FRESNO, Calif. – When Norma Lupian Capistran moved to Fresno two years ago, she thought her life would continue along a familiar path.
At 35, the mother of three children had spent most of her adulthood moving between jobs that echoed the experiences of her family: long days in the fields, seasonal shifts, and whatever work came next.
Fresno didn’t change that at first.
She began, as she always had, in agriculture, harvesting under the sun much like her family.
Over time, Lupian Capistran cycled through a string of other jobs — cleaning, packing, restaurant work — each offering stability but little sense of direction.
Still, she carried with her a quiet desire to do more, especially for the farmworker families whom she saw struggling with the same challenges she had grown up around.
One day, while sorting through the fliers and handouts she’d picked up at a community event, she came across a brochure for a program she’d never heard of before.
“I was curious because I wanted to learn what it was about,” Lupian Capistran told KVPR in Spanish.
The brochure described opportunities to develop new skills and, more importantly, to help strengthen health awareness within farmworker communities.
That idea stayed with her. It felt like a gentle push — a reminder of her roots and the people she hoped to uplift.
Recently, that spark culminated in a milestone.
Lupian Capistran became one of nearly 20 people who graduated from the inaugural Community Health Workers Certification cohort in November through a Farmworkers Advancement Program Grant.
For her, the certification is more than a credential: it is a chance to transform the experiences of farmworkers from the inside, as someone who has lived their reality and now feels ready to advocate for their well-being.
The Community Health Worker Certification program was a 10-week course organized by Fresno Building Healthy Communities. It provides culturally responsive training to farmworkers and others who are connected to the agricultural fields.
Across California, more than 400,000 people work in agriculture, according to the Employment Development Department. The Central Valley is one of the nation’s most vital agricultural regions, employing nearly half of the country’s farmworkers.
Yet farm work carries serious risks: long hours under intense weather and exposure to outdoor pathogens can pose life-threatening dangers for those on the job.
Sandra Celedon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fresno Building Healthy Communities, said her organization's purpose is to promote health in communities. She said the Community Health Workers Certification program was created after the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared over.
"We really understood the importance of investing in farmworkers as community health workers,” Celedon said.
She said there are also benefits to providing workers who come from intense labor industries with the skills and options to help their own community improve their health.
These health workers are better known as “health promoters,” said Julianna Bejar, program coordinator at Fresno BHC.
A health promoter is "Someone who wants to give back to their community and they teach others health equity, [and] health promotion,” Bejar said.
Classes are offered weekly during the program, and held on Saturdays for four hours. Each class covers a different health topic.
The next cohort will start in February.
Lupian Capistran, who recently graduated, said that she learned about diseases that can be transmitted in the countryside and how one can protect themselves properly. She said she also learned basics, like providing information about the Medi-Cal.
Healthcare among farmworkers has been thrown into flux under the current political circumstances in the country around immigration enforcement
Lupian Capistran says regardless of the political environment, bringing health information to people is still important.
"I think it's important because that way, all the people who work in the fields will realize the importance and the benefits they have. And, more importantly, how they can protect themselves,” Lupian Capistran said.
Young health promoters
Young people also take part in promoting health through the program offered by Fresno BHC.
The organization also hosts a “Youth Internship Program” for students in grades 9-12th and aims to help them develop their skills to support rural communities.
Students who take part in the program have two options: they can be an ambassador for people in rural areas, or they can be part of the Junior Community Health Workers program, better known as "promotoritos," in Spanish.
The youth cohort takes part in a nine-month program, during which they develop their communication skills and their passion for advocacy.
“I learned how to present better. I learned how to speak publicly better,” Anthony Llandes, one of the interns, said. “I'm trying to continue advocating because through the program I've learned that my voice has power and it matters.”
This story was produced by Israel Cardona Hernandez as part of an internship program through Fresno State’s Media, Communications and Journalism department. KVPR reporter Rachel Livinal contributed.
