Michelle Fausto

Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow

Michelle Fausto (she/her) is a 28th class Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow. Michelle graduated cum laude from the University of California Los Angeles with a B.A. in Political Science and Labor Studies. As a fellow, she was placed at the UC Irvine FRESH Basic Needs Hub in Irvine, California, where she collaborated with the CalFresh Outreach and Enrollment Project to create and assess a comprehensive outreach strategy meant to increase awareness and enrollment in CalFresh/SNAP among college students facing basic needs insecurity. Prior to her role at UC Irvine, she interned and worked at several nonprofits during college such as the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, and Early Academic Outreach Program. As a first-generation college graduate and low-income daughter of Mexican immigrants, Michelle uses her lived experiences in poverty- and hunger-related issues to inform the work that she does. She hopes to continue her work in SNAP advocacy at APHSA and learn more about the role that nonprofits play in informing federal and state policy.