Reciprocity and Healing

Andrea Robinowitz ’25 received unexpected gifts from her involvement with a local urban garden

Andrea Robinwitz sits at a table with several women at CASA Pitzer

Andrea Robinowitz ’25 (second from left) spends time with members of Huerta del Valle and Mujeres del Jardin at a CASA Pitzer research symposium.

By Bridgette Ramirez

You can learn important lessons anywhere.

That’s what Andrea Robinowitz ’25 knows.

The place where the 21-year-old double major in environmental analysis and foreign languages has encountered some of her most transformative educational moments isn’t a classroom in Claremont but an urban garden in Ontario. There, Robinowitz has cultivated an understanding of holistic health, radical care, and community-based wisdom.

Andrea Robinowitz smiles at the camera while standing on the pitzer mounds.

Robinowitz’s experience has been made possible by the longtime partnership between Critical Action & Social Advocacy (CASA) Pitzer and Huerta del Valle (HdV). CASA Pitzer is an intensive, two-course program that facilitates student fellowships with local partners—including Huerta del Valle’s garden community. These fellowships take the form of praxis classes that immerse students in the day-to-day operations of partner organizations. Huerta del Valle, a network of urban farms and community gardens in the Inland Empire, grows organic food and advocates for an equitable food system.

Robinowitz’s double major delves into environmental justice, sustainability, and foreign language skills with a concentration in Italian and Spanish. Out of all of CASA’s community partners, HdV best aligned with her passion and skillset. She said she loved spending the semester with the organization.

“It was a great intersection of my coursework,” said Robinowitz. “For one, my Spanish got a lot better. For another, I feel like environmental analysis connects to anything you do. All forms of injustice are interconnected and connected to the environment. I saw these things play out in person.”

Robinowitz was grateful for the chance to break out of the Claremont bubble and immerse herself in a new region.

“I went to public school in a progressive, liberal city,” said Robinowitz, who is from San Francisco. “I grew up interested in social issues and grassroots work. CASA and Huerta del Valle helped me understand this new community in the Inland Empire.”

Intergenerational Learning with Community Healers

One of HdV’s hallmark offerings is the Mujeres del Jardin, a female-led community healing group that meets in the community garden. Robinowitz joined Mujeres del Jardin for their weekly meetings, which included homecooked meals and wellness practices in aromatherapy, meditation, and dance. Every meeting included an emotional share-out for people to check in with each other.

“I saw a prime example of how important community is in supporting health,” said Robinowitz. “The garden provides organic food, but it also provides more holistic support. Everyone was there for each other.”

Robinowitz was inspired by the depth of emotional care that took place around her. But she didn’t experience this just as an observer: She was embraced by the group and found an unexpected source of support and encouragement there.

“I was touched by everyone sharing vulnerable, personal stories,” she said. “It was a safe space for people to bond over their culture and talk about their feelings and struggles.”

Robinowitz explained that many members in Mujeres del Jardin are immigrants from Central America and monolingual Spanish speakers. Since Robinowitz is fluent in Spanish, she was able to build stronger connections with them. The women embraced Robinowitz as one of their own, sharing their hearts and their knowledge across generations and cultures.

“I was included in multiple conversations where there were disagreements, but they never got heated,” said Robinowitz. “Everyone just wanted what was best for the community. They were able to have open dialogues that value everyone’s opinions. It’s helped me realize that I like to be in community in my work.”

Breaking Down Barriers

“CASA gave me the opportunity to meet this community I would have otherwise not met,” said Robinowitz. “I heard stories about how far people lived from the garden and about their different working and health conditions. I was able to connect that to issues I learned about in class.”

CASA Pitzer facilitates community-based participatory research on issues of regional equity and justice related to immigration, environment, health, and more. Students take their classes in CASA Pitzer’s community center in downtown Ontario while they participate in their fellowship with a regional partner.

“I saw a prime example of how important community is in supporting health. The garden provides organic food, but it also provides more holistic support. Everyone was there for each other."
— Andrea Robinowitz ’25

Robinowitz’s research project delved into HdV’s past, present, and future commitment to values of community and health. She incorporated participatory observation, archival research of past HdV CASA projects, and interviews with employees to create an overview of HdV’s work. Her project listed challenges faced by the community members and the organization, such as access to technology, institutional memory, and outreach. Robinowitz also compiled suggestions from HdV staff, community members, and past CASA fellows for HdV and future fellows to grow the organization. “We talk a lot about blurring the lines between binaries like the teacher/student model,” said Robinowitz. “In higher ed, we value people’s expertise when they have PhDs, but everyone can learn from one another. You can also learn outside the classroom—through doing and experience.”

Andrea Robinowitz stands behind a produce table with two other people at Huerta de Valle — Robinowitz (right) and co-workers help with distributing fresh fruit and vegetables to community members.

Robinowitz considers her time with the Mujeres del Jardin as a prime example. While she was learning about traditional healing practices and herbal remedies, Robinowitz was also benefitting from the women’s life experience. As mothers and grandmothers with decades of wisdom, they gave Robinowitz access to a different view on community and care.

At the end of the semester, the Mujeres del Jardin attended the CASA Pitzer research symposium to celebrate Robinowitz and give her gifts.

“That was so touching,” said Robinowitz. “It made me realize that the relationship was, at least I hope, reciprocal. That they were able to learn from my perspectives like I learned from theirs.”

According to Robinowitz, the women taught her a renewed sense of optimism and an example of community resilience that she had never experienced before.

“I got access to such a different attitude of positivity and community,” said Robinowitz. “Even if people were facing difficult struggles in their personal and financial lives, they were still able to have a positive outlook and always be there for one another. This was possible because of how everyone supported each other. It was a breath of fresh air.”

In higher education, a classroom can feel intimidating and competitive. Mujeres del Jardin showed a different path to Robinowitz. Seeing other people’s willingness to be vulnerable and open-hearted encouraged Robinowitz to do the same. She found an inner healing she never expected.

Robinowitz has kept in touch with the women via group chat to this day.

In addition to the Mujeres meetings, Robinowitz assisted in Huerta del Valle’s produce markets and assembled their annual report. CASA Pitzer prioritizes reciprocity with community partners, but Robinowitz wished her involvement could have been more extensive.

“It was easy for me to receive more than I was giving,” said Robinowitz. “I was getting class credit and was there for a short period, whereas other community members depend on Huerta del Valle. To the biggest extent that I and that CASA can, we emphasize community offerings.”

Environmental Education and Grassroots Organizing

In her environmental analysis courses, Robinowitz has studied the warehouse boom, air quality concerns, and food insecurity. However, CASA Pitzer and Huerta del Valle introduced her to these issues and their impact on community in a concrete way.

“I didn’t know anything about the Inland Empire before,” said Robinowitz. “I saw how environmental impacts affect real people. I was learning from those on the ground working toward social justice. I experienced much more than classroom conversation, although that’s also important. There’s a balance.”

With the completion of her involvement with CASA Pitzer and Huerta del Valle, Robinowitz is more passionate than ever about grassroots action, mutual aid, and community-driven organizing.

“My most important takeaway is that, regardless of career, I want to prioritize community,” said Robinowitz. “I learned the value of being there for the people around you. We help and protect each other. I want to find that wherever I go.”

Robinowitz gained both practical skills through the work of her hands and a stronger sense of purpose through the relationships she built at Huerta del Valle.

“I saw that it is possible to use your academic background to do meaningful work,” said Robinowitz. “Still, the amount of work that I did was nothing in comparison to what the employees and community members do every day.”

Robinowitz returned to Huerta del Valle this fall and is applying what she’s learned throughout her life. “I learned more in my CASA semester than I did in any other class,” said Robinowitz. “I think every class should have some sort of community praxis involved.”