med

• Alex Smith, Psychology

Student Interns

• Mechiya Jamison, Urban Planning and Public Policy

• Zuleyma Morales, Neuroscience

• Edith Mendez (photographer), Photography and Graphic Design

Heritage Garden Educator

• Nadia Sol Ireri Unzueta Carrasco, Gender and Women's Studies

Fall 2018

Student Leaders

• Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med

• Tran Huynh, Nutrition

• Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology

• Nour Ghalyoun, English/Pre-Med

• Alex Smith, Psychology

Student Interns

• Mechiya Jamison, Urban Planning and Public Policy

• Zuleyma Morales, Neuroscience

• Edith Mendez (photographer), Photography and Graphic Design

Heritage Garden Educator

• Nadia Sol Ireri Unzueta Carrasco, Gender and Women's Studies

summer 2018

Student Leaders

• Jonathan Villaseñor, Bioengineering/Pre-Med

• Samar Khrawish, Integrated Health Sciences

• Tran Huynh, Nutrition

• Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Community Psychology

• Nour Ghalyoun, English/Pre-Med

• Alex Smith, Psychology

Student Interns

• Kayla Toulabi, Political Science

• Abigail Olsen, Neuroscience

• Mechiya Jamison, Urban Planning and Public Affairs

• Zuleyma Morales, Neuroscience

• Umair Naseem, Computer Science

• Edith Mendez (photographer), Photography and Graphic Design

Spring 2018

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

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

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

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

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