Su moved to DC a year ago from her native Costa Rica.
She loves DC because it is multi-cultural and has many Spanish speakers. She finds the same diversity at FFA. “When a group is diverse,” says Su, “the different perspectives teach us more about life.”
During her eight months volunteering at FFA, Su has enjoyed the horizontal structure. At FFA everyone sees how they can best fit in, be that bagging, flattening boxes or taking inventory. Everyone is open to doing whatever it takes to get the food out the door. This is motivating. “I feel more valued at FFA than in a hierarchical corporate environment,” she says.
Volunteering with FFA has given Su other insights. “Now I know there is more to life that sitting at work in front of a PC,” says Su. “There are many other worlds to explore outside the workplace.” Su also values food more. “Many people don’t have the means to meet their own food needs, so I value everything I put on my plate.” FFA has also inspired Su to watch what she puts in her stomach. “I am learning more about ingredients and how to better read food labels as a discerning consumer.”