Priscila Espinosa is a social entrepreneur, activist, and inventor from Clinton, Mass. Her social enterprise, SproutChange, started in 2016 as a hashtag to influence a grassroots advocacy movement in consumer education built around alternative medicine, organic agriculture, sustainability and social/food justice. Since then, SproutChange has blossomed into a budding startup that’s working to make North Central Massachusetts a healthier place to live. 

We caught up with Espinosa to learn more about her work in social entrepreneurship and to see how her Bentley graduate studies as a dual MBA/MS in Human Factors in Information Design candidate have contributed to her career growth. 

How did someone who studied sociology in undergrad get into social entrepreneurship? 

I would say that sociology and social entrepreneurship at their cores share solving social problems, so they’re more alike than you might think. While attending Worcester State University, my concentration in Sociology was Race, Gender and Class, and I did two theses overseas on human rights (Geneva, Switzerland) and genocide (Berlin, Germany). 

When I graduated from WSU, I really wanted an international job (I also minored in French and had concentrations in Spanish and Italian), but I needed a master’s degree to work overseas. So, I obtained an international position at the next best global job market I could find: New York City. 

My first official full-time job out of university was working in sales and marketing, specializing in renewable energy research at Sojitz Corporation of America, a top Japanese import/export firm located in midtown Manhattan. It was during this time that I first started collaborating with various corporate social responsibility committees. It’s this desire to innovate and pay it forward that eventually paved the road for SproutChange via grassroots advocacy. 

What is SproutChange all about? 

SproutChange offers a full-circle solution to food insecurity and climate change that services the needs of the individual, community and our shared ecosystem. Our slogan is “helping you sprout change using food as medicine, natural remedies and herbs!” 

To accomplish this goal, we offer individual consultation on ways to use food and natural remedies as medicine. We also put on wellness programs and workshops for community groups and other organizations, on such topics as Emergency First Aid in Your Kitchen, Gut-Brain Connection, and DIY Cultured/Fermented Medicinal Foods, to name a few! Finally, we hold a public No-Dig Garden workshop series. 

What’s been the key to SproutChange’s growth and success? 

Our community and our advisers. Though we still have many growth milestones to achieve, our latest accomplishment was securing grant funding through UMass Memorial Health HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital to work in the North Central Massachusetts region improving this population’s health outcomes. 

What made you think of getting a graduate degree? 

In 2013, I was thinking about graduate school, but thought it would be law school. I was studying for the LSAT and working as an AmeriCorps legal advocate at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, a nonprofit law firm. I was contacted by Betsy Myers, founding director of the Center for Women and Business and learned of a new possibility at Bentley. She set up an interview with the then dean of admissions for me. In this blind interview I was accepted as one of 17 students in the dual MBA/MS in Human Factors in Information Design program with a partial scholarship.  

A short while later, I had several health incidents that led to my current disability status, so I needed to place my full scholarship on hold for medical reasons. A couple years ago, with my health more stabilized, I realized that my dual MBA/MS in Human Factors in Information Design would be helpful to take myself and SproutChange to the next level. I asked Bentley if my scholarship was still available and they said yes. 

What was it about the dual MBA/MSHFID that appealed to you?  

I first learned about (MSHFID Program Director) Bill Gribbons’ work from a couple of events I attended with ALPFA Boston, the leading Latino professional network. I was very impressed with disruptive technologies in health care. It is hard to believe that, eight years later, I would be in his program, let alone be designing and prototyping a patient portal app thanks to an HFID course in his program!  

How has your Bentley education brought value to your life so far? 

Through the people, whether it’s the peers I work with in class or faculty advisers I trust and hold with esteem. I’ve had the opportunity to work on team projects that have been extremely educational, and I have become incredibly attuned to what I am passionate about, what I am good at, as well as what I am less passionate about and less good at. It has given me a closer look at both competitive corporate positions and nontraditional possibilities for my career prospects, whether as a consultant, freelancer or entrepreneur. 

Why are No-Dig Gardens and sustainable agriculture so important? 

It’s really all about the soil. Healthy soils mean healthy plants, which lead to healthy ecosystems and, ultimately, healthy people. 

What are some things people can do to help develop healthier habits in their lives and their community? 

I tell my clients when transitioning to a healing foods diet and lifestyle to substitute their current foods with higher quality foods such as organic and non-GMO foods or obtaining really fresh foods from their local farmer’s market. These types of foods are more nutritious than mass-produced foods, which may also be laden with chemicals.  

If you are gardening or farming, transition to no-dig/no-till methods to support healthy soils. If you’re not already gardening, start sprouting and get involved with your local community garden!  

Where do you hope SproutChange and you will be in five years? 

In five years I hope we begin transitioning to our end goal of becoming a fully funded global think-tank and sustainable farm-to-table research institute. 

To learn more about SproutChange, visit mysproutchange.com.