GW Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit Ambassadors
The next generation of food systems leaders is already making an impact. Meet three GW students who participated in the Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit to advocate for meaningful policy change and strengthen the skills they'll carry into future food leadership.
Mritika Rahman
As an undergraduate student in GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health, Mritika Rahman has turned a passion for expanding local food access into a growing commitment to food policy and advocacy. She began researching local food insecurity as a freshman and has since built her expertise as a student researcher with GW’s Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security (IFSANS). Following her interest in food issues to the Global Food Institute’s courses, Mritika took GFI 3004: Food Policy Stakeholders, where she deepened her understanding of how federal agencies, lawmakers, and advocacy organizations influence and shape the nation's food system.
That foundation translated into action. This summer, Mritika attended the Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit, where she advocated for the Modern WIC Act (H.R. 1464), legislation that would permanently allow participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to continue to certify eligibility remotely. By preserving this pandemic-era flexibility, the bill would reduce barriers and help more families access critical nutrition support.
The summit also gave Mritika a firsthand opportunity to see the policymaking process in action. On the same day she and her fellow advocates met with Rep. Paul Tonko's (NY-20) office to discuss the legislation, the congressman signed on as a cosponsor of the Modern WIC Act. Witnessing that immediate outcome reinforced the power of direct advocacy and demonstrated the impact students can have in driving meaningful policy change.
Reflecting on the experience, Mritika said, “What will stay with me from this experience is the reminder that our policymakers rely on and are beholden to us. As students, it's easy to think that we don't have any sway or power, but when we decide – like we did at the summit – to come together and advocate for something so deeply personal that affects millions of us, we become changemakers ourselves. Especially in the realm of food and hunger, with the landscape changing rapidly under our feet, we need diverse perspectives from professionals, students, and community members alike to shape a more equitable future."
Marian Winters
Marian Winters has built her food access advocacy around a simple but powerful idea: making sure people know that help is available. As an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina, she volunteered at her campus food pantry, where conversations with classmates struggling to afford their next meal exposed the reality of college food insecurity. Motivated to act, Marian leveraged her role in student government to connect students with food resources already available on campus.
Working alongside fellow student leaders, Marian passed student government initiatives for an easy-to-use app for a university program that redirects surplus campus food to students in need. The app would alert students when and where free food is available. Her commitment to food and nutrition security has since taken her to federal service as a Food and Nutrition Security Intern with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). She is currently pursuing an MPH in Health Policy at GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health and works as a Graduate Student Project Assistant at the Global Food Institute.
At the Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit, Marian advocated for the Closing the College Hunger Gap Act (H.R. 777), legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Education to notify students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that they may be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The legislation addresses a significant barrier to food access: awareness. Although millions of college students experience food insecurity, an estimated 67% of students who are likely eligible for SNAP never receive benefits, according to a 2024 report from the US Government Accountability Office. By connecting FAFSA applicants with information about SNAP eligibility, the bill would help more students access the nutrition support they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
The summit also marked Marian’s first opportunity to advocate on Capitol Hill. Beyond developing new advocacy skills, the experience reinforced a critical lesson: the importance of storytelling in inspiring action.
"While citing data is important, backing it up with personal stories and lived experiences is what makes advocacy truly effective," she said. "The Summit reinforced the importance of remembering my 'why' throughout my career and continuing to be involved in community work so I never lose sight of the people behind the data."
Caroline Kirk
For Caroline Kirk, an MPH student studying Nutrition in GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, nutrition policy isn’t just an academic interest. It’s rooted in years of working directly with children and families facing food insecurity. Since beginning her work at a food bank in 2021, Caroline has seen firsthand how barriers to federal nutrition programs can prevent families from accessing the support they need.
Today, Caroline serves as a Cross Regional Specialist for Afterschool and Summer Meals at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). Caroline says, “My team works hard to make sure that kids in the DMV have access to meals after school and during the summer by operating two federal child nutrition programs — the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). By partnering with a local vendor, we provide free, nutritious meals during out-of-school-time programming.”
At the Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit, Caroline brought her operational perspective to the policy arena. Drawing on her experience supporting food-insecure children and families, she joined fellow GW advocate Mritika Rahman in championing the Modern WIC Act (H.R. 1464). Caroline believes this bill is a critical step toward modernizing WIC by reducing barriers to entry and access like transportation challenges, childcare responsibilities, and inflexible work schedules.
Through meetings with congressional offices and fellow advocates, Caroline strengthened skills in public speaking, policy analysis, and strategic communication. The experience challenged her to translate both research and her real-world experiences in childhood nutrition into compelling policy messages for different audiences and confidently share them with decision-makers. For Caroline, the Summit reinforced the powerful connection between community-based work and policy change. She’s interested in continuing to fight hunger in a food policy career, and she values this experience for helping her navigate the legislative process and sharpen the storytelling skills that are critical to advocacy.
Caroline remains committed to advancing policies that will expand access to nutrition programs and help end hunger. This October, she’ll help raise awareness of college student hunger at the CAFB Student Hunger Conference for colleges in the DC area which will take place at and be co-hosted by GW.