David is the Edible School Garden Instructor for a FoodCorps site in Tuba City, Arizona, a Native American community on the Navajo reservation. The Edible School Garden and Community Visioning Project are two efforts initiated by the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to promote healthy living and to combat diabetes and childhood obesity. David and his team work with about 150 3rd-5th graders to implement a curriculum on horticulture basics and nutrition, both of which meet state requirements for math and science. The curriculum also invites community members to join the classroom and provide added instruction as cultural teachers. In the garden, they are currently adding more raised beds and just finished building a hoop house. Needless to say, they are cultivating much more than just vegetables.
When did you know that you wanted to work in food?
My ‘aha’ moment was when I was about 10 years old when I cooked scrambled eggs for a weekend breakfast. I felt accomplished and the whole family enjoyed it.
