Growing up in the United States, Sienna Turner was surrounded by a prevalent viewpoint that biotechnology has no rightful place in agriculture. As a result, her understanding of technology in agriculture was rooted in distrust.

When she completed her bachelor’s degree in plant science in December 2018 from the University of Florida, those early beliefs had transformed altogether. Sienna now views agricultural biotechnology as a wonderful tool that has the ability to improve the quality of life for all.

As the director of GRACE Grows, a nonprofit organization she co-founded to empower individuals experiencing homelessness, Sienna has seen how pervasive the fear of biotechnology has become in the way we address our local challenges of food insecurity. She applied to the GLFP out of a belief that it is important to reach out to people who are fearful of biotechnology in order to bridge the gaps between global agricultural needs and misaligned local ideology.