Today we’re featuring Eva (she/her), a senior and longtime Student Organizer with FEEST. She shares how she first got involved with FEEST, her perspective on school food and mental health, and her dreams for the future. Along the way, Eva keeps it real about what organizing feels like, why relationships matter, and what she wants the community to know.

Dev: Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with me, Eva. To start off, can you share your name, pronouns, and a fun fact about yourself?

Eva: My name is Eva. I use she/her pronouns. My favorite cartoon is My Little Pony.

Dev: Period. I love that. What first drew you to FEEST?

Eva: I saw the flyer up, and I never heard the word Student Organizer before.  As a high school sophomore, I was like, Student Organizer…That’s a very fancy title for a student. I was like, oh, we’re allowed to speak? which seems really cliche, but the fact that it was a job opportunity to speak out about changing schools, I was like, oh yeah, I want a part of this. Yo. I know what this is. I’ll figure it out.

Dev: That’s fire. fun fact, the year before you joined, the cohort actually came up with the name Student Organizer. Before that, they were called Student Leaders. They made the collective decision to choose y’alls title!

Eva: Oooh, okay trivia.

Dev: Right? Put that in the next Jeopardy trivia right there. Okay, so if someone were to ask you, “What is FEEST?” like if your friend was like, “You’re always talking about FEEST, what is that?” what would you say?

Eva: Simply put, it’s the opportunity. It’s giving you the opportunity for youth to actually have a choice and a voice. You not only get to share your opinion, but you also have the privilege of organizing meetings to bring in other students, so we can all work toward the same goal of having a better student life.

Dev: That’s really beautifully said. You’ve been a Student Organizer for a while now. What would you want other students to know about being a Student Organizer?

Eva: Honestly, the piece of advice I would give people is, just because you feel like you’re not an activist – you’ve never done anything like that before, or you’ve never been to any kind of organizing in your life – that doesn’t mean you can’t do this. Even if you don’t have any experience at all, or you’re scared it’s not going to matter, it’s not what you expect. FEEST will grow that feeling of wanting to change things in your heart into something real. And you get to meet people who feel the same way about their community. So don’t get discouraged because of being young or not being a “super activist.” If you’re set on helping your school and your community, that’s all you need to start.

Dev: That’s powerful. You’re joining the Food Justice team this year after working on the Mental Health campaign. What’s your take on school lunch?

Eva: Freshman and sophomore year, I remember a lot of pizza and chicken sandwiches, and the veggies were bland. If you’re going to feed kids vegetables, at least make them good! Nobody ate the celery they gave us. And there was barely any fresh fruit. Everyone would just go spend money at Westwood instead, but not everyone could afford to.

Dev: If you could change one thing about school lunch, what would it be?

Eva: Definitely more variety in fruits and sides. Culturally relevant meals would be amazing too, like some Peruvian food would be fire, but even just having better fruits and veggies would make a big difference.

Dev: How do you see food justice connecting to mental health?

Eva: Bad food, bad attitude, bad vibe. That’s the obvious connection. You feel worse when you’re fed something that isn’t good for you. But when you eat something good, you feel good. It makes people happy when they have happy tummies.

Dev: Okay, let’s zoom out. What does organizing mean to you?

Eva: I think organizing means building a foundation. You come together with people on your team, you set goals, take baby steps, connect with others, and spread awareness. For FEEST, it’s about everybody coming together to start something big.

Dev: Why do you think it’s important for youth to lead this work?

Eva: We literally are the future. We’re the ones being affected the most right now, even though we don’t always get to make decisions yet. So either you sit back and let the world burn, or you use the power you do have to do something. FEEST gives us that chance to speak and get started now, so when we’re adults, we’re already set.

Dev: What’s something you’ve learned at FEEST that you now carry into other parts of your life?

Eva: I think the biggest thing is using access needs for everything. With my friends, or when I’m in a space, I always ask myself that question. Before I came here, people didn’t really know there was a proper name for it. It’s so important, it makes you think and it helps you learn about your friends. It’s compassion. It makes you feel like what you’re going through is important, even when you’re just at work or school.

Dev: For new students who are just joining FEEST, what’s one piece of advice you’d give them?

Eva: Make friends with your peers and with staff. You’ll feel safer and more connected. Once you build those relationships, the work feels better, and you know you’re achieving something together. And it makes the parties more fun too.

Dev: Do you have a favorite memory from FEEST?

Eva: The Fresh Flavor fundraiser, my first year. Everything about it was amazing. I was shocked we were in this fancy building with a DJ. I was freshly friends with Liz, and it was just funny as hell. I barely knew people, but I felt like I was already in the circle. It was cute.

Dev: What keeps you coming back to FEEST?

Eva: I don’t want to let myself down, I don’t want to let my friends down, and I don’t want to let my community down. If I quit, I’d feel like, wait – we still have things to do. I’m not done with school yet. Even when I take self-care days, I feel like, am I tripping? Everyone needs a break, but I only have one year left, so I want to finish strong. And I want that graduation cord. It’s going to feel so good because I’ve been here so long.

Dev: Last big question: what are your dreams for the future?

Eva: I don’t know how to get there, but I want to move to Switzerland. It’s beautiful as hell. I want to live in a cottage with my boyfriend, go fishing, paint and draw, sell my art at conventions. That’s the goal. That’s like, when I’m 30. For now, I’m just testing things out for the next 10 years.

Dev: Final mic drop moment: You have the microphone to speak directly to our community. What do you want them to know?

Eva: My last thought is that we’re not done. As scared as we all are, we just have to keep going. Love your friends, take care of your friends, and spread more kindness than you’re used to. Everyone’s going through something.

Eva’s words capture the spirit of youth organizing: real, raw, and rooted in care. From imagining a dream cafeteria to naming the simple truth that “happy tummies make happy people,” she reminds us that change starts with compassion and connection. We’re grateful for Eva’s years of leadership with FEEST, and we’re excited to see her vision keep unfolding.