For her first project, Wessel prepared a presentation for the STARS (Science, Technology and Research Scholars) Program. STARS is a summer research program administered by the Yale College Dean’s Office for students historically underrepresented in the fields of sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Olivares was invited by Dr. Maria Moreno, STARS co-instructor, to teach a weekly GIS workshop to STARS students, and Olivares invited Wessel to make a presentation to them. The workshop focus was food security and food access, something Wessel had studied in previous courses.