"It is an honor and pleasure to be the faculty sponsor of such an important student organization at CAL. DULCE's mission of addressing the major public health issue of diabetes within the Latino community, couldn't be more critical and timely than it is now. We know that diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among the Latino population in this country and compared to Whites, Latinos are twice as likely to have diabetes. Diabetes use to be a disease primarily seen in our elders, but now we are seeing more and more young people and even CAL students who already have the disease. DULCE is addressing this problem in a direct and powerful way by galvanizing communities to better understand the larger root causes of diabetes and to empower them via health education information and skill building in hopes of mitigating the increase among Latinos. Being the faculty adviser for DULCE is a proud part of my public health work. The DULCE students are inspiring and remind me of why I entered the field of public health in the first place."