Makenna Robbins is a Food Studies scholar. Her research has a strong focus on sustainability and food security in North America and the Caribbean. Makenna hopes to pursue a PhD through her intersectional interests in media studies, sustainability, and ecology. 

Makenna’s most recent research on Cuba’s food security is being published in the peer-reviewed journal JAFSCD. This research examines the Proyecto de Innovación Agropecuaria Local (PIAL) and the contributing factors to accessing food in Old Havana. She visited Cuba numerous times to conduct fieldwork for the project that included interviewing local farmers and surveying more than 100 people. 

She has a bachelor's dual degree in Sustainability Studies and Mass Media Studies from Hofstra University. Makenna graduated with high honors and received the Most Outstanding Research Project from the Department of Geology Environment and Sustainability Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Food Studies at New York University.

Makenna didn’t always live in New York City she grew up in Syracuse, New York gardening in her backyard and watching movies with her family. She is passionate about staying healthy through cooking balanced meals and running. However, her downfall is that she has been a coffee fanatic ever since watching Gilmore Girls.