This edition of From Our Eyes highlights Jaelyn Mitchell (‘26 Political Science, Africana Studies and Women and Gender Studies minors). She recently attended the Bread of the World Conference (funded by Peace & Justice Studies) hosted by a Christian, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending hunger worldwide. The experience was both eye-opening and deeply inspiring, giving her the opportunity to connect her academic interests with her passion for social policy and advocacy.

Jaelyn Mitchell (‘26 Political Science, Africana Studies, and Women and Gender Studies minors) standing in front of our Nation’s Capital. Photo courtesy of Mitchell.

At the Bread for the World conference, most sessions were held at the Museum of the Bible. I heard interesting speakers from diverse professional and personal backgrounds. All of them offered unique insights into food insecurity, public policymaking, and hunger more broadly, which made me realize that this issue is not solely about food shortages but also involves social and economic factors, such as inequality. One of the most significant aspects of the experience was interacting with students from various universities in the United States. Fighting hunger requires the involvement of knowledgeable citizens and effective advocacy, and being in a community with people who share the same passion for social justice activism and policymaking created an environment where we learned from and motivated one another. We shared our ideas and discussed our different academic backgrounds.

Another crucial part of the summit is advocacy. In my cohort, we had the privilege of meeting congressional leaders and discussing issues concerning food security and hunger.  We met Congresswoman Young Kim, the representative for the Congressional district that includes Chapman University. At this meeting, we advocated for policies to protect and strengthen existing programs that provide food assistance, such as SNAP and WIC. We also campaigned against a set of bills termed the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that would work to weaken and sabotage these programs. This process was very enlightening, as I was able to put into practice all the research I had done on federal nutrition policy.

In addition to practicing policymaking strategies, we were afforded the rare opportunity to participate in a live, respectful discussion between Senators Bernie Sanders and Tim Scott in the Senate. The discussion illustrated the importance of citizens staying informed about issues affecting vulnerable members of society.

Finally, we were given time to explore the surroundings and make friends outside the conference. It was really cool to meet students from other universities from the South and the East Coast and see how these policies are also affecting their own college campuses.

All in all, the Bread for the World conference was an enlightening experience for me. It provided me with further knowledge of hunger in America, especially the influence that federal assistance through WIC and SNAP can have on needy families. Most importantly, it gave me the chance to go from research to action.