What I Learned Interning with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers: Get on the Ground

This summer, I interned at the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the organization that pioneered the Worker-Driven Social Responsibility (WSR) model, in which the workers themselves enforce working standards. CIW started among farmworkers in Florida's tomato industry, where they organized in response to wage theft, sexual harassment, and unsafe field conditions. The WSR model gives agricultural workers a real way to raise concerns about their working conditions without fear of retaliation.

The Fair Food Program (FFP), a partnership between CIW, growers, and retailers, makes the WSR model an effective strategy. It includes worker-to-worker education sessions, a 24-hour complaint hotline, a strict code of conduct, and independent audits carried out by the Fair Food Standards Council.

During my internship, I learned how a complaint moves through the system, from the moment a worker raises it to how it gets investigated and resolved. Major buyers like Walmart, Whole Foods, and McDonald's have committed to sourcing only from growers who comply, so the program has real weight in the market. Worker voice isn't just something the program talks about; it's what holds the whole system accountable.

Coming into this internship, I was thinking about supply chains mostly from the top down: certifications, sourcing standards, corporate commitments. That changed during my time at the CIW.

Over the course of the internship, I traveled to tomato and potato farms in North Carolina and Virginia with former farmworkers who now work as educators at CIW. On one visit, a worker raised a concern about their access to medical help. I watched that concern get taken seriously right away, with the right people brought in to help resolve it.

One thing I'd pass along to other Erbers thinking about their own internships is this: get on the ground, and don't skip opportunities to hear directly from the people a system is meant to serve. It's easy to stay focused on frameworks and policy in a business or sustainability program. But talking to the people a system actually affects tells you a lot more about whether it works.

As you explore internships, look for an opportunity that puts you close to the reality of the sector that you're interested in, whether that's a supply chain, a public health program, or a local economy. And keep in mind, there are a lot of great opportunities out there that don't look like traditional internships, so don't limit your search to formal postings. For example, you could design an internship with a nonprofit doing work in an area you’re interested in.

Going forward, I want to work in roles and companies that take both sustainability and worker well-being seriously. This internship showed me that's possible, and it's shaped what I'll look for as I build my career in food systems.