About Juan-Rodrigo Solares

Executive Board Position: Vice President

Past Lion’s Pantry Experience: Pantry Manager & Cub Pantry Coordinator

Majors: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Minors: Microbiology

Other 2023-2024 Involvement:

A Q&A with Rodrigo

1) What are you most excited about The Lion’s Pantry this year?

I am very excited for all the amazing and new things that we will do this year. I think we have a great team, and I am very excited to be working on some new projects that we have been working on.

2) What initiatives, campaigns, or goals would you like to see during the 2023-24 academic year?

I would like to see more food drives and more food insecurity awareness events. In my opinion, I think raising awareness is a very crucial thing, and I think that as an organization that focuses a lot on combatting the issue, we should also dedicate our time on educating people about the issue.

3) Why should new students join The Lion’s Pantry?

The Lion’s Pantry is an amazing organization as it has a great mission: help students. You get to play a huge part on a resource that a lot of students on campus use, and ultimately, you are working for a great cause. You can also meet a lot of great people who have the same motivation and drive as you towards combatting food insecurity.

4) What does food insecurity mean to you?

Food insecurity for me means a big issue. It is ultimately a lack of access to foods due to someone’s economic situation. As students, we have a heavy workload, and having the stress of not knowing when your next meal is going to come is ultimately a big burden. Combatting this issue is important as everyone deserves to have a healthy life, one where they have access to food and a healthy lifestyle.

5) What excites you most about the position you hold for The Lion’s Pantry during the 2023-24 year?

For the 2023-2024 year, I will be the vice president of the organization. The thing that excites me the most is having the capability of joining and conducting different projects and initiatives while helping the president. Due to the flexibility of my position, I can also assist on multiple things and help the rest of the exec board. Having this ability of playing an important part in the organization is something that is very important for me.

6) Please share one of your favorite memories from The Lion’s Pantry.

My favorite memories were the workdays we had last year. They were always a lot of fun, and it was very worthwhile seeing how organized the pantry became every Sunday after each workday. Knowing that the work we put in helped a lot of students during the last academic year made it more worthwhile.

Favorite Comfort Movie: Grey’s Anatomy

Favorite Way to Unwind After a Long Day: Reading a book, hanging out with friends, and drinking a something sweet

“Go-To” Fun Fact: My Go-To fact is that I used to do horseback riding.