UCANR/ UCCE Fresno Small & Speciality Crops Healthy Soils Project Manager

 Since January I have been working as a Project Manager for the Healthy Soils grant recipients. It has been so challenging, I have learned so much in these past months. I enjoy helping out these small Hmong farmers as I feel my hard work is worth it. It has been a crash course in Project Management for me, we have so many things going on at once, it is so easy to feel like your head is spinning, and things get forgotten, postponed or redone, too many times for comfort, but the amount we accomplish in the short amount of time, on top of it being during COVID and working from home is incredible. I have a great boss who is passionate about her work and helping out these small growers. That really keeps me motivated and going. I realize how important it is to have a boss to toss ideas off, and explain problems you have encountered. She is incredible smart, some of it is experience.  She can take what I say, and summarize it with a solution or idea without being condescending."What if we try this"? She will say and it is remarkably a great idea. This is one of her best traits and lacks a lot in academia. I think it is because she is from near Fresno County. Fresno County I just read has an average household, household income, of $33,000. 23% of the population lives BELOW the poverty line. That is almost 1 out of 4 people. The inequality is astoundingly noticeable. The homeless population is everywhere. But that is a subject for another blog. I am from California from the Bay Area and we never looked fondly on the Central Valley. Now, living here I seen this condescension so clearly. It plays out in our politics, in environmental justice, and humanity for those that live here.

My position is grant funded entirely which is very scary. I know I can be here until January, I hope longer because I feel attached to my work now. And I am improving juggling my multiple projects, keeping organized and making sure things are being accomplished on time. It is very hard. I have never learned so much at a job in my life.