Stacy Dean, an official at the US Department of Agriculture, was inspired by a visit to Watkins Elementary, in Washington, D. C. Students grow vegetables in their school garden. They also roll up their sleeves in the school’s kitchen to participate in a FRESHFARM FoodPrints class, which integrates cooking and nutrition education.

“Who’s next?” asks instructional coach Regina Green, as kids throw vegetables into the pan and the smell of fresh ginger and onions fills the air. “We grew these in our garden,” Jessie Gibson, one of the students, says proudly. Then he measures and pours dry ingredients into a bowl.

“Our family has tried new things because of the program,” says Catie Kelley, whose two children have participated in the FRESHFARM program. “They come home with the recipes,” Kelley says. “It’s fun because it’s things that we don’t usually make at home,” so it has encouraged them to try novel combinations. She says the kids take more of an interest at the grocery store to identify foods they’ve tried in the program.

Dean wants to have the science around healthy eating integrated. A block to scaling up these types of programs is money. The program relies on grants and receives some federal funding, but it’s not enough to expand the program to all the schools that could benefit.

In fact, there are other problems. At a time when diet-related disease is a leading cause of death, and unhealthy eating habits are rooted in US culture, it’s unrealistic to think that a cooking curriculum could overcome such a sweeping, societal problem. “We know from years of evidence that we need multiple things to come together to support healthy eating,” says Angela Odoms-Young, a professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University.

Despite these challenges, programs like FRESHFARM can help kids expand their choices by introducing them to new tastes. At first, many kids are turned off by the bitter taste of greens. But through the magic of cooking, processing the onions, and blending in fresh ginger, kids can be inspired.

Millennials (千禧一代) who conduct “forward-looking financial strategies” tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives. Following a budget, saving money and shopping less have benefits “beyond the bound of personal finance”, according to a new study out of the University of Arizona.

For the study, researchers collected data from 968 young adults born between the years 1981 and 1996, starting when they were freshmen in college (ages 18-21). They followed up with the same students when they were seniors, and then two years later (ages 23-26). The study participants answered questions about materialism, their own personal finance strategies such as budgeting and any pro-environmental habits they followed. Students were also surveyed about their mental health, including how satisfied they were with their lives and how they’d rank their personal well-being.

“People who save money report better overall wellbeing. including less psychological pain, ”Sabrina Helm, study author tells CNBC Make It. “And people who buy less and consume less show less depressive symptoms, so there’s a positive mental health effect.”

Not surprisingly, the money-saving strategies improved people’s financial satisfaction too. “It gives you peace of mind. ”Dr. Helm says. “If you’re able to put something aside for worse days, and manage to live within your means, it has clear positive effects on mental health.”

Certain sustainability efforts also have a similar impact on people’s health and happiness. For example, researchers found that the students who consumed less to help the environment were happier than those who simply bought more “green” products. Although many people have been socialized to see products as solutions, simply reducing the number of things you use or buy might be the better tactic for your mental health, Dr. Helm explains.

“It’s normal to geta product to cope with all sorts of things,” Dr. Helm says, “but that contributes to climate change.” Luckily, there are concrete tips to “step back from the consumerist approach”, she adds. For example, she suggests keeping a weekly purchase diary and creating a shopping list.

I remember when Kamala Harris became Joe Biden's running mate. It seemed funny how many people pronounced her name incorrectly. On one occasion, a news host became upset when being corrected, and purposely called her Kumbaya.

I am no stranger to this issue as many of my students are from Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and sometimes their names are difficult for me to pronounce, even after asking them how to say it. Many students seem unwilling to correct me when I attempt to learn their names correctly. The other thing I’ve seen in growing numbers is students “adopting” an English name.

It's much more common than many think, for people to change their names in order to fit in.

This is especially the case when it comes to seeking jobs. Racial and cultural minorities often attempt to avoid discrimination hiring by hiding racial cues on the resume including changing their name. This is referred to as “resume whitening”. Research shows almost 50 percent of black and Asian job applicants did so.

Xian Zhao from the University of Toronto researches ethnic (种族的) name pronunciation, saying that many people don’t understand that habitually pronouncing an unfamiliar name inaccurately is a form of indirect discrimination. It sends a message that “you are the minorities” says Zhao. “You are not important in this environment, so why should I take time and my effort to learn it?”On the other end, those with ethnic names frequently don’t correct people, even when their name is pronounced wrong repeatedly, feeling it is better just to keep the peace and not stand out for being difficult.

It is important to try to pronounce everyone’s name as they pronounce it. This communicates respect of them as a person and their culture. There is nothing wrong with asking someone to repeat their name so that you can learn to pronounce it properly. This is usually appreciated.