An Interview with Lindsay De May
Food Studies Major, Minors in Management Studies and Nutrition
Class of May ’16
What was the focus of your work in Food Studies? If you did an internship, what did it entail? If you did a thesis, what did you focus on?
The focus of my work in Food Studies was pretty broad. For example, I interned at a Certified Organic, vegan farm in the Finger Lakes one summer, but also spent 2 years working as a culinary arts learning assistant. My senior thesis followed theme to my experiences where I took a holistic approach on food and researched the complexities of implementing a US National Food Policy through a Human Rights Framework.
What did you enjoy most about your experience?
I love the Food Studies family! The professors continue to inspire me, even after I’ve graduated. Many of my fellow Food Studies alumni remain some of my closest friends.
Talk about a challenging or new experience you faced during your internship/research, how you managed it, and what you learned as a result.How did your Food Studies classes experiences/degree/internship prepare you to work in the broad field of Food Studies?
I think the perspective and background that I sequestered through Food Studies classes are extremely applicable to many fields. The secret strength of the Food Studies program is that I gained a basic understanding of the inter-sectional nature of our food system, which required me to learn about other fields (geography, sociology, economics, political science).
What’s next for you of what are you up to now?
After graduation, I spent 2 years divvying up my time as a garden teacher, grant writer, farmer’s market assistant manager, and community representative. This semester, I began my joint degree at Vermont Law School working towards a Juris Doctorate and Master in Food and Agricultural Law and Policy. I never anticipated going to Law school until my last year in the Food Studies program, which opened my eyes to the need for lawyers in the field of Food and Agriculture.