Congratulations to our 2023 Santa Rosa Garden Club Scholarship recipients – Edgar Munoz Corona and Charles Bottino. Both students have centered horticultural activities, sustainability, and environmental justice throughout their lives. These scholarships are administered by the Center for Environmental Inquiry and recognize students in support of their pursuit of horticultural knowledge.
Corona is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Science, Geography, & Management at Sonoma State, and he has worked as a steward at the Sonoma State Garden Classroom. Corona also did outreach through Land Paths and Sonoma Land Trust.
In his application letter, Corona wrote that his experiences outdoors with his grandmother in Mexico “helped spark and fuel my passion for food and land justice, which has only expanded outwards into helping others–particularly BIPOC–have that accessibility and opportunity to connect to the natural world around them.”
Corona also said that he sees challenges as opportunities. “While living in LA, I became involved in organizing community gardens,” wrote Corona. “We continuously fought and advocated for access to unused land to be used as opportunities for communities of predominantly Latinx and low-income families to have access to healthy and fresh food.”
His goal is to be in a position to “help BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) youth be exposed to Environmental Science and Environmental Studies” and understand “the importance of sustainability, environmental justice, and traditional ecological knowledge for their communities and the world." Wrote Corona, “Diversity within this field is not only important, but necessary, and I intend to help make that happen.”
Bottino is seeking a B.A. in Environmental Studies, Geography, and Planning at Sonoma State, and he has been interested in immersing himself in garden spaces for much of his life.
When he was younger, Bottino volunteered at native plant preserve that had a sustainable garden section. He has also “worked for an urban farm, a natural food co-op, a CSA delivery service, and a local farm specializing in seasonal organic vegetable starts all of which had horticulture as a component of the business.”
“It has been a goal of mine to engage in horticulture and connecting fields to further my studies working towards environmental sustainability,” wrote Bottino in his application.
Bottino plans to pursue graduate studies in Water Resource Management and wrote that he hopes “to unify water resources with sustainability, restoration, and small/large scale agriculture.”
Each $1000 Santa Rosa Garden Club scholarship supports students in any discipline pursuing hands-on horticultural learning. Horticulture is the science, landscape, technology, and business of plant cultivation.
To get involved with the Center; learn more about our programs, classes, or projects; or to donate, please contact Center Director Claudia Luke at lukec@sonoma.edu(link sends e-mail) or visit cei.sonoma.edu.