Consuelo Baez Vega
Originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, I call the Coachella Valley my home, which is where I primarily grew up. At first, my intent was to pursue a criminal justice degree, but I changed it to a natural resources degree, which I received for my associates. It wasn’t until a year later that I decided to go back to school and obtain my bachelor's degree in Agriculture. I did not have an agricultural background, although I did field labor picking fruits and vegetables for a couple seasons. Part of the reason I felt the desire to pursue agriculture was being surrounded by all sorts of field crops in the Coachella Valley, but most of all knowing that agriculture is vital to life. This set me on my CSU, Chico undergraduate journey from which I graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in agriculture. I was greatly influenced by my mentor, Ana Medic, who guided me in my first research experience with fava beans. Later, she also motivated me to start a rice internship while I was an undergraduate student.
This led me to the next stage of my life in rice research, which started with UC Davis at the Rice Experiment Station as an ag technician for herbicide studies. I eventually switched to the UC Cooperative Extension under the mentorship of Dr. Whitney Brim-DeForest, who is another great influence figure in my life. I have come to love working in rice and conducting research in general, which instilled in me the desire to pursue a masters. This led me to apply for the Interdisciplinary Masters study program with an emphasis in Regenerative Agriculture since I strongly believe in what it stands for. We should give back to the soil systems we take from for the long-term vitality of the crops produced for our nourishment and help growers with their livelihoods. As such, for my masters thesis, I am finalizing a cover crop variety trial study in different rice systems for agronomic performance.