Javier Cantu ‘22
Major: History and Southwest Studies
This summer I worked as the Bike and Compost Coordinator for the Food Rescue Alliance in Colorado Springs. My job title might seem abstract and unconventional, but it included a plethora of job functions that were a mix of basic Human Resources responsibilities and manual labor. The HR side of things included tasks such as recruiting, volunteer coordination and training, and performance management. I worked with our FLY program high school interns as well as other volunteers from the Colorado Springs community over the course of the summer in a socially distant manner, adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols at all times, training them in areas such as community composting, food justice, and sustainability. Facilitating these volunteer experiences during the onset of a global pandemic was challenging, but rewarding, as it improved my organizational, leadership and interpersonal skills. The manual labor aspect of my job consisted of carrying out operations for the Soil Cycle department of the Food Rescue alliance such as picking up food scraps from our weekly route service, processing compost, building composting systems at the Colorado College Student Farm, and maintaining equipment.
Colorado Springs Food Rescue
Colorado Springs, Colorado
