Hannah Segal ’09 is a recipient of the Donald A. Strauss Scholarship Foundation 2008 public service scholarship award. The Foundation annually awards $10,000 scholarships to at least 14 California college juniors who demonstrate a commitment to public service and education.
This summer, Segal’s project will combine her interests of criminal justice and gardening by interning with the Women and Criminal Justice Network, which organize student visits to the Chino Institute for Women (CIW). She will meet with the inmates who are interested in gardening to determine what they want in their garden and what they want to learn.
“I want the garden to create a space in the prison to discuss political issues concerning food, agriculture, and the environment. I hope that the women inside CIW will be interested in creating their own independent garden projects,” says Segal. Her hope is that students of The Claremont Colleges will then be able to partner with individual projects next year and work closely with some of the inmates.
Segal plans to expand the garden, with future projects that may include a native plant garden, an herb garden, a small fruit orchard, and a green house. Plans also include a mural, designed and painted by inmates and students working together.
For more information on this project, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact the Women and Criminal Justice Network.