Grace Retz (’22) is one of three college students nationwide who has been awarded the Hatfield Prize from the Center for Public Justice.  This prize awards funding to student-faculty pairs to research social policies that impact the well-being of children, families, and communities.  Retz will conduct research in Buffalo, NY this spring with Michael Ritter, Ph.D., assistant professor of international development, on how language barriers impact the food security of refugees who resettle to the United States.

Retz, a Biology and International Development major, will research how language barriers impact the food security of refugees who resettle to the United States. “Food insecurity is a nationwide concern in the United States. However, the topic of food insecurity is especially important for refugees as having reliable access to food impacts their physical and mental health and is crucial for their adjustment to life in the United States,” said Retz. “I hope that my research will help bring attention to the disproportionate effects food insecurity has on refugee populations and that it will inspire a collaborative effort to solve this problem.”

“The pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity for millions in the United States, and recently resettled refugee families have been disproportionately impacted,” said Katie Thompson, Program Director of Shared Justice. “Grace’s research will make a significant contribution to understanding the unique challenges that refugee families face and will make forward-looking recommendations for how government and civil society can reduce food insecurity.”

Hatfield Prize recipients will spend the spring semester conducting research and writing. Their reports will be published in September 2022. The Hatfield Prize is made possible through the generous support of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

About the Hatfield Prize

The Hatfield Prize awards funding annually to three student-faculty pairs from Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) institutions to research policies that impact vulnerable children, families, and communities. The Hatfield Prize is made possible through the generous support of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trustand the Annie E. Casey Foundation. However, the findings and conclusions presented in The Hatfield Prize reports are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of these foundations.

Shared Justice is the Center for Public Justice’s initiative for college students and young adults exploring the intersection of faith, politics and public justice. Shared Justice provides Christian young adults with access to mentorship, a learning community, and a platform for practicing citizenship.

The Center for Public Justice is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to policy research and civic education. Working outside the familiar categories of right and left, conservative and liberal, we seek to help citizens and public officeholders respond to God’s call to do justice.