Joshua?is a second-year?MENV student who specializes in Sustainable Food Systems. In this Student Highlight?article, Joshua?shares how his?heritage and identity have shaped his academic journey, his career trajectory, and the person he is today.
How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My Atayal name is Xilan, my Chinese name is 陳顏書亞, and my English name is Joshua Yuen-Schat. I’m Indigenous Taiwanese from the Atayal tribe in 拉拉山，上巴陵. My mother is Atayal and my father is Taiwanese. My family is originally from Taiwan and we immigrated to Hawaii when I was nine years old. At an early age, I was exposed to many different cultures and languages, which helped shape my worldviews and enabled me to adapt to various environments. Growing up in different communities, I often questioned my identity and positionality as an Immigrant and Indigenous person because people around me didn’t have the same identities. Sometimes I had doubts and hesitations about expressing my identities, in fear that others may not understand my experiences as an Indigenous Taiwanese Immigrant or treat me differently.
Fortunately for my siblings and I, our mother is a strong advocate of our background and taught us to be proud to be Atayal. While distance from our Atayal community posed a barrier, she found ways for us to reconnect and rebuild our relationships with our tribe in Taiwan. She created opportunities for us to practice our Atayal culture and language through musical performances and art, and she passed down stories and lessons from her experiences. My heritage is grounded and shaped by my mom’s love for her community and for us.?
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Has your heritage influenced and or shaped the career path?
My maternal grandfather was the first person to introduce white peaches to Taiwan, and he was also the first to farm and cultivate them. From working in the fields to packaging and delivering the product directly to consumers in the city, I have been immersed in the commodity chain processes of small-family agriculture systems since I was a child. Experiencing my grandfather's dedication and love for his peaches inspired me to study both environmentalism and sustainable food systems. My upbringing and heritage are the foundation of why I want to invest my time and efforts into creating communities similar to my grandfather's––a community in which all members show mutual understanding and respect for their environment and each other.?
In the past two years as a food systems graduate student, I had the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with various communities and organizations in Colorado. I'm currently a board member of SAME Cafe in East Colfax, a staff member with the Boulder County Farmers Market, and a researcher with Frontline Farming. I have experience working on food access and justice issues through my affiliation with SAME Cafe and their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) working group, where I collaborate with board members and staff to provide recommendations to their DEI efforts internally and externally. At the Boulder County Farmers Market, I help facilitate SNAP and WIC transactions and maintain relationships with customers to ensure their needs are met. Through my research with Frontline Farming, I identified racial equity metrics for food movement organizations and co-created a data collection and evaluation system for the pilot BIPOC apprenticeship program. I will continue my food justice work in Colorado to create equitable access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate foods for all.